Ok guys... time to get creative. Wash without a hose?

M

Mutilator

New member
Today I found out that my landlord is no longer going to allow me to wash my car across the street at my sisters house. (I don't have a hose here) He says it's messing up his well pump filters. Now you and I know that most people probably use more water taking a shower than I do rinsing my car off but anyway I need some suggestions on what to do. All of the surrounding areas are under serious water restrictions right now so that basically eliminates the option of washing my car at my parents house in the city or going to commercial car washes (I don't like going to those anyway) but I need to figure something out... I'm not going to let my car get dusty and muddy and water spotted permanently. :mad:



Any suggestions on how I can continue to wash it? Should I get some kind of pesticide sprayer type deal to wash it with or what.

Do any of you guys get by without a hose somehow?



I wish I had a real house with a garage and more money than I'd know what to do with right about now... maybe one day. ;)
 
That sucks! I don't think they're too many options if you don't wanna go to a commercial car wash. I would buy a whole bunch of buckets, but you don't have any pressure for the water. Oh, I got it! Get yourself a really big wrench, get your car in front of a fire hydrant, and use that to wash you car! I bet you could get away with that.
 
There are a few things you can do. First one is use the coin-op car washes in your area. I don't think city councils will shut down those places. Yeah, it's a bit of a PITA but I did for many years and got good results. Just gotta burn up a lot of quarters.



Look into a product called Dri Wash & Guard. Do a SEARCH on it (upper right corner under the banner ad). Lots of people have used this with success.



I know some Autopians have had to do the "bucket brigade" thing, using bucket after bucket to rinse their cars. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do...........
 
I just got my order of Protect All Quick & Easy Wash which was recommended to me by Scottwax. You are suppose to be able to wash your car with 2 quarts of water or a gallon of water. Something like that. I'll be trying it out tomorrow to see how it does.
 
I have been using quick and easy for years, I use it because I like it better than using the hose.

Unless my car is very dirty I never use the hose.

You don't have to use the absorber or the big blue but they really work good with quick and easy.
 
Intel486 said:
I just got my order of Protect All Quick & Easy Wash which was recommended to me by Scottwax. You are suppose to be able to wash your car with 2 quarts of water or a gallon of water. Something like that. I'll be trying it out tomorrow to see how it does.
Click to expand...



You should really like it...especially after using it a couple of times to really get the hang of it.



I wash a section, then dry using 2 towels...one to wipe and one for the final dry. Make sure the section is still slightly damp for the drying pass so you don't get any streaks (although QDing will remove them with no problem). You will also like the speed that you can wash and dry with a little practice. You should be able to wash the average sized car in about 20-30 minutes, including door jams and wheels, and it will be dry without a lot of water dripping out of the body seams and moldings.



I've been using it for more than 9 years now.





Mutilator: you can find out more at www.protectall.com Just find the link for Quick and Easy Wash.
 
yeah, I am wondering how he is not letting you wash your car at a persons house who doesnt belong to him.



If he tries to do that then kicks you out for that reason, I think you would be liable to sue him because that would be a breach of his contract unless he is allowed to kickyou out for any reason.



Bryan
 
Hmmm, their website says my local Walmart carries this (Protect All Quick & Easy Wash) -- I'll have to check it out.



Is it kind of like using the all-purpose cleaners or floor cleaners in the house that require no rinsing? It doesn't leave a film or anything?



I have to admit, I'll have to see this to believe it - but it sounds like it would be worth a try when the water restrictions start -- or to help keep my water bill down.
 
Well we both live in the same neighborhood under the same landlord... that's how he can say I can't use the hose there ;)

One thing he did say last night that he may do is setup a faucet that isn't running thru the filters so it just pumps the water straight out of the ground... that should be fine.

I'll look into that protect all stuff... didn't even think about that last night. I know you've posted about it in dozens of threads. :xyxthumbs
 
My apartment doesn't have a hose spigot available until they crank up the sprinklers in the summer, so during the spring I washed out in the parking lot a couple of times by hauling water down from my apartment in a 5-gal plastic gas cannister. I used a 2-gal garden sprayer for a low pressure rinse, and my normal wash bucket. I filled my wash bucket as usual from the 5-gallon container, and filled the garden sprayer, then ran back up and got another 5-gal of water to refill the sprayer.



I'd wash, rinse, and dry one or two panels at a time. With the spray nozzle off of the garden sprayer, I was able to get a low pressure stream of water that let me direct water only onto the panel to be rinsed; I managed to keep already washed/dried panels relatively free of water as I worked on the rest of the car. I'd refill the sprayer as necessary from the 5-gal cannister; it took about 20-gal of water total (including filling the 3-gal wash bucket a couple of times) when I was all done.



It takes a while to wash this way, but, OTOH, you get to spend a lot of time on one panel at a time and really make sure you've got it clean. I think those were some of the most thorough washes I've ever done on the car.



Tort
 
I've seen "charity car washes"...they use dish detergent, sponges that get dropped on the ground often, kids using circular motions to wash your car with the sponges that were dropped on the ground....and most of them do not dry the vehicle.



You are better off paying them the fee for the use of the hose and bringing your own materials and doing the car yourself..who knows, you may teach them a thing or two!



PS: When my son was in the Boy Scouts, the Scoutmaster asked me if I could get permisson to use the firehouse for a charity car wash for the troop and oversee the event...



I told him no for two reasons...one, the City would not allow it, otherwise there would be a charity car wash every weekend and two, I would be exceptionally anal about what the boys were doing and would come off sounding like a Marine Corps DI...



You, using a circular motion on that panel, drop and give me 20! :D
 
Scottwax said:




You should really like it...especially after using it a couple of times to really get the hang of it.



I wash a section, then dry using 2 towels...one to wipe and one for the final dry. Make sure the section is still slightly damp for the drying pass so you don't get any streaks (although QDing will remove them with no problem). You will also like the speed that you can wash and dry with a little practice. You should be able to wash the average sized car in about 20-30 minutes, including door jams and wheels, and it will be dry without a lot of water dripping out of the body seams and moldings.



I've been using it for more than 9 years now.

Click to expand...



How do you clean the wheels? Do you use the protectall? I was thinking of getting a small watertank, like 30gallons maybe, and using it to fill my wash bucket and also using it in one of those garden sprayers where you pump it up and it sprays out. I'd then use my normal wheel cleaner and the garden sprayer to wash it off. How's that sound?



Some of the cars I wash have some bad brake dust! How do you handle that?



Gonzo0903 said:
I've seen "charity car washes"...they use dish detergent, sponges that get dropped on the ground often, kids using circular motions to wash your car with the sponges that were dropped on the ground....and most of them do not dry the vehicle.



You are better off paying them the fee for the use of the hose and bringing your own materials and doing the car yourself..who knows, you may teach them a thing or two!
Click to expand...



LOL, they have one at a school down the block every once in awhile and I always get stopped at the redlight and there are a whole bunch of kids out there trying to get you to pull in. Maybe one day I'll go in there and after the cars are done I'll walk up to the owners and say, "Give me a call. I'll take out the swirls these kids just put in your car"



Maybe I can contract with the kids. "Ok kids, rub your sponges in the dirt to really swirl up the cars and I'll give you guys a 10% cut off their first purchase from me"
 
Yesterday I washed,Mothers clay barred, and washed again to get the clay off, and power waxed with Mothers Reflections my truck and wifes car in the garage, I used quick and easy on both washes.



I have not used a hose on either one in months and I have a big yard and driveway thats perfect to hose wash in.



My wifes PT Cruiser has a terriable black brake dust problem.



After I wash and dry it I spray on a wheel cleaner then use whats left of the quick and bright water to rinse off the wheels and tires and the wheelwells, then dry them, The chrome wheels and tires look new, no problem, did not even have to wax them.



Hope this helps



Bob

Stockton Ca
 
kbshadow said:
Yesterday I washed,Mothers clay barred, and washed again to get the clay off, and power waxed with Mothers Reflections my truck and wifes car in the garage, I used quick and easy on both washes.



I have not used a hose on either one in months and I have a big yard and driveway thats perfect to hose wash in.



My wifes PT Cruiser has a terriable black brake dust problem.



After I wash and dry it I spray on a wheel cleaner then use whats left of the quick and bright water to rinse off the wheels and tires and the wheelwells, then dry them, The chrome wheels and tires look new, no problem, did not even have to wax them.



Hope this helps



Bob

Stockton Ca
Click to expand...



How much of the Quick & Easy wash do you mix?



1 gallon? 2 gallons?



Just seems wheels would take more water to wash off. :nixweiss
 
I use more than they say, I would guess a little less than 2 gallons.I figure more is better.



The wheel wells come out very good but I use 303 on them after every wash so they are not bad to start with.



I have used this stuff for years but I have never used it on a real dirty car, if there is a lot of mud ect I use the standard hose wash.



One other thing, I always use a California duster on the cars before I wash them, this seems to keep the water much cleaner by getting the loose dust off before you wash with quick and easy.



Hope this helps



Bob

Stockton Ca
 
I just survived my first year away at college. 400mi home, no garage, no personal space, no hosebib... nothing. Everything there was rented.



Basically I bought 2 buckets + car cleaning supplies and drove to the local coin op car wash. I blew $1.50 filling my two buckets (one soap, one for rinsing the mit off in) and used the remaining water to prerinse the car.



Then I went to washing the car (Happened to be Dawn, I was going the full 9 yards), put in another 1.50$ to rinse the car. Then used a chamois to dry it. Clayed, polished, waxed, packed everything in the back and drove away.



3$ in quarters and my very own driveway! Plan your water carefully and you can make two "water periods" last a whole wash. You don't need water WHILE washing, just before and after. I pulled out of the stall after dry to clay, polish, etc so someone else could use it.
 
Go to the spray bay with a bucket and your soap and towels.



Use one cycle to rinse the car off and fill up the bucket with water.



Wash the car and use the spray gun for another cycle to rinse the car.



Pull out, use the vacum, clean the windows, dress the tires etc...
 
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