March 16th, 2023
Does using an Automotive Specific Soap make a Difference?
A Slippery Question Indeed.
We get asked the question all the time, "Do all these car products really work, or can I just use the cleaning supplies I have laying around the house?" And no matter how many times we get asked that question, it still hurts. We like to use the metaphor of eating healthy. Eating occasional junk food is not going to ruin your body, just as eating healthy a few times a week is not going to fix it. However, over an extended period of time, both practices will have their consequences.
We test and formulate products every day and what do we test them against? Everything, actually. Competitors, chemicals we know will cause damage, solvents, and yes, even household products. We can honestly say the correct ingredients for the job make all the difference in the world.
Probably the most common offense is the use of dish soaps. Yes, we also grew up in a world of "soap is soap." However, once again, here's where the proper ingredients make all the difference in the world. Dish soaps do have the proper ingredients for their intended purpose, which is cutting grease. For them to effectively cut this grease, they need to be highly acidic. These types of properties will make your frying pans squeaky clean but will make your car's paint just a bit drier with each wash. Car paint needs a bit more care than this - okay, it needs a lot more. That is why when we formulate our "surface soaps," we make a list of everything we are trying to achieve, then attach those goals to the proper ingredient that will get us the closest.
We can honestly say the correct ingredients for the job make all the difference in the world.
1) Thou shalt not dry.
Broken down, car paint is made up of acrylics, urethanes, and petroleum naphtha. These all contain oils that are susceptible to high pH surfactants. So we formulate all our soaps with conditioners and essential oils.
2) Thou shalt not scratch.
Most paint damage is actually a slow accumulation of "repetitive task syndrome," or in this case, over-washing and rubbing the surface dirt on your paint. No matter what you do, there will still be a bit of dirt on the surface that will come between your paint and wash mitt. As this is the reason you are washing the car in the first place. But don't fret. This is why you chose a soap specifically formulated to reduce scratching. A good car soap is infused with a multitude of lubricants and much denser lather, which, in turn, creates a direct barrier between the dirt and your paint.
3) Thou shalt not leave a film
Hard water, aka lots of minerals, likes to bond with soaps and create a film that is not only "unsightly" but can be a royal pain to remove. "Royal Pains" usually lead to excess rubbing, which, in turn, creates micro-scratching. Wow, you really start to see how a flap of a butterfly's wings can cause an issue on the other side of the world. It is not like the butterfly is actually responsible for your scratched paint; we're "just saying, well maybe he is."
We will spare you the pain of writing additional paragraphs to demonstrate our point and will conclude with the hope that you take our word for it when we tell you that using the right ingredients for the right job makes all the difference in the world when it comes to keeping your car healthy.
Written by Bill Crawley
