A foaming pre-wash sprayer for $11

[runny_yolk]

I recently drove my new BRZ about 1,000 miles through a winter storm and it was left in serious need of washing. Having seen the pro detailing posts, it seemed that really dirty cars always started with a foam pre-wash. I wanted to do the same, but being cheap, I wanted to see if I could achieve a similar effect without springing for a $50 foam gun (lacking a pressure washer, a foam cannon was definitely out too).

What I tried was a hose-end sprayer that you might use to apply chemicals for your lawn. I bought this: Ortho Dial N Spray which cost $11 at home depot.

It hooks directly to the garden hose and had an adjustable dial which lets you control the amount of chemical dispensed per gallon of water.

For the foam solution, I tried a combination of 3 fl. oz. Meguair's Deep Chrystal Shampoo and 1 fl. oz. of Optimum No Rinse (didn't want to try any other fancier concoctions since that's what I had on hand). I mixed that with about 8 oz. of water to thin it out slightly and put that into the sprayer.

When set a 2oz per gallon, it produced a pretty runny soap solution which I was able to spray all over the car. Not being willing to leave well enough alone, I set the sprayer to 8oz per gallon. This produced a pretty satisfying sudsy solution that "stuck" to the car better.

Overall, definitely not as good as a "real" foam gun as this type of sprayer doesn't incorporate any air into the mixture which (critically) is what produces the foam. That said, this did a pretty good job of washing off the road grime so that after following up with a typical two-bucket wash, the drying towels basically came up clean.

Sorry, I don't have pictures, I was kinda pressed for time to complete the wash before the sun set completely.

Next time, I will try a combination of foam solution recipes and sprayer settings with pics.

Has anyone else tried going this route?

[ScionFrsFan]

That's a really good idea. I always wanted a foam gun but didn't want to spend 50 bucks. I will have to try this out!

[Cjymiller]

Do most foam guns require a pressure washer as well? I'd like to find one that just hooks up to a regular garden hose.

[chenshuo]

I don't have a pressure washer but do like the Wolfgang Quart Foamaster Foam Gun. Where can i get the Wolfgang Quart Foamaster Foam Gun in Canada or Detroit?

[sklimo]

Great idea!! I will have to try this.

[runny_yolk]

Originally Posted by Cjymiller

Do most foam guns require a pressure washer as well? I'd like to find one that just hooks up to a regular garden hose.

I think that a typical foam gun does NOT require a pressure washer but that many pro detailers use a foam gun/cannon that hooks up to a pressure washer. You can easily buy a foam gun for your garden hose. autogeek sells one by foam master, gilmour is another well-known brand. It's just that I didn't want to pay $50 for one...

[russv]

Originally Posted by runny_yolk

I recently drove my new BRZ about 1,000 miles through a winter storm and it was left in serious need of washing. Having seen the pro detailing posts, it seemed that really dirty cars always started with a foam pre-wash. I wanted to do the same, but being cheap, I wanted to see if I could achieve a similar effect without springing for a $50 foam gun (lacking a pressure washer, a foam cannon was definitely out too).

What I tried was a hose-end sprayer that you might use to apply chemicals for your lawn. I bought this: Ortho Dial N Spray which cost $11 at home depot.

It hooks directly to the garden hose and had an adjustable dial which lets you control the amount of chemical dispensed per gallon of water.

For the foam solution, I tried a combination of 3 fl. oz. Meguair's Deep Chrystal Shampoo and 1 fl. oz. of Optimum No Rinse (didn't want to try any other fancier concoctions since that's what I had on hand). I mixed that with about 8 oz. of water to thin it out slightly and put that into the sprayer.

When set a 2oz per gallon, it produced a pretty runny soap solution which I was able to spray all over the car. Not being willing to leave well enough alone, I set the sprayer to 8oz per gallon. This produced a pretty satisfying sudsy solution that "stuck" to the car better.

Overall, definitely not as good as a "real" foam gun as this type of sprayer doesn't incorporate any air into the mixture which (critically) is what produces the foam. That said, this did a pretty good job of washing off the road grime so that after following up with a typical two-bucket wash, the drying towels basically came up clean.

Sorry, I don't have pictures, I was kinda pressed for time to complete the wash before the sun set completely.

Next time, I will try a combination of foam solution recipes and sprayer settings with pics.

Has anyone else tried going this route?

I use a Miracle Grow fertilizer sprayer which works pretty well, also about $11. But I like the idea of a trigger to control the spray better so will look for one of these. Thanks. Just can't bring myself to spend $$$ on a high end auto sprayer as I don't get much more than a light dust on my car here in Northern California.

[kanundrum]

Amazon has it for like $30 I tried the Windex Bottle Trick and the Ortho method and all are nice but I think its worth the $30 bottle for the Foammaster

[runny_yolk]

Originally Posted by kanundrum

Amazon has it for like $30 I tried the Windex Bottle Trick and the Ortho method and all are nice but I think its worth the $30 bottle for the Foammaster

For those interested, I found [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Gilmour-95QGFMR-Foamaster-Cleaning-Sprayer/dp/B000Y190WE/ref=sr_1_13?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1364317005&sr=1-13"]this Gilmour foam gun[/ame] on amazon. At $37, it's certainly somewhat tempting. Just out of curiosity, what "recipe" do you put into the bottle? Straight-up car wash liquid? Specialized foam gun shampoo? Some mix (I've seen people mixing as many as 5 different things together).

[kanundrum]

Adams Car Wash solution 100% fill up and thats all. That will get the best foamy effect

[Anthonytpt]

@kanundrum: I just bought the Adam's solution and was wondering if you needed to dilute it at all. If I am interpreting what you wrote correctly, all I need to do is just add solution without water to the foam gun container and go to town, right?

[kanundrum]

Originally Posted by Anthonytpt

@kanundrum: I just bought the Adam's solution and was wondering if you needed to dilute it at all. If I am interpreting what you wrote correctly, all I need to do is just add solution without water to the foam gun container and go to town, right?

That is correct

FYI the FOAM guns main purpose is to saturate the clear coat with soap and grab onto the dirt. With that being said the soap goes REALLY fast, its pretty obvious on paper but in person your like omg thats a lot of soap in a small amount of time lol

[Anthonytpt]

@kanundrum: I agree - I used a healthy amount last week. I'm happy with the results of the wash regardless.