Member Since: 16 Aug 2005
Location: Warwickshire
Posts: 4502
Tips for waterless car cleaning?
Hello,
I'm moving into a rented house for the next 6+ months whilst I sell my existing property and buy somewhere new. The new place has no private parking so I'll be parking on the street whilst living there. This means no access to a hosepipe/outdoor tap.
I currently enjoy cleaning my cars every few weeks and maintaining the bodywork with care. I have a great Nilfisk power washer which I use to clean the cars properly (avoiding scratching/fading/swirling the paint).
I wondered if anybody might have any tips or suggestions on how to properly wash and rinse a car without use of a hosepipe? The obvious answer might be to fill a number of buckets and chuck them over the car, but this could be quite awkward and time consuming on a car the size of a D3 especially if I'm parked a distance from my new house.
All nuggets of wisdom greatly appreciated as always!
Maybe a hand pump system as used by window cleaners ? May not be as powerful as a hose pipe but should suffice during the interim The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
They just make the best of everything they have.
20th Jun 2017 4:27 pm
LT
Member Since: 31 Dec 2005
Location: South West
Posts: 23369
Something similar to this maybe?:
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Hell ! I want one of them now, thats perfect to take on holiday to France in August. I get a certain pleasure washing my cars (Yes I know get a life )The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
They just make the best of everything they have.
20th Jun 2017 4:35 pm
rrhool
Member Since: 28 Aug 2014
Location: Norfolk
Posts: 4400
^^ Thats brilliant! £110 from what I see online. Richard
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20th Jun 2017 4:37 pm
CY
Member Since: 16 Aug 2005
Location: Warwickshire
Posts: 4502
Something like that would be perfect, yes! Do you know if that's a good one? Hard to tell what the pressure is like, although it only really needs to be able to rinse the wash n wax off it. If it's covered in mud/crud I can take it to a petrol station jet wash for a quick blast first.2007 Porsche Boxster (987) 2.7
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20th Jun 2017 4:56 pm
gilmore
Member Since: 16 Jan 2005
Location: On the sofa
Posts: 2185
leave it dirty or take it to the car wash.
RobAll opinions expressed in this posting are my own and are not necessarily those of someone who knows what they are talking about.
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20th Jun 2017 5:13 pm
lynalldiscovery
Member Since: 22 Dec 2009
Location: Maidstone
Posts: 7274
As parking on the street leaving it dirty might actually be sound advice, people tend to avoid dirty vehicles, plus you hopefully wont get any jealousy keying etc of the paintwork.
20th Jun 2017 5:15 pm
Gareth Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26702
Put a few water Jerry's in the boot, fill them when convenient, then use one of those pressure washers.
20th Jun 2017 5:17 pm
Sea Raider
Member Since: 01 Nov 2016
Location: None
Posts: 4450
Come round to mine and in exchange for using my water supply I'll let you clean my motor
20th Jun 2017 6:14 pm
MorganD379
Member Since: 29 Sep 2016
Location: SA62 3PP
Posts: 425
I'm interested in any feedback on these waterless gear... As I am taking a two week tour of France in the comming months with the tin tent. Currently have one of these... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282371398600 works well, and can use van/truck 12v but have to drag my water container around which isn't a big deal when comparing the price.
20th Jun 2017 7:31 pm
UtilityGuy
Member Since: 26 Mar 2016
Location: Northampton
Posts: 343
And just before they do it whilst your in the queue you can see them throw the wash mitts on the floor and pressure wash them, then pick them up and dunk them in the half barrel of water from other vehicles and drag the grit across you bonnet followed by getting home and admiring the swirls that you've avoided for so long
Oh yes, years of avoiding swirls gone in ten minutes.
20th Jun 2017 9:10 pm
JackNorris
Member Since: 06 Jul 2012
Location: Beds/Bucks Border
Posts: 1877
UtilityGuy wrote:
just take it to the local Car washers for £10 ?
He wanted to avoid scratches lol
As a very keen amateur detailer personally, any of those systems are likely to introduce swirls and i wouldn't put anywhere near my Disco.
Have you considered drawing, using a jet wash, from a bucket?MY2023 Discovery 5 R-Dynamic 3.0
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20th Jun 2017 9:24 pm
Chocky
Member Since: 15 Jun 2017
Location: Huddersfield
Posts: 7
When I suffered from a bout of proper Yorkshire, i.e. Tight with water because we were on a meter, I used watering cans with the rose removed to rinse off with. Only took a couple of fills.
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water from other vehicles and drag the grit across you bonnet followed by getting home and admiring the swirls that you've avoided for so long 
