What Is The Best Rinseless Wash?

The Best Rinseless Wash

First off, what is Rinseless Wash? It’s simply a method of washing that does not require a hose or pressure washer to obtain a superficial clean on your vehicle with a goal to minimize if not eliminate scratching or marring. 

Over the years, I’ve shown you how to wash your car using a traditional pressure washer. It’s still my preferred method but I’ve found that there are times when using a rinseless wash does make sense. ONR (Optimum No Rinse) has been a crowd favorite and a viable product that I’ve carried in my store for many years. But, recently, my guys here have convinced me that McKee's 37 N-914 is indeed the best rinseless wash - so far, I like what I’m seeing.

Application

This is going to be dependent on the conditions of your environment. I live in Florida, where the weather is generally nice, but during hurricane season I can expect it to rain almost every afternoon. In this scenario it becomes more of a burden to pull out my pressure washer, buckets, and tools. So, what I’ll do is make a rinseless solution. Here’s how:

Application 1 - Rinseless Wash - This process entails:

  • Using a bunch of plush microfiber towels along with McKee’s N-914 
  • 1 ounce of N-914 for every 2 gallons of water (1:256), 3 capfuls of N-914 equals one ounce. So, if you're going to use our 6-gallon bucket with the full 6 gallons you'll need 9 capfuls of N-914 or grab yourself a pro blend bottle proportioner

Let’s say you live in Canada where it seems to snow nine months out of the year - I’m going to use a combination of Rinseless and Waterless Solutions without a bucket or hose in my hopefully heated garage. 

Application 2 - Waterless Wash/Pre-Soak - This process entails:

  • If you want to mix up a pre-soak or waterless wash solution, you'll use 1 ounce of N-914 for every one gallon of water (1:128). That comes to 1.5 capfuls for every gallon of water
  • In this application, we’re using a Transparent 750mL Pressol Bottle with either distilled/filtered water - with roughly two pipettes full of product (that’s about 6mL). Your bottle would have 744mL of water and 6mL of solution. You also have the option of using a hand pump sprayer like the Marolex Industry Ego 1500 or 2000. For the 1500, you would use 11.6 mL of product and 1,488 mL of distilled/filtered water. For the 2000, you would use 15.5 mL of product and 1,984 mL of distilled/filtered water

McKee's 37 N-914 Rinseless Wash

Paint Protection (PPF) and Coated Cars

If your vehicle has paint protection film (PPF) and/or is ceramic coated, you will find that the Rinseless Wash Application makes for a much better cleaning experience - this is the less concentrated dilution. 

If your vehicle is really dirty and doesn’t have a lot of protection, I’d lean towards using my Waterless Wash Application. This same method would apply to spot treating your vehicle (bug removal, etc.).

Here’s a breakdown of my Rinseless Wash Process:

  1. Soak my microfiber towels in my 6-gallon bucket
  2. Spray down the surface with my solution - applying a liberal amount
  3. Take my towel out of the bucket and ring it out but not completely. I want to get the bulk of the water off of it so I don’t make a mess
  4. Fold the towel in 8ths and wipe the surface down in small sections because I don’t want to go too large and drag the dirt across the surface - your wash flow is to go from top-down
  5. After completing one section (or panel), I’m going to flip the towel and move onto the next section (panel)
  6. Once I’ve used all sides of the towel, I’m not going to revisit the bucket. I’m going to toss the towel aside and wash it afterward using a detergent for microfiber towels

Now that I have a damp surface, I need to dry it off. So, what I’ll do is grab my bulk drying towel and dry the surface. What you could do is grab our drying aid to add a layer of protection to the surface during this drying process. 

Waterless Wash vs Rinseless

What do we mean when we say Waterless Wash? We’re implying that we don’t have a bucket with water in it. Let’s say you live in an apartment or somewhere where you can’t carry a bucket with you - this would be a safe way to wash as well. Keep in mind that this is the more concentrated application.

Here’s a breakdown of my Waterless Wash Process:

  1. Spray down the surface or area we want to clean with our pressol bottle. Again, adding a liberal amount of product 
  2. Take a clean/dry towel and fold it into 8ths - with as little pressure as possible, I’m going to wipe the surface. I don’t think this method is as safe but it is a method you can use. I would use this method if I had a dusty car and just wanted to wipe it down. Think a quick wipe down for Cars and Coffee when using this process

With both of these processes, the more product and towels I use means less risk or less chance of damaging the paint. 

Benefits of Using a Rinseless or Waterless Wash

  • The simplicity of use - it’s super convenient
  • It doesn’t leave any residue behind whether you’re coating or waxing
  • Fewer tools (no pressure washer, hose, buckets, Mitts)
  • Removes more than just dirt. It removes bugs, tree sap, and road tar
  • If you care about this kind of crap, it’s better for the environment. No constant running of water
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