tips for washing with hard water

[barlowc]

Hi guys. It was pretty nice here in Southeast Michigan today; sunny and upper 40's. I took advantage of it and gave the ATS it's exterior "spring cleaning" thoroughly spraying it down and giving it a good wash with Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wash.

I moved in January and my new residence has pretty hard water. Other than thoroughly drying the car when I'm done washing it and trying to minimize the water drying on it and leaving spots, is there anything else I should be doing to minimize the hard water's effect on the finish? I plan to clay it, maybe next weekend weather permitting, and then use some Collinite No. 845 as soon after as I have the time.

 

[dparm]

Similar discussion:

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/22236-washing-home-hard-water.html


Consensus is to either install something in the hose to filter the water, or to change your technique so that the water isn't sitting on the paint for too long. My advice is to just change your technique since that costs $0.

A layer of wax/sealant will of course provide a buffer.

 

[azjake]

I live in the Phoenix area which also has very hard water. Here's my advice;

0. Always use a good quality wax/sealant.
1. Wash car in totally shaded area (very important)
2. Wash and rinse only a section at a time.
3. In between sections spray down entire car to keep any section from drying.
4. After last section spray down entire car one more time.
5. Use a good quality drying cloth/chamois and wipe as fast as you can.

I usually go over entire car once to get enough water off to keep from getting spots, then a second time to get it thoroughly dry.

 

[loyd]

Install a water softener. This will get rid of most, but not all, hard water spots.

 

[KitaCam]

A $1 squeegee from your local $$$ store to clean the windows before water spots become permanent...

 

[Smoky14]

Originally Posted By: loyd
Install a water softener. This will get rid of most, but not all, hard water spots.


That will leave salt spots on the paint and salt deposits inside doors and places you can't dry.
YMMV

 

[qwertydude]

Yeah water softeners won't solve the spotting problem. It'll help a little as the water will sheet easier but the only way to guarantee no spots is to wash and rinse with a deionizer.

http://www.amazon.com/CR-SPOTLESS-De-ionized-Filtration-Spot-free/dp/B0029HCEGA

How much is it worth to you? It's easy enough to just work in the shade and keep everything wet and work quickly enough to avoid spots.

Or simply start using a rinseless wash since you work one section at a time and dry as you go I never get spots. And this is in southern California during summer in the sun the water will dry off and you get water spots within 30 seconds of rinsing.

 

[kschachn]

You can also buy a couple gallons of distilled water and do a final rinse using a garden sprayer. I have a friend who does this.

 

[wn1998]

I wash with my hard water and just use some "optimum no rinse" and have never had an issue. just a few ounces in my five gallon bucket has seen great results.

 

[gofast182]

The most common thing to do is constantly keep the car wet.

Another interesting technique I've used was suggested in a video by Adam's who makes the Adam's Car Shampoo I've been using lately. If you're forced to wash in sun or wind, proceed as you normally would (two bucket method) but do not rinse any of the soap off of the car. It will begin to dry on the finish and look streaky/hazy however the properties of the soap will NOT allow hard water spots to form. When you're done, rinse the whole thing at one time, the water will re-dilute the soap, then go right into your drying routine. It works. That said, it's not something I do unless conditions are bad and I'm not sure if all soaps will allow this to happen, although I don't imagine it's unique to Adam's.