Me and a guy were talking after church today about the topic of washing waxing etc... I stated that I washed about once a week and he said that he did about every two weeks. The question arose about frequency and we both came to the same question...."Can you wash too much?" So what are some of your thoughts? Can one wash too much?

Just curious.

 

good question.... any input? im very curious

 

. . not really, only if you are using the wrong techniques; IMO.

 

in the same area of thinking, about the technique issue. at that rate, once a week would be too much if the technique was all wrong, or using the wrong product, such as dish detergent.

 

No. You have little to no risk by washing weekly.

The key is exactly along the lines of what Thump mentioned -- you want to use good techniques, products, and, most of all, COMMON SENSE.

If you're using poor techniques, products, and lacking common sense -- then, yes. You *CAN* wash too frequently in my honest opinion.

IMO, you'll introduce more problems than you'll solve by frequently washing -- if you're wanting to wash weekly with crummy chemicals and/or techniques, you may as well go to a nylon brush tunnel every time -- why waste your personal time thrashing your paint when a crummy tunnel with crummy chemicals and crummy washing brushes/etc. will do an equal job?

 

alot of washing will take wax off, you need to make sure you wax around every 2-3 months with washing once a week. Use Common Sense! for instance...

If you wash with a sponge, change the spong out every couple months, if you drop it on the ground-wash it off really good or throw it away(it will pick up dirt/sand and will scratch the crap out of your sexy truck)

Always spray the truck over really good to reduce as much dirt as possible before you start washing it off with soap and sponge.

If you ever go through a car wash, you prob. need another wax job, the soaps they use, usually knock wax off. hint: never wax after a car wash, always wash truck very, Very good before waxing.

 

washed my truck three times last week all by hand 1 REALLY good one 2 "quickies"

 

Washing through commercial car washes is the pits. With the floppy type of slapping strip cloth it swipes off the wax with the help of the strong detergent. The steam and brushes on the wheels takes off any wax/polish you may have on the rims.

With the "No Hands" commercial washes I have had all the wax on my pickup melt and run down the sides of my pickup. I do not know if it was the type of soap or the strong force of the water. I had to rewash my pickup by hand to clean off the runny wax.

Too, many commercial car washes cannot drain and dry a bed. I have had at least 6" of water and suds in my bed while the dry team just walked away.

I do wash my pickup with a sheep skin mitten after a thorough douse of water. I rinse the skin mitten in a 5 gallon bucket of water with each use to remove any foriegn matter. I never use any soap of any kind on my paint. This preserves the wax. I do use Mother's liquid soap on my wheels during the winter. Mother's advertises that it is not strong and will allow some retention of wax/polish. When I bought my rig new I did a thorough cleaning, wash, and double wax. Since then I only wax twice per year, doing only a section as I feel like it. Waxing the whole rig takes more time than I wish to donate at one waxing. And yes, my paint is fine and my rig looks like it was washed two days ago even though it may of been 3 weeks. My color, Oxford White.

For those in the heavy winter States that must drive everyday I suspect a greater use of soap, wax, and wash schedule is a must.

 

The way i see it, wouldn't not using a QUALITY soap when washing your truck actually hurt, due to the fact that any tiny particles wouldn't have the extra lubrication that the suds provide. Although some of the wax will be removed, its not enough to worry about. I prefer Meguiars gold class, and have found that a coat of wax (NXT) still lasts around 2-3 months for me when washig with soap.

 

You *definitely* want the benefits of a good car wash soap. The added lubricity alone will help to minimize halo scratches (swirls), plus it emulsifies some of the particulate on your paint and safely floats it away as opposed to it being worked against the clear coat. You also get the added benefits of the gloss enhancers to make your paint look its best. Some soaps even leave behind some added protection (polymers).

 

I recently found this body wash on Chemical Guys web-site. This product seems to fit qadsan's description to the letter. And one I wish I would have found sooner.



The first ever Extreme Bodywash Shampoo + Synthetic Gloss Enhancer.

Often times the way you start a job greatly impacts the final result. Starting off with a superior Wash & Wax shampoo that cleans the surface yet will not strip waxes or sealants is highly recommended.

super premium Bodywash Shampoo and Synthetic gloss enhancer.
formulated with a synthetic wax that greatly reduces water spots by reducing calciums ability to adhere to the surface.
one single cap full delivers extreme super suds that gently lift dirt and grime.
pH-balanced blend of polymers and lubricants will gently remove dirt and contaminants from your car while still leaving your wax or sealant perfectly intact.
wash black, red or dark color car without fear of creating and tiny washing swirls.
bodywash & wax will not leave behind any film just a superior shine and clean look
formulated with new foaming technology that utilizes cleaners that are suspended within the suds and bubbles to gently lift away the toughest road grime.
bodywash and wax is heavy duty yet amazingly surface-friendly.
will not remove protective wax or polymer surface protectants.
synthetic surface lubricants act as a lubricant to prevent scratches or swirl marks.
leaves behind an ultra-thin coat of gloss resulting in a beautiful shine.
gently lifts dirt, rinsing fast leaving behind a premium shine
high-performance cleaner and gloss enhancer
cuts through heavy dirt and road film.

Cleaning Ability: Low 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 High

Degreasing Ability Low 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 High

Shining Ability: Low 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 High Scent: Grape

 

Chemical Guys makes very good stuff. In fact, they do a lot pf private label work. In other words, there's a lot of products out there sold by other companies under their own brand names, but are in fact made by Chemical Guys. Many of these companies do no want you to know that Chemical Guys makes their products and I'm not going to get into the brand names, but the bottom line is they do offer many high quality products at very good prices.

 

Wash the rocker panels, wheels, and lower bumpers first(and if your a clean freak like me, the fender wells, shocks, exhaust, etc). Dump that water out and get fresh water. Now you can wash the rest of the truck starting with the hood. I use Eagle One.

 

Ehh... I'd do it just the opposite way around but, at least you're segregating those areas!

 

I've washed fire trucks for years ( they get washed most every day ) don't seem to hurt them