Agitating Optimum Power Clean on dirty panel?

[Heijneker]

I would like to know, if I can agitate Power Clean safely on a dirty panel, without causing significant marring.

For example; On a car, dirty from a month of driving stubborn bug residue has accumulated (but no hard bug shells/bodies) on the front of the car. Can I just spray Power Clean and agitate (with The Rag Company Jersey Bug Scrubber)? Or should I firstly make a couple of passes with ONR and the BRS to get most of the dirt off? I don't really like Power Clean on top off ONR however, it seems to get too wet and difficuilt to remove when doing a pure rinseless wash. I currently like to remove OPC mostly with a dry MF towel, and follow up with an ONR wash.

I haven't tried Opti-Clean on bug residue yet, but that will definetely  be in my next order of OPT products!

Thanks.

[No Soap]

I would wash with ONR first. Then maybe, or not, dry somewhat quickly and then use power-clean.

[Detail Mutant]

Depends on the type of dirt / contaminants.  For heavily soiled areas , it is always best to start with rinsing (ideally with a moderate amount of water pressure) to knock off most of the heavy dirt.  I usually don't rinse the entire vehicle just areas where there is visible dirt build up (typically front bumper, wheel arches, lower panels and backend for vans/suvs with square backend).  For general agitation of power clean  before performing ONR wash, I will use a good quality microfiber towel soaked in standard ONR dilution ratio.  I do not return this towel to my ONR bucket to avoid contaminating the ONR solution with PC.  The ONR solution provides additional lubrication over just PC in order to minimize chance of marring.  I like using the Minx (or Minx Royale) from The Rag Company as it is very soft and absorbent which makes it ideal for pulling dirt from panel in order to minimize marring.  I will typically do a full rinse afterwards to remove PC residue but you could still try your method of drying with microfiber to remove remaining PC.  When completing ONR wash if I notice any stubborn tar or bug guts remaining, I will pull out Jersey Bug Scrubber soaked in ONR and apply small spray of PC to surface of scrubber to attack that stubborn area.  I will go over again with ONR from BRS to flush area and dry as normal.

[darrvao777]

i probably wouldn’t 

my general use for power clean on my car (that i wash weekly) is to go over the car with an ONR wash and spot treat any areas with power clean as needed 

if i had a very dirty car that i cared about (well i wouldn’t let it get that dirty to begin with 🙂), i would probably rinse, foam power clean, let sit 1-2 minutes, rinse again, pre spray with ONR, then proceed to ONR wash and spot treat any areas with power clean and agitation as needed 

[stephen.details]

You can try spraying on power clean diluted about 3:1-5:1, let it sit for a minute or so, spray some ONR on the area via trigger sprayer or pump, then wipe away with a clean, ONR damp towel. But often if the bugs are relatively fresh ONR (or opticlean) alone can emulsify great. 
 

next in order of aggression: spray power clean and grab a super soft synthetic detail brush dipped in ONR and agitate the power clean. Rinse as before. Could try a bug scrubber but the detail brush works for me every time. 
 

finally: an optimum wheel and brush dipped in ONR, foaming power clean here would be ideal, and agitate with minimum pressure. The brush alone with ONR won’t scratch if lubricated properly!!

[Heijneker]

Never said any thanks for the replies! I like your second option Stephen.

On my own cars I can easily remove bugs with just ONR. On customer cars it takes more effort. Nowadays I tend to pre-wash before an ONR wash with Power Clean 10:1 and a pressure rinse. Makes cleaning customer cars much much easier. I would like to find a way which works for me and is pure rinseless though. Maybe your tips will help me!

[stephen.details]

8 hours ago, Heijneker said:

Never said any thanks for the replies! I like your second option Stephen.

On my own cars I can easily remove bugs with just ONR. On customer cars it takes more effort. Nowadays I tend to pre-wash before an ONR wash with Power Clean 10:1 and a pressure rinse. Makes cleaning customer cars much much easier. I would like to find a way which works for me and is pure rinseless though. Maybe your tips will help me!

In another thread in the “ONR” section of the forum I had asked about mixing in a little power clean with ONR and Ron said you can actually add some power clean to your wash bucket to super charge it. I’m assuming this method is for super dirty cars, ones you’ve never seen before, etc. so you could try that next time; and if you’re unsure do a test spot, one panel at a time ya know the deal. 
you could also follow cleaning the panel with a fresh, clean, ONR towel to feel safe about neutralizing any power clean left behind. But I figure if it doesn’t damage wheels when I mix ONR and power clean I doubt it will paint.