Polish vs. detergent?

[Waxman]

I recently tried KR's triple foam detergent in my IBA in place of foam polish. I think it cleans better.

Which do you use and why?

 

[RykoPro]

Detergent is normally for brush machines and "Polish" is often times a wax. I have found little consistency in terminology when it comes to "tri-foam". With Ryko, they call it tri foam det and tri foam wax. Normally we use the det with brush machines and apply it as one of if not the first pass. A brush machine could also have ti foam wax but it would be applied AFTER the wash is completed and before the wax or body sealant. Touchless machines also apply the trifoam wax towards the end of the cycle. I dont see how it could hurt anything if it works and as long as its rinses off completely (I would always apply wax after).

 

[Whale of a Wash]

The triple foam should probably be a foam conditioner- it is easier to rinse off than a detergent, and is suppose to be a conditioner for the sealant.
Unless you make it stronger most triple foam detergents don't have much cleaning ability that i have used. Then there are the triple foam waxes, which seems odd to use a triple foam wax and then suppose to use rain x.

 

[sparkey]

I also use the triple foam conditioner on my touch free. I apply it right on top of the presoak to give the presoak a little more dwell time. It is my understanding that the conditioner lowers the PH of the vehicle in preperation for the clear coat protectant. The foam does help drag some of the dirt off the car.

 

[rph9168]

There is a difference between a conditioner and a polish. A conditioner is basically either a high. low or neutral pH detergent. A polish contains a water soluble silicone that gives short term protection.

If you are using a super sealant like many manufacturers make I would recommend you use a low pH conditioner. It cleans and assists both the super sealant and drying agent to work more effectively by lowering the surface pH. You could consider using a neutral pH conditioner if you are using a low pH presoak or shampoo but the difference in the cost would be almost insignificant.

If you are not using a super sealant you would get a better looking results from a polish rather than a conditioner but you could also get decent results from a low pH conditioner if you wanted to save a little money since it should cost less than a polish.

 

[RykoPro]

So you are saying when they call it "conditioner" it is a soap and "polish" is almost wax. This is good to know. Our tri foam detergent is a high quality soap for brush machines and our tri foam wax is a "show" wax which should be followed with a surface sealant, wax or clear coat sealant. The tri foam wax will bead water and could be used on its own but normally its on the top wash with the Rain Shield.

 

[DiamondWash]

I just looked at my Blendco Color coat triple foam wax supposedly and it say on the front "Color Coat Polish AND Conditioner.

 

[rph9168]

According to the product description on their web site Color Coat is a polish with water soluble silicone.

 

[RykoPro]

With the Ryko brush machine you need to know if its a detergent or a wax since tri-foam Detergent is applied at the beginning of the wash and tri foam wax pass is almost at the end of the wash. I dont think its a good idea to apply wax as a first pass (before soap or even water) and this has been a problem figuring out what conditioner or polish means to the chem manufacture. Often times there is very little info on the label with an actually product description. From what I have seen, most (not all) chem manufactures only make 1 tri-foam product.

 

[rph9168]

Most manufacturers make both a tri-foam polish and a tri-foam conditioner - some even make low pH and neutral conditioners You are right that a polish should come near the end of the wash process. Applying a polish early on defeats the concept of the polish.

When you are not certain whether it is a polish or wax you would probably best either consult the manufacturer or in some cases it will be stated on the label in the product description or fine print. Another indication might be that a true polish should also cost more than a conditioner.

 

[Back4More]

A lot of it is marketing. If you look up polish in the dictionary, it means to clean, which leaves a lot to interpretation. You can also apply a silicone surfactant in an anionic "soap based" polish, which you wouldn't want close to the rinse because you'd have foam carry through in a tunnel. The other reason not to run A cationic positive charged "beading type" polish close to the entrance soap foamer is that most foam detergents are anionic, negative charge in nature and are incompatible with each other. Mysteriously slimy, dirty Mitter cloth anyone? Leaves nice black streaks on cars.

Ron Campagna Jr.
Autowash Maintenance Corp.

 

[RykoPro]

This is why I prefer the Ryko description of soap or wax, this leaves no doubt about what the product actually is. The more I hear about Polishes and conditioner the less any of it makes sense..........
Tunnels are simple: Tri foam soap at the beginning and trifoam wax just before the final wax/surface sealant and rinse.