An Approach to Bucketless Washing with ONR - Guide
Hello Folks,
{Post updated March 2013}
Introduction
This post describes how I use Optimum No Rinse (ONR) as a bucketless wash.
For me, carrying buckets of water around inevitably ends up with me spilling
some, so finding alternative methods of cleaning has been a revelation.
The technique that I've described below can be slightly adapted as a method
of using ONR as a drying aid. Using _dry_ MF towels on paint that you can't
be certain is clean is probably the quickest way of inducing swirls. You can
actually watch the ONR evaporate, safe in the knowledge that you won't
get any water-spots.
Don't let the "disabled" bit put you off! The "savvy" people interpret this as
being a "labour-saving alternative". Also, if limited access to water, or carrying
buckets a fair distance puts you off from car cleaning, there is now no reason
to not have a gleaming car. All I've done is to adopt 21stC products like MF
cloths and ONR, and I'm not looking back. The car I drive is also pretty rare!
I should emphasise that my starting point has been a fully protected car!
At any point in time the paint is wearing a good wax coating.
The Process
Whilst many people are using ONR as a replacement shampoo in a bucket, I
can say that it's safe to go to the next stage, and obviate the suds bucket
altogether. For me that's no longer an option anyway and I'm fully happy to
trust the wonders of ONR.
The key with ONR is to allow the product time to do its work. First,
you spray a fine mist of the product (ONR in a fairly high concentration, say
between 32 and 40 parts water to 1), and leave it to dwell for a while. Start
with 30 seconds or more. At that strength you'll probably be surprised at the
very slow rate of evaporation, even on warm panels.
The way to test if it's ready to wipe is to give another ONR squirt at the dirt
a little while after the initial spraying. If you see dirt movement, it's ready.
On heavier soiling, you can of course give it a second spraying before wiping.
As I've said, I now trust ONR enough to use it as a totally bucketless wash.
Here's my method for the car bodywork... (not the wheels!)
Important!
Please be aware that you should only use this method when you are
absolutely sure there is no road salt present.
Before wiping, spray an MF cloth about 6 times per side, then fold it into 4.
This cloth folding part is absolutely vital! (See how an expert views this) Then
spray the panel to be wiped with a fine mist of ONR and allow it to dwell.
If your cloth is already folded, do remember to ONR prime the side that will
do the wiping so that it's lightly dampened. At no point is a dry MF cloth
applied to the paint during this washing process!
Before you start, decide whether you'll wipe from left to right, or as I'm
showing from right to left. You should always lift the cloth between wipes.
Place the cloth, with the folded side as the leading edge at your starting
point. This keeps the folding integral when you wipe. Grab that leading
edge twixt thumb and forefinger to drag the cloth.
http://s5.postimg.cc/e4zfu47jr/coup110.jpg
The cloth in position
Lightly drag the cloth over the panel, quickly observing what you have picked
up after every pass. I should emphasise that at no point is there ever any
rubbing involved!
http://s5.postimg.cc/iplm91r93/coup111.jpg
The cloth turned over after the first pass
Lift the cloth off the paint and return close to your previous starting point. Do
_not_ wipe back and forth! Doing so will not only blur the points where you
decide to turn the cloth over, but you'll also find keeping the folds together
quite a difficult task.
For the next pass, slightly adjust how you hold the cloth by grabbing say
another half inch of it, again observe what's been collected. You'll see that
you'll have another leading edge of dirt. With practice, you can also keep
hold of the cloth for the second and subsequent passes and just rotate
your hand slightly. This method is all about your wrist action, so you know
that the previous leading edge is always held clear of the paint. You should
certainly get 3 passes with one side.
http://s5.postimg.cc/cfuxzsh87/coup112.jpg
The cloth after the 2nd pass. Bearing mind what I've said above, I'd
now turn the cloth over and avoid the 3rd pass.
With each pass, use your own judgement about when to turn the cloth to a
clean side. For each subsequent pass you could just rotate the cloth so you
have a different leading edge on that drag, although I'd only now do this
when using ONR as a QD.
On light soiling you may not need to turn the cloth over to a clean side until
you go to the next panel, so you'll safely do 8 panels with just one cloth.
I class the bonnet and roof as 2 panels each.
http://s5.postimg.cc/vyzj95fzr/coup113.jpg
The cloth after completing the roof. The top left corner shows
where I've completed 3 passes, using my hand-rotation method
However, there is no challenge here on using just one cloth! If the soiling on
the cloth is heavy, don't forget you can always use multiple MF cloths - with
ONR you can never have enough of them.
On vertical surfaces, it's better to work in straight downward strokes, holding
the fold at the top. If there's more than light soiling, a second spraying just
before the first wipe is preferable. Tackling this safely is a matter of practice,
so take your time!
You will need to ensure that you don't place any more pressure on the paint
than if you were cleaning the roof or bonnet, so on the first few goes, look
for the less soiled areas to clean first. There will be no need to dry, the
polymers left behind either add their own protection or a ready base for a QD
like OID or FK#425.
Conclusion
All of the above is entirely a judgement call based upon what you see on the
cloth. Once you get used to it, judging a cloth rotation or flip-over will be
the work of moments. Yes, when you first tackle this, it'll be very scary!
Remember though that "Tia's Taxi" is no cheap runabout, and the paint
on this Renault is surprisingly soft...
If you do get light swirls, they won't be _any_ more serious than those that
are inevitable with any other washing method. Lightness of touch will ensure
that you won't get swirls or marring, just let the product and the cloth do
their work and it won't disappoint.
It won't be long before you'll be wondering how you ever managed without
ONR. It's no understatement that for me, it has been a revelation!
Where Do I Buy It?
ONR is available from...
(Beware that you don't buy Optimum Car Wash, it looks very similar!)
¶ Clean Your Car or ¶ Elite Car Care or ¶ Motorgeek or ¶ Polish Your Car or ¶ Shinerama
Regards,
Steve
