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

If I'm going to do a clay job prior to applying a wax, sealer, etc. I use Dawn for the washing of the vehicle.
 
I switched to this years ago and have never looked back. Very slimy and protects the surface from abrasives during the hand-wash process. Excellent in the foam cannon.

Screenshot_20250921-141844.webp
 
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...
No, if you want to wash the wax off your paint.
 
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 detergent strips grease and baked on grime. This also removes wax, and isn't good for the clear coat. You wouldn't clean your dishes with engine degreaser. I used the Turtle Wax that was bright green and was a varible strength product. It said use an amount for high grime, medium, light etc. No cloudy film
 
RooflessVW said:
Dawn does not remove wax.

Dawn does not damage paint.

If there are any negatives, it's that dawn does not "lubricate" the paint and can lead to micro-marring or "swirls."
Click to expand...
I used Palmolive dish soap for close to 20 years and never it saw it strip wax (P21S or Zymol), or various polymer polishes I used like Rejex or NuFinish.
I stopped using it and have used Meguires and other dedicated car wash soaps the past 20 years, just to stop the lectures from friends. :)
I did try using Dawn once because of the claim it removes wax....it didn't. After a thorough wash, the car still beaded up like before during the rinse...just like when I used Palmolive...which everyone claims removes wax. LOL
 
In recent years I always use a dedicated car wash detergent.

FWIW I had on old white beater van that I bought cheap. It was etched with mildew. I washed it with Soft Scrub with bleach. Made it look almost new.
 
I’ve used Dawn in the distant past for extreme tree sap contamination and the like but not since I’ve found much better detailing products.
Maybe it’s just me but a lot of the major car wash soaps leave a residue on the paint and glass. Yes I mix it correctly but still feel something is left behind even after thoroughly rinsing.
My absolute favorite is Carpro Reset as it cleans and lubricants well and rinses clean. I use it just a bit stronger than recommended when I feel my ceramic coating is getting loaded up with contaminants. I find it works well as a lube for my clay towel if there’s any heavy stuff to deal with.
 
Griots rinse less wash. Save water, works on any finish. Car can be pretty filthy and still works fine.

Dish soap is not appropriate for a car finish unless you want to remove wax.
 
dbias said:
I’ve used Dawn in the distant past for extreme tree sap contamination and the like but not since I’ve found much better detailing products.
Maybe it’s just me but a lot of the major car wash soaps leave a residue on the paint and glass. Yes I mix it correctly but still feel something is left behind even after thoroughly rinsing.
My absolute favorite is Carpro Reset as it cleans and lubricants well and rinses clean. I use it just a bit stronger than recommended when I feel my ceramic coating is getting loaded up with contaminants. I find it works well as a lube for my clay towel if there’s any heavy stuff to deal with.
Click to expand...
I had never seen anything like the residue left behind with that Rain-X stuff...i thought at first i had mixed it too strongly, so next time i made a weak batch..same result. I tried it on 3 different cars..it looked like when you wash a car in the sun and let the soap dry on it..rewashing with something else didn't help..i ended up using a dish soap/vinegar mix (at least on the windows)..the rest of the car i just kept scrubbing/washing and eventually it wore off....lucky me i had purchased 2 jugs of the stuff on sale...now i use it to wash out garbage cans.. I went back and looked at reviews others had written and many had the same problem...
 
Dawn as a stripper…

(don't take that out of context)

I dunno. When I wanted to knowingly strip a car, I did lots of reading and watching videos to determine if it did the job…and couldn't find the sort of consensus or proof that I sought.

So I got lazy and bought some Adam's Strip Wash. TBH, I can't say for certain whether it did the job as promised, but the limit to how much thought I wanted to devote to the task was exhausted.
 
I’ve watched where people have done videos of washing their vehicle with dishwashing liquid and it seems to be a wives tale that it removes your coating, whether it be sealant, ceramic wax, etc.
I could see maybe if it’s a wax that isn’t formulated to withstand chemicals or washing, etc. I’m assuming it would only be really low grade quality wax.
 
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...
I have used most of them and always go back to Mequiars Gold Class Car Wash. As for dish soap, it (especially Dawn) is good for when you want to strip all the waxes and coating off prior to applying a new product like a ceramic coating.
 
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