Car Wash Soap

Dish soap does wonders and I doubt you will make anything that works as well for less cost.

but how do i make it?

You cannot simply take a pound of this and mix in a handful of that and have a commercial quality soap. The making of soap is a very complex process. There may be a number of chemical ingredients that you cannot purchase and must make yourself. Think 'Environmental Impact Statement' for more possible troubles.

Have you looked at anything on the internet? How about Wikipedia? If this article does not dissuade you, then you truly have an entrepreneurial spirit, and more power to you in your quest.

Practically all dish liquids, car wash soaps and the like consist of a blend of inexpensive sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) or ammonium lauryl sulfate (ALS) and lesser amounts of higher priced surfactants which improve performance by changing the rheology, emolliency and other factors. But one can purchase basic SLS from detergent supply houses as an aqueous blend and use it directly as a car wash if desired. Check on the internet with companies like Stepan, Rhodia, etc. or simply Google SLS and see what comes up. These are powerful surfactants and are unforgiving of waxed surfaces. If you want to keep a wax on the surface, that will need to be reapplied after each washing. Good luck!

G.A.Simple and direct answer to start experimenting.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=car+wash+detergent&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&ie=utf8&oe=utf8&rlz=1I7GPCK_enGB411&redir_esc=&ei=DLYZTbAKgoCEB9qZ7bYO

how to make car wash detergent into google

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=how+to+make+car+wash+detergent&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&ie=utf8&oe=utf8&rlz=1I7GPCK_enGB411&redir_esc=&ei=M7YZTZi0HITLhAf5-pW3Dg

one of the problems you will face if you manage to make your own soap is the bubbles and froth

No doubt the soap will be pumped at pressure to the nozzles, that pumping action alone might produce so much froth and bubbles it would be almost useless, same goes for the domestic washing up liquid.

I suspect that you are trying to increase your profits by NOT buying commercially available soap specifically designed/recommended for the car wash by the manufacturer, would I be correct?

you have to look at the bigger picture here, there is the environment issue. I know here in the UK car wash waste is monitored and inspected. What you are proposing might not be suitable for the "Green" people.

Second... think how much damage and the cost of repairing that damage by NOT using the right soap

Does the commercial soap you currently use have some sort of "guarantee" that eliminates your liabilities? If it does, and you make your own, you will be liable for everything that can (and will) go wrong! Your insurance company and lawyer might be interested in your ideas as well.

And as last poster says if anything goes wrong ie paint strips/runs/etc even if your mixture wasnt to blame if public find out you are mixing your own detergent you could lose thousands

by the way how much does the commercial stuff cost ?

could you not just turn down the concentration ?

what about some sort of water softner if thats not to expensive ( though i doubt it )

and as last poster suggested chek all of these ideas out with your insurance cos if n ot they might decide to drop you if you dont ask

Mark, It sounds like you may be trying to mix a High PH and/or Low PH presoak solution for touch-free washing. The chemicals required in either case are extremely caustic or corrosive. Dish soap will not clean in a touch-free wash. The safety precautions required to protect you and/or your employees are substantial. Further, commercial presoak solutions are buffered precisely in order to allow them to be strong enough to clean without burning the finish on older paint. Repainting and buffing cars is no fun. It also really cuts into your profits! Are you trying to make a presoak solution or just a friction soap for brush lubrication? I guess you've talked to Blendco? If you want to tweak your own chemistry, start there and you'll learn a bit about the mix. Your MSDS sheets on your purchased soultions should list the active ingredients. (read the warnings well)

If you're not already a member, go to the autocareforum.com site and search the forum. You'll find car wash operators talking about every subject under the sun, including your electrical question about your 3PH motors.

visit the web site www.liquiguard.com - direct your request to Abbas, who is the scientist/owner of the company, and he will help you...

Kris Jacobs

PTM Corporation