Washing your car every week is time-consuming. In this day and age of rushing about, 12-hour workdays and traffic jams, the last thing you have time for is washing the car. Yet, if you're like me, you hate to have a dirty car. So, what do you do? The answer is quick detailing, now more properly called the waterless wash.
Spray & Wipe History
The spray and wipe (detailing spray) market was created in the early 1980's. One of the very first companies to recognize the need for detailing sprays was
Meguiar's, who released a product called Trigger Wash. After realizing the name caused some confusion with consumers,
Meguiar's changed the product name to Quik Detailer. The product completely defined a new market and remains one of
Meguiar's top sellers.
Quick detailers, which are often called a "mist and wipe," are commonly used by detailers and car enthusiasts to put the finishing touch on a freshly detailed vehicle. Mist and wipe products quickly and easily remove water spots, dust and other light contamination. The special formulations evaporate quickly to prevent further spotting and lubricate to prevent scratching. Today, every major car care brand has a mist and wipe product in their line-up. For the car enthusiast, mist and wipe is more than just a convenience; it is a necessity.
Quick detailing sprays are just one useful helper. A number of innovative products have emerged to help us maintain the appearance and cleanliness of our cars. The first such product was the car duster, which remains a popular, safe and effective tool for daily dusting. Next came detailing sprays, which provide the lubrication necessary to remove dirt and dust safely. Most recently, the car care industry has seen the emergence of lint-free microfiber fabrics as multipurpose cleaning and polishing tools.
THE WATERLESS WASH TECHNIQUE
Using my quick detail, waterless wash techniques, I have reduced my soap-and-water washing to once a month. Time is only one factor in considering waterless car washing. Water shortage is another. Sooner or later, drought hits all of us. It seems to run in seven-year cycles here in California. Done properly, quick detailing can reduce the amount of time you spend cleaning your car. It also reduces the effects of harmful elements (road grime, bird droppings, bugs, etc.), and keeps your car looking sharp. Twenty minutes a week is all it takes to maintain a finely groomed car.
NOTE: Many U.S. municipalities are beginning to crack down on both water usage and runoff, as required by the US EPA Clean Water Act of 1972. As a result, in many areas, car washing at home by traditional bucket and hose methods is forbidden. If you still wish to clean your car yourself at home, the waterless car wash is your best alternative.
Supplies
To wash your car without water in the comfort of your own garage, you'll need several good microfiber detailing towels, a waterless wash spray (or a quick detailing spray). A car duster also works well at removing the top layer of dust, but is not necessary.
Quick Detailing is not just for the exterior of your car. There are detailing sprays for your car's interior, as well. You will also find a number of handy products for dusting the dash, removing lint and keeping the interior smelling fresh.
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| High Definition (HD) Car Care offers a complete waterless car washing solution. With just two sprays and two types of towel (microfiber and disposable wipes) you can clean your whole car, inside and out. Both products are biodegradable and ecologically friendly. |
Interior First
For interior quick detailing all you need is a proper spray and a good detailing towel (lint free). Several dedicated interior detail sprays are available, including
Meguiar's Interior Quik Detailer, Einszett (1Z) Cockpit Premium, and Sonus Cockpit Detailer. Of these, I think
Meguiar's does the best job because it also cleans glass very well. If you want a product for both interior and exterior cleaning, look no further than
HD FREE Waterless Car Wash Lotion. Designed for exterior and interior use, HD FREE cleans and protects in a single step.
To use an interior detailing spray, fold your microfiber detailing towel, spray it with a few shots of detailing spray, and wipe down the dashboard, console, seats (don't use a detailing spray on cloth seats), door panels and door jambs. Use the interior detailing spray more for dusting than cleaning. It's not necessary to wet the interior surfaces with the spray.
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| Sonus Cockpit Detailer is an interior spray and wipe detailer. It is an excellent solution for modern interiors with complex metal, paint, plastic, vinyl and leather finishes. It works well on navigation and other electronic displays and controls, too. The anti-static formula reduces dust and the matte finish reduces glare. |
Like their exterior counterparts, interior mist and wipes are designed for fast results on interior finishes that need just a little touch-up to otherwise look perfect. Sonus Cockpit Detailer offers intense UV protection for all interior plastic, rubber, metal, vinyl and leather surfaces. It is a premium solution for all convertible owners, who need regular protection to avoid premature damage. The final finish of Cockpit Detailer is flat to matte.
Exterior Second
The number one concern most people have with quick detailing is scratching or dulling the paint. This is a genuine concern and warrants discussion.
Quick detailing your paint with a waterless car wash product is perfectly safe if you follow a few cautionary measures:
- Use a quality duster to lift away dust;
- Use quality microfiber towels with plenty of nap;
- Use plenty of detailing spray/waterless car wash; and
- Learn when your car is too dirty to quick detail and wash it instead.
At least one company, High Definition Car Care, has sought independent testing and verification of their
HD FREE waterless car wash product by
Bureau Veritas. Bureau Veritas does independent testing and verification of product claims to test if they are true. In this case, Bureau Veritas tested and verified that the proper use of HD FREE will not scratch the paint.
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| Don't underestimate the benefit of a good duster. Lynn is using it here to dust this vehicle before wiping with a detailing spray. |
Here are the proper steps to quick detail your car's body:
- Dust the vehicle with a paint safe car duster. Start at the top of your vehicle and work down. Shake your duster frequently (rapidly flipping side-to-side is the best method).
- Clean the windows with your favorite glass cleaner and a microfiber towel.
- Wipe down the paintwork with your favorite waterless car wash product or detailing spray (mist the body panel, not the towel). Be sure to mist the surface of the car thoroughly before wiping. Starting at the top, wipe down your car, wiping in a single direction only. As the surface of the towel gets soiled, flip it to a clean side. When all sides of the towel are dirty, switch to a fresh towel.
- When the loose dirt is gone, wipe the car down again, lightly misting as you go. Buff with a dry microfiber towel.
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| Lynn is using a detail spray and microfiber buffing towel to do the final wipe on a Porsche Cayenne. |
If your paint has mud splatter or other heavy soil, it should be rinsed or washed before wiping with towels. Use common sense when quick detailing and your paint will remain in very good condition.
Wheels Last
As the final step, do your wheels. If your wheels are fairly clean, simply wipe them down with your waterless car wash or detail spray. If your tires and wheel are heavily soiled, you will need a cleaner with more power than your detail spray. For this, I recommend HD TOTAL. When used with disposable wipes, HD TOTAL Degreaser & Soil Remover offers a fantastic way to quickly clean your tires and wheels in your garage without water.
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| HD TOTAL Degreaser & Soil Remover is an all-purpose automotive cleaner that offers a fantastic way to quickly clean your tires and wheels in your garage. HD TOTAL does not require rinsing, so you can simply spray, wipe, and toss out the mess. HD ECOWIPES (also pictured above) are biodegradable automotive wipes that are super absorbent and tough. |
SUMMARY
Once you are familiar with quick detailing your car, you can easily get the job done in as little as 5 to 10 minutes. Compare this to the 45 to 60 minutes it takes to wash and dry your car with soap and water. If you did a quick detail on your car every day, you would spend no more time than you would with a weekly wash, and your car will always look freshly detailed.
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