Washing off road salt when it's 10 degrees out

[mjshaw130]

Does anyone have any sort of plan on how to wash road salt off during the winter months when it is like 10 degrees out. I live in CT and my truck is covered in salt but it is to cold to even try to pull out a hose or run water outside. I waterless washed my whole truck about a month ago but that was before the roads were caked in salt. The salt is far to severe now to try that now.

[falcaineer]

Check out the Adam's winter wash video for some pointers. 

[ocdrifter]

Go to a coinop car wash, they usually have heated water that way you make a mess there and not at home. Hopefully you have one by your house.

 

Good Luck

[Firebuff17]

I also live in CT and struggle in the winter to rinse my truck let alone wash my truck.

I have yet to find a coin op that has heated water anywhere near me.

[pirahnah3]

I live just north in MA, so I can relate. I pay attention to the weather number 1, if its close to freezing, its cleaning time for me. 

 

Now, that said, typically in October or even into November I will make sure to get a solid coat of Paint Sealant and this is when I start coating with H2O GG whenever possible. If the weather doesnt get above freezing I use a local pay and spray to just clean it off, if the weather gets above freezing then it gets a waterless whenever possible. If I can get it in as well I will do an H2O GG application and I have done one below 40 but it wasnt the nicest application ever. 

 

Simply, if you have a garage or place that can keep the wind off and get a little heat, just spray it off and do what you can its winter it doesn't last forever. 

[LFairbanks]

I will be doing all 3 of my vehicles tomorrow and it has been cold here.  This morning it was -3.  

 

I have a coin op about a mile from the house and will spray it off.  I spend a lot of time spraying the underside.  I have some rubber gloves that are similar to those used for washing dishes, but are thicker.  Picked them up at Lowes for around $10.  I then drive home and into my heated garage and let it sit for a bit to thaw out and hit it with the Rinseless Wash.  

 

Frustrating part is when it is cold like this with all the salt, as soon as it gets around 32 degrees the line at the coin op is a mile long.  Below freezing there is almost no line.

Edited January 7, 2017 by LFairbanks

[Firebuff17]

I do get to clean it once a few times during the winter. When it's above 30 I will go to the coin op down the street with my bucket of suds with warm water from home. And I use probably the same gloves from lowes LFairbanks uses. Forearm length rubber gloves with a wool/fleece type of liner to them. Great gloves. Drying gets hard. Literally. I have had the truck freeze up while rinsing a couple times.

[Tjn54321]

Im from ct also and black truck is covered in salt. Im going to go spray it off at a local car wash.

[Rich]

Remember to keep opening your doors and windows. They'll freeze shut.  

[SumBeach35]

Remember to keep opening your doors and windows. They'll freeze shut.  

 

 

a tip to help prevent this is before you go to the wash take some silicone lubricant and spray it into a shop towel, old t-shirt or paper towel and wipe down the door seals on the door and on the body.  water wont stick to the seals when coated with silicone

[KoryMiller340]

So.....

     I just had this issue last weekend!  My wife's car had been in the shop for a warranty repair (hood started to rust due to a poor spot weld from the factory).  Anyways, we got the car back and the temperature hadn't been warm enough to wash it, and get some type of protection on it.  

     Last weekend, I made up my mind I was going to get this done no matter what.  So I get up early Sunday morning and head to the coin op car wash.  I took some all purpose cleaner along with me, and my wheel and tire brushes.  I start to spray the all purpose cleaner on the wheels / tires, and it instantly turns to a sludge / icy mixture.  So, I stick the coins in the machine and start to pre-rinse.  As I'm doing this, the car is freezing instantly, looking like an icicle.  I now realize I've entered the point of no return, so I continue with the soap, the rinse, etc.  Each stage, it seems as though it is progressively getting worse.  I finally finish up and head home (about 2 miles).  I get out of the car, and again, it just looks like a huge icicle.  I realize that I can't just let this go, and it's too cold and frozen to have anything left on the car to dry.  I pull the car in the garage which is insulated and has drywall.  I take two space heaters out there with me and crank them up.  After about 30 minutes, I start making progress and get the car to where the ice is starting to melt.  At that point, I was able to rinseless wash it and get it cleaned up, at the end, I clayed and liquid paint sealed the newly painted hood so that is ready to go back to battle with winter weather.

      Long story short, it was 8 degrees out, and I thought too that the heated water at the car wash was not susceptible to freezing, however, I was quickly proven wrong.  I will now pay a little more attention, and try not to create additional work for myself the next time.  I feel like it was basically $9 wasted at the car wash, however, I did get the larger crud off of the car which in turn probably made rinseless washing much easier (and safer) in the end.  

[BRZN]

Below freezing, I leave the vehicles alone.

 

1.) The local pay and spray coin op car wash shuts the water off.

 

2.) The metal, glass, etc of the vehicle is below freezing, so if it does get wet the water sticks, and as stated in the post just above the vehicle turns to a giant icicle. The doors will stand a good chance of freezing shut leaving a good chance of breaking the door handle or pulling door seals/weather striping off trying to get in later.

 

3.) Done at home the driveway turns to an ice skating rink, too dangerous.

 

Between 33 and 40 couple degrees I'll use my own pressure washer on the driveway to spry most all the salt off. Foam the car down with Adam's Foam Cannon and his Car Shampoo, and let that dwell for five minutes or so. I'll rinse all the suds off with the pressure washer again. I have a Reverse Osmosis water filter system and will use that filtered water for a final, spot free rinse and call it all good.

 

Above 40 couple degrees I'll perform a normal two bucket wash.

[funkymonkey1111]

Check out the Adam's winter wash video for some pointers. 

This video is why i love adam's polishes so much--not all insanely fussy about taking care of your car--showing how real people do it with what they have available because of location, weather, etc.  Face it, we're not all driving cars that are going to be on a barrett-jackson stage.  some of us want to just get a 12 year old subaru looking its best.

 

that said, after a snow/mag chloride/(now salt) drive in colorado, i hit the coin op for just a power rinse.  no soap, just blasting--especially the undercarriage. 

 

since colorado switched to salt this year, i bought one of those hanging plant waterers (the bent goose neck kind) for rinsing under the car