So you have your first foam cannon and paired it with the perfect pressure washer for your car . But now you need to find the best car wash soap for your pressure washer that will take care of your finish.
Because, if your like me, you love your car. You rub it with a diaper, always glance at it in the driveway when walking by the front window… Even rubbing off little specs of crud with the sleeve of your favorite hoody. So, yeah, you’re not just going to use any ole crap cleaner.
I’ve searched for the best one and no doubt you guys are here searching for the best options too. Not every product in this space is equal.
Personally, I’ve tested plenty of soap brands for my car, some of which were effective and some… not so much. Don’t want the same hassle? Read along to find out all you need to know about car wash soap selection.
BTW, there are no wrong choices below, we’ve already pulled out the weeds:)
Read the Full Review, But Here’s the Quick Pick If You’re In A Rush!
[amazon table=”1135″ image_width=”149″]5 Best Car Wash Soaps for Pressure Washer Reviewed
1. Meguiar’s G7101FFP Gold Class Car Wash Soap
A well-known California based company founded by Frank Meguiar Jr in 1901, the OG of the group. They’ve become one of the world’s leading surface care product companies, providing highly specialized products of almost every conceivable type. Started as furniture polish but has been a mainstay in car care for decades. In fact the family are true car enthusiasts, even hosting some TV flicks.
Meguiar’s Gold Class Car Wash provides both Shampoo & Conditioner (can’t even write that with out smiling to myself and thinking of hair commercials, but hey! its true!). It is a rich suds car soap. If you want long-lasting suds, then this is the stuff you have been looking for.
This is in the ‘If it ain’t broke – don’t fix it’ category. Though it is – save the planet – biodegradable.
Key Features:
- Containing both shampoo and conditioner
- Doesn’t strip off your wax
- Pleasant smell
- Concentrated
- Foam Canon ready (Dilute 5:1 )
- And of course…nice bubbles;)
It works as an electric pressure washer car soap with a snow foam cannon attachment also known as a foam lance, cleans well, biodegradable, ect… Mix about 1/5th soap with warm water, this comes out as rich, white snow that stays on the vehicle so you can clean it with a microfiber mitt. Smells sweet, very pleasant, like something natural, not chemical at all.
If you rinse with hard water, you might leave a few spots. This same company sells some great soft towels to finish the job without spot. It works fine and is gentle on the hands and won’t hurt the paint. You can use on aluminum wheels even. This is only for the exterior.
It’s a gentle soap especially when used with the proper soft sponge. Cleans without stripping wax protection. Removes tough dirt, road grime, and contaminants. Much more concentrated than other pressure washer car wash soaps.
Saves you a lot of money too compared to a car wash. This is a great car soap for foam cannons.
I hope this review gave you some insight into the product.
Meguiar’s seems to be the best quality/value balance option. Good lubricity. Car color doesn’t matter. Very smooth, bubbles nicely, scrubs and degreases well. Doesn’t discolor plastic or rubber trim, works well with hard or soft water. Washing or drying is amazingly fast.
2. Adam’s Car Wash Shampoo
These guys started out in South Cal in 2000 and are now located in Colorado These awesome products pursue OCD chemistry R&D to the limit. I think this snippet from their site tells it all:
Adam is the kind of guy who brings a machine polisher on a business trip because he doesn’t want a dirty rental car. Recently, Adam removed our forklift from the warehouse for two hours (stopping all progress for our team) so he could wash it outside with a pressure washer. After that he thoroughly cleaned the dumpster out front too. Some call it crazy but that’s everyday normal around here.
You might of also noticed ‘Adams car shampoo review’ is one of the most searched soap items on youtube!
Its a gentle car shampoo that maintains pH neutral formula, which means it will not remove wax, sealants, or degrade a ceramic coating. Get rid of dirt, debris, pollen, and other contanimants safely & effectively.
This product works great in your Foam Cannon, in your Wash Bucket, etc. 100% biodegradable and environment-friendly.
Key Features:
- pH neutral formula
- having more suds components
- 100% Biodegradable and mother earth friendly
- Use even in direct sunlight
- Safe on all surfaces – will not dry out your plastic and rubber.
- Breaks down mineral deposits in the water
My favorite Amazon review:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rub a dub, truck in the tub – Love this car shampoo!! The suds last for the entire wash and the truck gets clean!!
(reviewer: World Traveler)
This works well with a pressure washer. The Wildberry scent is killer. This stuff is super slick, and even though I used this in direct sunlight it did not dry up or leave any streaks. It makes plenty of suds and leaves no soap residue.
With Adams Detail Spray right after the rinse, you can bring out more shine on car paint. Adam’s foam had a more “slippery feeling” leaves a slick clean surface, breaks down mineral deposits in the water. Seems like the vehicle shines more than other automotive soaps. Spot on (or better said spot off:) amazing.
You only need a little soap (1 oz) to create a lot of suds. Keeps the car clean for a longer time. Easy to use and works well. You get more uses out of this than you might imagine.
This one is the best product I’ve used for car washing. Currently this is the highest priced product reviewed here, but you get what you pay for, and it will last you a while. No to mention Adam’s guarantee – 110%.
Now one last point, if this is your favorite part of playing around with your foam cannon:
Then you just may want to upgrade to Adams Super Sudsy Ultra Out of Control Best Foam Cannon Car Wash Shampoo:)
3. Chemical Guys Honeydew Snow Foam Car Wash Soap
Now we come to the 800lb gorilla in this space, one of the best soaps for foam cannons. Though they started small they dominate the soap category. On Amazon they hold the top 3 product slots in terms of monthly revenue and 7 of the top 10 products come from their arsenal as well!(as of 7,7,20)
This American based brand (actually another California born company, what is it about making soap in the south west?) has been making some worthy soaps since 1968 and since has gone international with research and development on car care chemicals, car wash accessories, buffing machines and so on.
I have to say, this one is another great make.
Key Features:
- Tiny close-grouping cleaning bubbles
- It is thicker, slicker, and more gentle
- pH neutral formula
- Biodegradable
So coming back to the point, this specialized car detergent is formulated to create millions of tiny close-grouping cleaning bubbles.
This ultra-foaming car wash eliminates dirt, grime and contaminants yet gentle enough on paint as well as on all waxed and sealed surfaces. You can safely rinse away off dirt and grime on paint for its pH neutral formula.
The Honeydew Snow Foam Foaming Car Wash is developed to be safe on all vehicle surfaces along with paint, rubber, vinyl, glass, and plastics included. It is improved by thickness, slickness than before with powerful hyper surfactants. A spot-free shine is guaranteed and safe to use in direct sunlight.
It’s actually easier to use compared to some others. For a generous amount of suds, simply mix 1 ounce of Honeydew snow foam to 5 gallons of water.
Honeydew Snow Foam is specifically designed to create copious amounts of cleaning suds in a foam cannon or foam gun, and you can use it in pressure washer tank too. It clings to the vehicle like glue and slowly slides off. When rinsed off it leaves a smooth clean awesome surface.
If you crank your foam cannon up to awesome mode, it will tear through a bottle in no time. The foam you get and the quality of clean are worth a reload! Thanks for the great stuff, guys! It’s not a huge bottle, so if you are using this frequently, you may want to opt for a larger size.
4. Chemical Guys CWS_301 Citrus Car Wash Soap
Well, again this is chemical guys. This product is pretty impressive too, so heres the specs:
As described earlier, a dominating American brand in the space and pretty much keeping their promise to provide one the best car wash soaps. A yellow colored shampoo weighted about 1.1 lbs has some special characteristics. Its been around since January 21, 2011, and still sales are high.
Key Features:
- Naturally derived from citrus hyper shampoo
- Gloss enhancer
- Highest concentrated
- 100 percent surface friendly
- Biodegradable formula
- A sweet smell of lemon
- Penetrating Lubricating Foam
- Long-lasting capabilities
This citrus car wash is exceptional for being derived from citrus hyper shampoo and extract. This product dilutes 1 to 4000, making it the highest concentration soap in the world (so they say, I actually haven’t gotten around to review every soap in the world yet:). The company claims that this soap is completely surface friendly and has a biodegradable formula. It performs in hazardous solvents and surface cleaners.
Its special concentrated citrus extract is formulated to breaks down heavy dirt, grime, contaminants, and grease from your vehicle for the fastest and easiest way.
So for a delightful car wash, you want millions of foaming suds from your car soap. And this Chemical Guys Citrus Wash & Gloss is formulated to create tons of foaming suds with any foam gun or foam cannon. The thick foam bubbles do their thing to remove those dirty particles.
Unique Gloss Enhancing Formula to bring the shine back to your car and does a decent job of enhancing the polish of your vehicle. Especially I love the sweet smell of lemon of it.
A little bit goes a long way. This is an outstanding car soap, and on the recommend list.
5. Mothers 05674 California Gold Carnauba Car Wash & Wax
This is another Top car wash soap which is incredible for power washers. This brand is also originated in America. It has the capacity to wash your car quick and easy. This is the soft spongy shampoo that doesn’t affect the paint and come out with the awesome shininess of your car. It will boost your existing wax and easily dissolves and remove all the tight grime, dirt, contaminants, and grease off your favorite car.
Key Features:
- Soft spongy shampoo
- Super sudsy behavior
- Powerful and nature-friendly
- Thick
- Worth the price
Its pH neutral formula provides you protection free washing against painting. Great car soap for its super sudsy behavior. You will find it powerful and nature-friendly for its biodegradable status.
I would not have a problem with using it on any part of the car. I haven’t noticed any residue if buffed. This product can be pressure washed with a foam cannon. It might be a little thick for the detergent reservoir. Because of its pH neutral formula, you can use it for other purposes.
It gives you more than you thought before you purchase. I mean, it is definitely worth the price. I have used other soaps too but I’ve been using this product for a long time on my vehicles. The shine and protection that it leaves on the vehicles meet my expectation.
The Gold Carnauba Wash and Wax was the first Mothers product that I had ever used. I was so impressed that I now use some of their other products. It’s obvious that the company takes pride in what they do.
This is a fantastic car soap. Smells good, go long ways with a small amount and works very fast and excellent. Especially it leaves nice gloss and no residues. I think you will be delighted with this item.
Selection Factors of a Car Wash Soap:
- Ease of use
- Brand
- Suds capacity
- Price
- pH balance
- Biodegradable
- Size
- Protection ability
Ease of use:
It is necessary to use that product which is not troublesome to use in our daily busy life schedule. So it should be informed that exactly what you need. It is not recommended to go for a product that requires other supplies for use.
Brand:
Brand selection is one of the intellectual tasks for getting the best products for you. Some brand claims that their products are the best of all sides, but you can understand the real fact at the performance of the soap. You should purchase the products from the trusted and best manufacturer.
Suds capacity:
The more suds a soap provide, the less effort you have to provide to wash your car. It is helpful to remove dirt grime and other contaminants easily. The soap will be considered best if it creates more suds. More bubbles will help you to wash your car without any trouble and spot. So before purchasing soap, make sure of suds of it.
Price:
Most important factor to buy car wash soaps is the given price of them. People seek the best product at the best price. Again sometimes price doesn’t matter if the product is beyond the desire. There are some companies which advertise many products saying their product is best at a reasonable price, but at the end of the day, they can fulfill customer’s desire. So you have to be confirmed about the price of the product.
pH balance:
pH is something that controls the surface environment protective. If ph neutral car soap then you can clean your car or other surfaces without any hesitation.
Biodegradable:
To keep the environment safe the soap should be biodegradable. If not, after washing the soap residues off on the ground. Then it will mix with the soil and water destroy the soil and water structure. That’s why soap should be biodegradable.
Size:
If you personally clean your car then you absolutely know the required portion of regular washing soap. Then you can decide the size of it.
Protection ability:
The pressure washer you are using should have the capacity to protect the environment like shouldn’t contain harmful ingredients that can be toxic to humans, kids, plants, and even pets. And have to have the capabilities to wash without hurting on the paints and so on.
Final Verdict
I know you have already decided which pressure washer soap for cars is for you. But, if you’ve read this far, you’d probably like my opinion.
Breaks down mineral deposits in the water so you can scrub and clean in the sunlight. Its pH formula helps you to wash without putting the hurt on your car paint. Doesn’t discolor plastic or rubber trim, works well with hard or soft water. Fast in the washing and drying section.
This product can make your car shine like new and offer added shelter for your paint, so your car will look same you just drove it off the lot.
If your looking for the perfect car wash machine check out comparative car washing pressure washers.
FAQ
1. What if I don’t have a pressure washer?
If you don’t have a pressure washer, or maybe just don’t feel like breaking it out – the Foam Gun option is probably best for you. No to be confused with Foam Cannons which are for pressure washers, Foam Guns you can use with you garden hose. It’s fast and easy but as you can imagine, you sacrifice some in performance. Where as a Foam Cannon will lay down a thick shaving cream like layer on your car, a Foam Gun attached to your hose just doesn’t have the pressure to create foam that thick. But you’ll still get thick suds that will help to loosen and lift dirt more easily.
2. Why Foam? What’s the big deal?
Think about sandpaper. What is it essentially? Paper with a high concentration of dirt. This is what is used to remove paint! Obviously the dirt on your car is not as concentrated as sand paper, but even a minimal abrasive effect is going to hurt your paint job. This is why foam is so awesome! Foam attaches and clings to residual dirt and crud and contamination. The thicker the foam the more pillow like the surface becomes and the less likely you are to scratch the surface as you’re removing the foam and dirt.
3. How do I get thicker foam from my cannon?
- Use the right car wash soap / shampoo. Not all are as sudsy.
- Match your foam cannon specs to your pressure washer specs, both PSI and GPM.
- Typically higher PSI means thicker foam
- Use warm water to help activate the soap.
- Be sure to clean your Foam Cannon between uses.
4. What is the difference between Shampoo and Soap?
Now in this article, like the rest of the world, we have used these terms fairly interchangeably. But depending on context, they are not always synonymous. There is a surprising amount of chemistry in soap and shampoo formulation. We could talk about combining surfacants with co-surfactants ect…, or we could just say shampoo is more sudsy and gentler. Some soap is really harsh – eg: Lye.
5. Can You Use This in A Pressure Washer Detergent Holder?
Yes. These items are great for foam cannons to generate great foam. Having said that, it also works perfectly in pressure washers onboard detergent tank. Just read the direction of proper concentration to mix properly.
To Wrap Up
I know they look fantastic in their pretty packages and fancy labels, but all these soaps, shampoos, detergents, washes, just don’t all perform the same.
This is why I recommend you read this article thoroughly or maybe even ask around… We love shopping online and getting our stuff the next day, but there is something to be said about going down to the auto parts store and asking the parts guys for their best suggestion. They’re as good as your barber for car stuff gossip:)
If you are getting more water than foam then check out the exact soap ratio for thicker foam from this article.
Cheers!
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If your looking for a convenient battery powered pressure washer to clean you’re car, check out this review of some cordless option available.