In this guide, we take you through the products you’ll need and how to decontaminate wash your car.
A decontaminate wash is a key process to keeping your car clean and swirl free. It might sound like a daunting and complicated process but use these five GTECHNIQ products and follow the simple steps below to restore that showroom shine.
Decontaminate Wash Products & Method
Step 1: Bug Removal
The first step of your decontaminate wash is to use a bug spray. Bug splatter is prolific at this time of year, and the build-up of dead flies and other insects that meet their maker on the front of your car can be tough to remove, especially if they’re dried. But fear not, as GTECHNIQ’s Bug Remover is designed exactly for the job, and it couldn’t be any easier to apply! You simply spray it directly on to the splatter, let it dwell for 3-5 minutes and then jet wash it off. In extreme cases, you can agitate using a MF1 microfibre cloth. With those little nasties removed it’s on to the next step…
Step 2: Snow Foam
Snow foam has grown in popularity over the years for the home consumer and it’s now an essential part of the pre-wash process. Its purpose is to break-down and then drag off road grime and bug splatter before the contact wash. GTECHNIQ’s Citrus Foam is slightly different to other foams, as it’s designed to run off the car rather than cling to it, this in turn takes all the contaminates with it. The other benefit to W4 is that it’s not loaded with caustic chemicals, so it won’t remove previously applied coatings or waxes but it will remove hard to shift grime. Again, it’s a very simple process to apply…
Decant 100ml of product to 900ml of warm water into your snow foam lance, and then spray onto the surface of the vehicle from the bottom to top. Leave it to dwell for a few minutes and then rinse with clean water.
Step 3: Iron and Fall Out Removal
Iron fallout is tiny particles of iron that have stuck to your car’s alloys or bodywork. The particles can come from a variety of different places but most commonly they’ll be from your car’s brakes. You want to remove them before any contact wash is conducted as you don’t want to risk dragging them across your car’s paintwork as they’ll cause swirl marks. Getting rid of them is actually a very easy process thanks to products like GTECHNIQ’s Iron & Fallout Remover, which is formulated to dissolve ferrous particles so they can be washed away. You apply it directly to your wheels and bodywork and let it dwell for a few minutes. You’ll be able to identify the fallout removal as the product turns the contaminates purple, after a few minutes wash it away using clean water.
Step 4: All Purpose Cleaner
That’s right, keep that wash mitt in the bucket for just a little bit longer. It’s time to hit those heavily soiled areas with GTECHNIQ’s All Purpose Cleaner. Like the name suggests, it has many uses, from engine bay degreasing to carpet stain removal but in this instance, we’re going to use it to clean the inner wheel arches. The biodegradable formula can be applied neat for heavily soiled areas or diluted for general purpose cleaning, so how much grime has built up in your arches will dictate what dilution to use. Once you’ve decided that, it’s a simple case of spraying it on, letting it dwell and then rinsing off.
Step 5: Contact Wash
The final step in your decontaminate wash is a contact wash. It’s time to grab your two grit-guard equipped buckets, GWASH shampoo and mitt for the fifth and final step, the contact wash. Fill one bucket with clean water to act as your rinsing agent, and the other with your washing solution – four caps of GWASH will give you plenty of PH neutral cleaning power. Dip your mitt into the wash solution and get to work, starting at the top and working your way down the bodywork. After each pass rinse the mitt (in the second bucket) to remove any debris that have been collected. Repeat this process until you’ve washed the whole car. It’s then time to rinse it down and dry the car with an MF4 towel . Now all you have to do is stand back and enjoy the shiny paintwork.
Make sure you check out our winter car wash guide to prep your car for the winter weather. For more info on GTECHNIQ products, visit: www.gtechniq.co.uk.
