OG,

Washing over the grit with a wet sponge, chamois or mit wil move the grit across the paintwork anyway. Think of all the grit in your sponge. The difference is the waterless products emulsifies the dirt thus protecting the paintwork as you wipe away. Normal soap/shampoo doesn't do this. It may break up the dirt, but you are still scuffing it along the paintwork. Hence the swirling.

They wouldn't be able to make the claims for this product if it doesn't work. I to was sceptical, but having read other sites and seen the posts here, I will probably order some. Many parts of the US ration water for cleaning cars and this is where these products come into their own. If you don't believe me there are plenty of videos to watch on a certain website, you will see how popular these products are, and not "snake oil."

Actually, I have always used a hose fitted with a water fed brush which you also may not approve of, however I find it quick and quite effective as there is a continuous supply of fresh water to displace that 'grit' and there in no messy sponge or silly mitt to entrap dirt.

Yes, the key to its success is the way in which it immediately encapsulates the dirt and prevents it coming into direct contact with the paintwork as it's being removed. Even where there's some really dried on dirt which needs a bit of elbow grease to remove, there's never any feeling of abrasion and certainly no visible scratching to the surface.

I know that if you purchase from Ideal World you can actually try out the product and send the rest back if you're not happy - you just pay the P&P. But to be honest I've found this stuff so good on all sorts of hard surfaces that even if I didn't have a car I'd still buy it for use elsewhere around the home. Before deciding to clean our oven and fridge with it, I tried it on a piece of pristine stainless steel left over from when our kitchen was installed. After removing the protective film, I applied some mud from the garden, sprayed on the liquid then cleaned it off. It came up looking as good as new.

Honestly, I doubt anyone was a sceptical as me about this stuff but it does work and once it's been applied to the paintwork, it leaves a protective coating which seems to keep the car cleaner for longer and help to make removing subsequent grime easier. There's one other thing, we live in a hard water area and used to have a real problem with the lime residue left on the glass and paintwork by any water droplets allowed to evaporate when washing the car. Thankfully that's also a thing of the past now.

As regards the microfibre cloths, they do vary quite a lot and some seem to catch on the skin more than others. I bought some really good quality ones at Costco and they've been great but the drag you feel when cleaning surfaces is normal. One tip is not to wash them when using fabric conditioner as this apparently has an adverse effect on the fibres.

Edited by Mazda-Man on 11/04/2010 at 15:11

OG,

Washing over the grit with a wet sponge, chamois or mit wil move the grit across the paintwork anyway. Think of all the grit in your sponge. The difference is the waterless products emulsifies the dirt thus protecting the paintwork as you wipe away. Normal soap/shampoo doesn't do this. It may break up the dirt, but you are still scuffing it along the paintwork. Hence the swirling.

Hence why you should snow foam the car, rinse and then wash with a quality wash mit using the two bucket method with grit guards. I wince at the very thought of someone using a sponge to wash a car.