Obsessed Garage Decontamination Soap

Decontamination Simplified

I started sharing my detailing process on Rennlist back in 2014. A guy there sent me his list of preferred products and asked how they stacked up against mine. At the time I kept it simple. I added some Adam's APC to Adam's Shampoo to help strip the wax, sealant, or whatever junk sat on top of your coating.

He kept pushing me to try Chemical Guys "Citrus Wash." I bought a 16oz bottle and loved it.

Then Chemical Guys discontinued it. I made a lot of calls and sent a lot of emails before I reached someone in wholesale who was willing to help. They started mixing small batches just for us. I always figured the call would come that they were done making it. It did. They gave me one last run, delivered in 55-gallon drums in the summer of 2018. It sold out in seconds.

I could not source it anymore, so I made it myself. Once I went down that road, I changed two things. First, the color. I made it purple, because purple is what I picture when I think decontamination. Second, the name. "Citrus" never made sense. This soap has a pH of 10, which makes it alkaline. An orange soap called "Citrus" suggests an acid below pH 7. This is the opposite of that.

How To Use It

1. Rinse the car.
2. Fill your "Rinse" bucket.
3. Add 150ml (5oz) to your Foam Cannon, then top it off by submerging the bottle in your "Rinse" bucket water.
4. Foam the car. Leave the foam to sit and run off while you prep your "Wash" bucket. Do not rinse it off. You want it sitting there to break down the wax.
5. Add about 2oz of soap to your wash pad. I use a Microfiber Madness Incredipad XL.
6. Fill your "Wash" bucket, with the pad and soap already inside, with water.
7. Wash the car. Use as little pressure on the pad as you can.
8. Rinse to prep for the next decon step. I always rinse with deionized water.