Is Dishwashing Liquid Really a Bad Choice for Washing a Car?

Surfdog4

Surfdog4

Joined
Jan 2, 2019
Messages
58
Location
Maryland
I'm still mourning the loss of my favorite car was product, good ol' No. 7 Car Wash (you know, the powder stuff that looked like grated Parmesan cheese) . So recently I purchased some Rain-X concentrate that I should have been able to use for hand wash or pressure wash...Worse product ever invented...it left a stubborn cloudy film on the car that had to be scrubbed off (too bad i didn't read the reviews BEFORE I bought it).. So, does anyone have recommendations for a car wash concentrate that really works? Mostly for hand wash/removal of road film. Also, in younger days we just used the family dishwashing liquid...but seems like there is strong opposition from the detailing gurus against that...why? If it's only because it can remove wax then I'm OK with that. If it's because they are sponsored by the products they endorse then.......
Thanks!
 
I use Pink, but Gold Class is very popular.

Screenshot 2025-09-19 095413.webp
Screenshot 2025-09-19 095353.webp
 
You might find some information here:

S

Thread 'Is liquid dishsoap really harmfull to the paint ?'

This is one thing I have a hard time believing, I washed my truck today & used it & the wax is still there from 3 weeks ago & the truck looks great. If it's safe for washing dishes & it's made to be mild & non toxic enough that some may be consumed by a human if say a glass isnt properly rinsed, then how could it be harmfull to automotive paint jobs ?
Maybe just a rumor started by car wash soap manufacturers ?
confused.gif
THORROMIG

Thread 'Benefits of Dawn Soup'

Detailed the Acura in signature on Saturday since it was a beautiful sunny/no humidity day. In the past I have used Meguiars car wash soap, Armor All car wash soap & others. Well Saturday was the first time I used Dawn Platinum dish soap & let me tell you -- washing/clay baring & waxing with 476s Collinite was never easier. My one friend often tells me about the benefits of Dawn soap with different applications. Try it if you never have before waxing your car/truck/suv/etc...
B

Thread 'Washed w/ Dish Soap'

My wife decided to wash her car today and used Costco's Kirkland Signature Environmentally Friendly Dish Soap in "freshly squeezed citrus scent". She didn't realize that I had some Gold Class carwash in the garage cabinet and that it is different than dish soap.

So here's my question: how much do you think that stripped-off the NuFinish polish that I had applied a month ago? I was hoping I wouldn't have to do it again before Winter.
S

Thread 'Dish Soap to strip wax a legitimate use?'

Some guy was washing his '87 Porsche 944 with dish soap today to "strip the wax" off it while I was doing a quick-and-dirty two-bucket (one soap, one rinse) wash with Meg's Gold Class on my Buick. The car was in immaculate condition, and was very clean. So he clearly cares about it.

I've always heard you're not supposed to use dish soap because it is bad for the paint, namely stripping old wax off and possibly harming the clearcoat. But if the purpose is to strip wax, then I can sorta see using it...

My question is: Does dish soap have a legitimate use when you want a clean slate to wax on?
S

Thread 'dish liquid and polymer sealants'

i know that using dish liquid will remove wax off a cars surface, but will it also remove something like liquid glass?
O

Thread 'Best wash soap to not strip wax?'

So school me on the honest deal on what soap to use.

I have a couple cars and generally what I do is at first:

1) Wash car a couple times over a week to get it very clean. Soap (dish) and water, clean auto sponge.
2) Do a 3-step wax with Meguairs or Mothers products, decent buffer with clean pads changed frequently.
3) Wash a few times a year when filthy with soap/sponge as in 1)
4) Wax again 2-step with buffer 1x a year.

I live in western WA so temps are mild (rarely outside of 40F-80F range), cars are indoors (garage) and out, one car stays out all the time. Rains a lot Nov. to April...
B

Thread 'Dishwashing Liquid'

I use Meguiars Car Wash Soap in 5 Gallons of water. How much liquid do I need to strip
off the wax on my new used car? Thanks
D

Thread 'What car wash to use before clay bar?'

Does it matter? I always see dish washing liquid come up.
 
Surfdog4 said:
I'm still mourning the loss of my favorite car was product, good ol' No. 7 Car Wash (you know, the powder stuff that looked like grated Parmesan cheese) . So recently I purchased some Rain-X concentrate that I should have been able to use for hand wash or pressure wash...Worse product ever invented...it left a stubborn cloudy film on the car that had to be scrubbed off (too bad i didn't read the reviews BEFORE I bought it).. So, does anyone have recommendations for a car wash concentrate that really works? Mostly for hand wash/removal of road film. Also, in younger days we just used the family dishwashing liquid...but seems like there is strong opposition from the detailing gurus against that...why? If it's only because it can remove wax then I'm OK with that. If it's because they are sponsored by the products they endorse then.......
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Back in the day Dawn was known to strip wax/sealant and allegedly "dry" the paint whatever that meant.
Zaino was extremely popular back then and they recommended using Dawn to strip off any wax/sealant when preparing the car for their product. I'm talking over 20 yrs ago.

I use Optimum car wash concentrate. I've used Pearls which was fine as well as BMW branded dealership car soap.
 
Surfdog4 said:
I'm still mourning the loss of my favorite car was product, good ol' No. 7 Car Wash (you know, the powder stuff that looked like grated Parmesan cheese) . So recently I purchased some Rain-X concentrate that I should have been able to use for hand wash or pressure wash...Worse product ever invented...it left a stubborn cloudy film on the car that had to be scrubbed off (too bad i didn't read the reviews BEFORE I bought it).. So, does anyone have recommendations for a car wash concentrate that really works? Mostly for hand wash/removal of road film. Also, in younger days we just used the family dishwashing liquid...but seems like there is strong opposition from the detailing gurus against that...why? If it's only because it can remove wax then I'm OK with that. If it's because they are sponsored by the products they endorse then.......
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Dawn dish soap is used by many to strip a car of waxes etc. You need to polish the paint to restore the finish after using Dawn.
 
Maybe in the old days, paint wasn't as tough, clear coat was rare, and dish soap was made of more aggressive stuff?
I use a not very strong mixture of dish soap and water, and haven't noticed any issues but I wash pretty infrequently. I guess if you've got a black car that you wash often, you might want to be a bit more careful with soap selection?
 
There's nothing harmful to paint or clear in dish soap. it's just strong so it can help remove wax. But car soaps are known to do better in lifting junk off and keeping it from scratching when moved around as much.
 
BMWTurboDzl said:
Back in the day Dawn was known to strip wax/sealant and allegedly "dry" the paint whatever that meant.
Zaino was extremely popular back then and they recommended using Dawn to strip off any wax/sealant when preparing the car for their product. I'm talking over 20 yrs ago.

I use Optimum car wash concentrate. I've used Pearls which was fine as well as BMW branded dealership car soap.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I used to use dawn before Zaino. Their towels still are the best I’ve used!
 
JHZR2 said:
Yeah, I used to use dawn before Zaino. Their towels still are the best I’ve used!
Click to expand...
I'm also an ex Zainoholic. First time for a new car my procedure was a couple of washes to get the rail dust off. Then wash with Dawn, clay, another wash, Zaino prep, then a couple of layers of Z5 (?) followed by Z2 (?). I'm not about to do that again on anything I have or buy.

I would not use Dawn for regular washes.

Now it's just Meguiars Gold Class for wash. I still need to figure out a good product for paint protection from sun damage now that Zaino is out of the picture.
 
I've enjoyed using Mcguire's Ultimate Wash & Wax on our NEW cars. I made the change from DAWN when I got new cars with a nice paint finish. This product shines well and cleans off tough stuff like sap, bugs and bird poop without hurting the finish. There's a drying agent in it that makes drying the car easier. It's not expensive.
 
i used to use that Sun non concentrated dish soap

sometimes the ajax orange non concentated

just cuz it was less than $1 back then at the local dollar store.
my mom would like to go to work with her car clean.
now a days i just use whatever car wash HEB grocery has.
last time was Mean Green Car Wash
RN im using Armor All Ph Neutral Car Wash
 
If you have a nasty, dirty car with a bad wax job I would use dish soap because it will strip everything off. I would not use it on a regular basis. There are so many better choices.
 
Dish soap will remove any coating, ( except ceramic), that you may have applied to the car. If it's a beater, and you could care less about the paint, by all means use it. It is not good for the clearcoating. Wrong PH. Do not use on a nice car you intend to treasure, or even a new daily driver.
 
Insertcoolname said:
i used to use that Sun non concentrated dish soap

sometimes the ajax orange non concentated

just cuz it was less than $1 back then at the local dollar store.
my mom would like to go to work with her car clean.
now a days i just use whatever car wash HEB grocery has.
last time was Mean Green Car Wash
RN im using Armor All Ph Neutral Car Wash
Click to expand...
Ajax orange is what i just used (since I had nothing else handy) Sounds like Mcguire's is a popular choice, I've used their compounds and waxes before...thanks!
 
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