Today, pressure washers have become so much affordable and easy to use that we use them almost everywhere to get rid of dirt, dust, debris, and biological materials. We use them to clean our homes, different pieces of equipment, and even our cars. So if you get yourself a pressure washer, you can clean your car till it looks neat and spotless. But the pressure washer alone isn’t enough, you also need a foam cannon that can be attached to it. Heavy-duty foam cannons are called foam guns that are generally used on top-class pressure washers. They can create heavy, thick foam all over the car to give it a better wash and finishing with little to no scratches or abrasions.
What to Look for When Choosing a Foam Cannon?
With a foam cannon, your car can be washed within a very short period of time. But you need the right kind of foam cannon to ensure optimum washing and cleaning. This is where many people go wrong. Here are few ways to make sure that you pick the foam cannon car wash that best serves your purposes.
- If you live in a place where there are noise restrictions, use of power washer foamers could be a problem. There are two kinds of pressure washers – gas and electric. In this case, you should opt for a gas powered pressure washer because the electric ones tend to be slightly less efficient when it comes to producing foam and they also make a lot of noise.
- If you live in a place where it’s alright to use an electric power washer, you’re good to go. Pick a foam cannon that’s compatible with both electric and gas washers in case you have both types.
- Choose a pressure washer foam cannon that’s straightforward to use, comfortable and hassle-free. Make sure it is sturdy and well-built so that there are no chances of leaking.
- You should choose a pressure washer foamer that works at only 800 PSI pressure to get the perfect thickness and suddy texture. This would allow proper surface lubrication without causing any scratches.
- Of course, you would want to pick a foam cannon that is well within your budget and comes with the highest number of positive features possible. Foam cannons come with adjustable spray nozzles, chemical injectors, water regulators, and fans. The spray nozzle determines how wide or how straight the spray pattern would be. Some can be fitted with garden hoses as well, which are known as foam guns. So, in case your pressure washer isn’t working, you can try washing your car with a foam gun adjusted to a garden hose.
How to Set the Foam Cannon for a Car Wash?
- Preparing the soap: You want the right amount of thickness. Too thin means when you wash, you could cause scratches due to the lack of lubrication. Too thick and it would take a lot more time to clean up than usual. Take a can of snow foam and two buckets. Insert dirt traps into each one of them to trap the abrasive particles of dirt. Fill the buckets with water and in the wash bucket, pour an ounce of soap into the water.
- Prepare the foam cannon: Car wash would be perfect if you pick the right foam cannon. Open the canister of the cannon and take a canister that shows dilution ratios so you add the appropriate amount of soap and water. In this case, add an ounce of soap and fill the rest of the canister with water.
- Get your car out in the open: Now is the time to wash your car. You now have your pressure washer and foam cannon ready, but before using the foam cannon, it’s better to prepare the car beforehand with some rinsing. You should inspect the car at this point. Does it only need rinsing? Does it need a full-on soap wash? If you use the car almost every day then only rinsing is enough. But if not then every weekend a good soap wash is enough to keep your car shiny and good-looking.
How to Wash Your Car with the Foam Cannon?
Always rinse the car from top to bottom. Usually, the tires are the dirtiest parts; so make sure the tires are well-rinsed with a pressure washer by simply pushing out the water. Once you have done rinsing, the real challenge begins.
- Attach the foam cannon to the wand of the pressure washer. You can do this by pulling the sleeve backwards, setting the foam cannon and then letting go of the sleeve on the wand back into place.
- There would be an adjustable fan on top. Make sure this adjustment is kept open wide so the soap coming out is thick enough. If you adjust the fan tighter, the spray would be more vertical which would essentially cover more surface areas.
- On the very top, you’ll see the soap adjust. If you keep this wide open only water will come out. But if this is tightly adjusted to the right, thick foam would come out.
- Turn on your pressure washer on the same settings that you had before when rinsing with it. You’ll see your foam cannon spraying out thick soap. Start from the top of the vehicle in a linear fashion. You can’t do it from the bottom because tires are incredibly dirty and spraying water with such pressure could blast the dirt off the tires towards other parts of the car, making it dirty as a result. Cover the whole car with thick soap.
- Spare a few moments. Let the soap sink in and then use a scrub to rub the soap across the entire body of the car. Don’t scrub with too much pressure; otherwise, the paint job would be ruined. Then wash the soap off with a pure water rinse.
- You can even clean the inside of your car using the same foam cannon, but it should be attached to a leather foam cleaner in this case.
- Don’t store your foam cannon away with water and soap, as it could lead to the accumulation of calcium deposits over time, which would decrease its efficiency. Remember the buckets we mentioned before? One of them contained only water while the other contained soap. Pour the remaining soap into the soap-containing bucket, then wash the foam cannon in the other bucket. This way your foam cannon will last a long time.
We’re not done yet! Although you have rinsed, scrubbed and washed your car off, it seems your car is still lacking that lustrous gloss you’ve been looking for. Start off by using a dual-action polisher, which will use car polish or conditioning oils. These oils add extra sheen especially on cars with darker colors. Then you can add wax. Carnauba wax or polymer wax – whichever you use is fine. However, polymer wax dries quickly and can be removed soon after applying.
It’s also slightly expensive and easy to apply. For car windows, separate auto window cleaners are available. You can use microfiber cloth to apply the window cleaner for smooth and shiny windows. The rims of the wheels can be cleaned using aluminum wheel cleaners. These are especially helpful if you don’t know what tires you have. With the tires, windows and the entire car cleaned, you’ll feel incredibly satisfied. Nothing feels better than seeing your perfectly spotless and clean car.
