Dawn Dishwashing Soap, why?

[CharlesW]

There seems to be a never ending discussion about how bad dishwashing soap may or may not be for automobiles.

How about a discussion about why you would even want to use it in the first place?

1. Sal Zaino says it`s a good idea. One man`s opinion. He also was against anything but cotton terry towels for use on paint. Hey, he may be right on both counts, but he also may just be "old school".
2. It strips wax prior to applying a sealant. Could be. How many of you go right from a Dawn wash to applying your sealant?
3. If it removes the wax from your paint, why doesn`t it do a better job at removing the wax from pads and applicators? The only way Dawn cleans my pads or applicators is if I soak them for hours and then massage them by hand rather vigorously. Neither of those are something I`m going to do to my paint.
4. People worry about residue from dish soap. Why not use a good car wash soap that rinses clean to start with?
5. It surely can`t be a cost factor. 20 oz. of Dawn for $3.49 is close to the price of a good car wash purchased by the gallon. Besides, it`s for your car. Cost is immaterial.
6. I don`t happen to be a Dawn user for washing cars so I can`t make any comments based on experience, but does it really do all that great of a job cleaning?

Comments?

[black bart]

I have no way of knowing if Dawn leaves a residue and for that matter car wash soap may not rinse completely for all I know.
Since the top coat is polyurethane I don`t thing the dawn will hurt it but it will be hard on the wax.
My concern is with the vinyl trim more than damage to the paint.
I think the dawn Will remove some of the oils that is in the wax and this will probably be bad for the paint in the long term but if you did a dawn wash then polish and wax I doubt that any harm would come from it.

[CharlesW]

I have no way of knowing if Dawn leaves a residue and for that matter car wash soap may not rinse completely for all I know.
Since the top coat is polyurethane I don`t thing the dawn will hurt it but it will be hard on the wax.
My concern is with the vinyl trim more than damage to the paint.
I think the dawn Will remove some of the oils that is in the wax and this will probably be bad for the paint in the long term but if you did a dawn wash then polish and wax I doubt that any harm would come from it.

But why use it in the first place?
What I`m trying to get at is just what your post shows.
Everything is about the possible harm it may or may not do.
What would be the purpose in using it in the first place when any benefits seem to be almost nil.
(Always wanted to use the word nil )

[Stephan]

I use it occaisonally in my wheel wells with an old sponge to scrub things down, where I don`t want to waste my good soap...

while its more for the amount you get I think with dawn you actually use less to get the same cleaning power as with car wash soap...

excellent use of the word nil...

The password is Nil...

[black bart]

But why use it in the first place?
What I`m trying to get at is just what your post shows.
Everything is about the possible harm it may or may not do.
What would be the purpose in using it in the first place when any benefits seem to be almost nil.
(Always wanted to use the word nil )

So you want to know why well how about this one
IGNORANCE

[JaredPointer]

I`ve just come to the conclusion that some folks may use it because it`s what they`ve got around.

I`ve also come to the conclusion that it`s probably not going to harm the finish in any way. I think a lot of it has to do with what folks what to argue about on the detailing boards. People were washing with Dawn (or other dishwashing or all purpose soaps) long before Detail City, Autopia, or even "Sal", and I`ve never heard of a car disintegrating because of it. Thinking about it, car care has come a long way with the information sharing of the internet. Lots of good things can be learned from it, but lots of bad or misleading info can be shared as well.

I am going to send an Email straightaway to the Mythbusters and see if they can do a show on some of these car myths.

[black bart]

I am going to send an Email straightaway to the Mythbusters and see if they can do a show on
some of these car myths

EXCELENT iDEA

[JaredPointer]

I am going to send an Email straightaway to the Mythbusters and see if they can do a show on
some of these car myths

EXCELENT iDEA

New thread posted on the idea...

[Bert]

3. If it removes the wax from your paint, why doesn`t it do a better job at removing the wax from pads and applicators? The only way Dawn cleans my pads or applicators is if I soak them for hours and then massage them by hand rather vigorously. Neither of those are something I`m going to do to my paint.

My assumption would be because it is easier to clean a hard surface such as a car than a foam surface such as your pads with any product, not just Dawn.

[JaredPointer]

My assumption would be because it is easier to clean a hard surface such as a car than a foam surface such as your pads with any product, not just Dawn.

Why would the wax makeup be different? Does the chemical/molecular makeup of wax change depending on what it`s applied to?

[Stephan]

Why would the wax makeup be different? Does the chemical/molecular makeup of wax change depending on what it`s applied to?

Yes

[Beemerboy]

I have used dish soap on the wells of real dirty trucks, suv`s and such its cutting power is excellent for that...as for the paint, only in cases where I have to remove a lot of tar like deposits to remove on the lower panels...as a whole no I don`t use it on the paint

[Bert]

Why would the wax makeup be different? Does the chemical/molecular makeup of wax change depending on what it`s applied to?

Well, think of it this way. If you were to spill something on glass or on carpet, which would be easier to clean? The glass because it is a smooth surface (similar to the painted surface of the car). On the carpet (or a foam pad), the product is absorbed into the texture itself, not so with a smooth surflace like glass or the painted surface of a car.

[kgb]

2. It strips wax prior to applying a sealant. Could be. How many of you go right from a Dawn wash to applying your sealant?

I do sometimes. If the paint doesn`t need anything except a fresh coat of wax or sealant.


3. If it removes the wax from your paint, why doesn`t it do a better job at removing the wax from pads and applicators? The only way Dawn cleans my pads or applicators is if I soak them for hours and then massage them by hand rather vigorously. Neither of those are something I`m going to do to my paint.

You pads have a LOT more wax/sealant caked in them than what is actually sitting on your vehicle.

4. People worry about residue from dish soap. Why not use a good car wash soap that rinses clean to start with?

I`ve never had residue. If I want to strip the wax I use Dawn at times.

5. It surely can`t be a cost factor. 20 oz. of Dawn for $3.49 is close to the price of a good car wash purchased by the gallon. Besides, it`s for your car. Cost is immaterial.

It`s cheaper than a wax stripper or paint prep from your local body shop dealer.


6. I don`t happen to be a Dawn user for washing cars so I can`t make any comments based on experience, but does it really do all that great of a job cleaning?

I use it for stripping and not for your regular cleaning.

[CharlesW]

If you are going straight from a Dawn wash to a fresh coat of wax/sealant, then why Dawn wash?

If I felt the previous wax/sealant was going to be a problem, I would use a paint cleaner/prep product.
If I am just "refreshing" the previous application, I wouldn`t do anything but wash the vehicle with a good car wash.

If you need to strip wax, the cost of Prep-Sol which is intended to remove wax is only about $20 a gallon.

Hey, if it`s what you like, great. I just never could see the fascination for using Dawn.