spot-free rinse

[BadBatsuMaru]

Last year I moved to an area with EXTREMELY hard water. I always wash my car outside, so by the time I'm done drying it, there are always some noticable water spots. I got the California Blade thingy, which helps me squeegie most of the water off really fast, but I still had problems with a lot of water spots developing.

So, recently I started saving up some filtered water with the ol' Brita pitcher and pouring that over the windows and hood/trunk/fenders before I start to dry the car. It helps a lot. The last couple times I've washed the car, I've just saved up 2 gallons of filtered water and poured that over the entire car, then wiped off the hood/trunk/fenders with the California Blade. The water that's left dries in the sun with no spots.

Has anybody else tried this? It saves a lot of time, is gentler on the car, and doesn't leave you with a wet towel. The only place I end up having to dry are hard-to-reach places like the side mirrors where it's a little more difficult to splash the filtered water.

 

[jason07-1zzfe]

Well I have found my Brita filter does not reduce hardness. Interesting it does for you.

Could use distilled water but that could get expensive. Even if I ever get a softener (I plan to) it won't help the car wash because you shouldn't use softened water to water the lawn. Maybe I will run softened water to one faucet and have to use the other for watering. As it is, it's almost pointless to wash my car. Still looks like crap. Have to use like half the bottle of soap and it still wont clean. Then can't rinse the soap off the body.

 

[HOndaGuy]

put a inline filter on your hose.

 

[Neil Womack]

I use a resin filled chamber that hooks up to garen hose. Got it at Home Depot five of six years ago as part of a misting system.

I just hook it to the hose for the final spray down. When the spots come back the resin gets recharged with a brine solution. Just like a home water softener.

Local car washes use a surfactant (SP) agent to achieve the same results.

 

[Rick in PA]

Interesting post, it sparked a thought.

Another source of low mineral content water would be a dehumidifier. I'll have to try a rinse down with dehumidifier water next time I wash the car.

Thanks.

[ October 08, 2003, 08:31 PM: Message edited by: Rick in PA ]

 

[Dr. T]

Here's your solution....DON'T wash the car outside! I stopped doing this 3 years ago. No more dried water spots...

 

[Ray H]

So, uh, how's your better half bearing up with the soggy carpeting in the family room?

 

[theguru]

Alternatively use a chamois.

BTW. I don't quite get not washing your car outside, where else would you wash it?

 

[digitaldrifter91]

hehe maybe he has an overhang in the back yard or something...somewhere with alot of shade!

 

[Dr. T]

I exclusively wash my car in the garage. No carpeting there. In either case, you should never wash a car in direct sunlight...washing indoors prevents water spots from wind-drying that occurs outdoors.

 

[HOndaGuy]

again, use a water filter or deionized water. You get water spots from minerals in water. What most ppl don't realize is that the cholorine in water strips most of our waxes off faster than the waxes claim to protect to. That is why I use a polymer instead a caranuba. The only answer is to get a filter for your hose, or wait for that new mr. clean wash kit to come out(comes with a filter, car wash soap, and a hose sprayer).

 

[jason07-1zzfe]

Hondaguy, what filter reduces hardness? It is not possible to mechanically reduce hardness, you have to do it chemically to the best of my knowledge. And I have never seen any filter product claim to reduce hardness except those water line magnet snake oil junk.

 

[dickwells]

Maybe it is one of the resin (Zeolite?) filled chambers that Neil mentioned, they do have to be recharged. On the other hand reverse osmosis is "mechanical" but not in the price range we are discussing.