Washing and Drying
We get a lot of questions about how to care for our coating once it’s applied. The short answer is that our coating makes washing and drying super easy.
Because our coating is hydrophobic it sheds water.
That means that the water beads up and rolls off. Just wash your vehicle with a quality, non-wax automotive soap and, if you have one handy, run a leaf blower over it … You may not even need to take a towel to it on a sunny day.
Let's break down what Briston Lowell, one of our owners, recommends:
Supplies:
We recommend using a microfiber "mop" instead of a brush. The bristles on a brush can hold small rocks and particles that can easily scratch the surface on a microscopic level. We also recommend a quality non-wax automotive wash such as Meguiar's.
How to Wash:
There are 2 ways that we recommend washing your vehicle: The "2 bucket method” or by rinsing out your mop each time before going into your soap bucket. The 2 bucket method requires having a bucket of clean water that you can rinse your mop in before going back into your soap bucket.
Drying Towel:
If you have a leaf blower handy, then use it! Water can’t cling to our coating and it will just blow off the surface. If you need to go the traditional route with a towel, then we recommend using a microfiber drying towel. A towel that is large, soft, and gentle on the seams is ideal for soaking up lots of water without scratching the surface.
Is a Waterless Wash safe?
It’s not unsafe, but it’s not the best option. Microscratching can occur during a waterless wash because there’s the potential to smear abrasive particles across the surface. Will these microscratches immediately diminish the integrity of the coating in any way? Absolutely not, the molecular bond is still present but each time you waterless wash you risk scratching away a bit of the coating. Over a 15 year period, the potential exists for the finish to become a little thinner. This is only a problem if you were to sustain a deep scratch to your vehicle because there wouldn’t be as much coating protecting your vehicle’s skin.
Our personal experience has been that a rain shower usually takes care of a lot of dirt and road grime. Clare, who handles our marketing, took a two month trip to Utah and Colorado last summer with her husband and they ventured off road quite a bit with their Airstream. The sporadic rain showers they hit along the way did a great job of rinsing dirt off the rig’s skin.
What happens if something super sticky is on the coating or if bugs get dried to the surface?
It’s very rare that this happens. In our personal experience, we haven’t come across anything that won’t wipe away with a little softening from warm water. Bugs and bird droppings that have baked on in the heat may require a warm cloth to be applied for a few minutes before wiping off.