Homestyle: How to wash my dirty, grimy truck? (vehicles, auto, tire)
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What is the best around-the-house stuff to wash my truck with? I don't want to go to the auto store and buy things like, "Marvin's Magic Bees Auto-Shine" or anything like that!
Isn't there something simple, like a dish soap with water and a sponge, that I can use to remove the grime and get the truck ready for the real-deal cleaning/waxing?
The problem has come about because my city doesn't allow for us to wash our vehicles on the street (I have nowhere but the street!) ....and I figure I can get away with it if I find a way to do it with a few buckets of water and some sort of cleaner. Something like Dawn dish soap would be wrong, no? ....
No. I used Dawn for years, but only if I was going to wax it afterward (it would strip the wax). It never seemed to hurt anything. I stopped only because a local auto parts store had a hot deal on a huge bucket of car wash soap that lasted me until I stopped driving cars that were worthy of being washed by hand.
Just to back up a bit, the only thing I would caution against is some of these "newfangled" dish soaps on the market today with the little cleaning beads, they may contain some kind of abrasive that could scratch the paint.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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If you have a lawn, park it there and wash it so the soap/water don't run into the street but help keep the lawn green. I'd start off by going to one of the self-serve car washes that take quarters, $2-3 should be enough to get most of the grime off.
Dawn is rather harsh and will strip the wax off your truck. Honestly, you are not likely to find any general purpose cleaner around the house that will work as well as a specific car wash soap/detergent.
If you have to wash in the street/yard/whatever, really, do as Hemlock suggests and go to a coin-op wash.
You can get Turtle Wax "Zip Wax" car wash, which does impart a wax finish rather than strip it, at Wally World and similar discount stores. You are not likely to get a cheaper answer that will work right than this.
I agree with Hemlock, go to one of the self-serve power washer booths on a slow day/time (some are 24/7) and perform all the work there. Problem solved.
I agree with Hemlock, go to one of the self-serve power washer booths on a slow day/time (some are 24/7) and perform all the work there. Problem solved.
These are easily the most convenient for the $5-$10 it costs. If there is a ton of heavy grease and gunk (bugs, tar, oil) stuck to the truck your best bet is to run it through once quick, get some heavy duty cleaners (bug and tar remover, wheel and tire cleaner, maybe polishing compound) scrub all the gunk off, then do a finishing wash.
The "clear coat protectant" these places use is just a mild wax. It's actually pretty effective for keeping stuff from sticking to the car. It's not a replacement for a good wax or sealant, but it helps.
What is the best around-the-house stuff to wash my truck with? I don't want to go to the auto store and buy things like, "Marvin's Magic Bees Auto-Shine" or anything like that!
Isn't there something simple, like a dish soap with water and a sponge, that I can use to remove the grime and get the truck ready for the real-deal cleaning/waxing?
The problem has come about because my city doesn't allow for us to wash our vehicles on the street (I have nowhere but the street!) ....and I figure I can get away with it if I find a way to do it with a few buckets of water and some sort of cleaner. Something like Dawn dish soap would be wrong, no? ....
If you have some old POS truck that you don't care about then go ahead and use dish soap on it. If it's something you care about then spend $5 and get some car wash soap. Dish detergents will (not maybe) strip wax from every surface it comes in contact with. This includes door jams, drip rails and all the surfaces the water gets into around trunks, hoods etc. If you use dish soap you need to be prepared to go back right away and wax every inch of the car.
The only time i've ever used dish soap on a car was before I started body work during a complete repaint.
Don't do it.
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