Our mobile detailers in Sacramento get the question all the time; How do you wash a car without water? It’s a reasonable question; the notion definitely goes beyond anything we’ve ever known about washing and detailing cars. Typically, if you’re in Sacramento looking for auto wash or detailing, or you wash your car yourself, this is the method used; You get a bucket of soapy water, grab a sponge, hose down the car and get to work, trying to keep the car wet to avoid water spots from forming. Easier said than done in sunny California.

Well, our waterless system works much in the same way, only instead of hosing down the entire vehicle and running our soapy sponge across all surfaces, we wash one panel at a time until the entire vehicle is cleaned. Larger panels, like the hood, are considered two panels. We also don’t “hose” these panels down, we use a pump sprayer to apply some science.

The science: Emulsification and Microfiber

The waterless system works by means of emulsification. Emulsification uses lubricants to encapsulate dust particles and create separation between the vehicle and the contaminants. Essentially lifting the dust off the car to utilize the next bit of science. Microfiber technology is fairly new to the market getting into the industrial market by the late 90’s and more recently into the auto detailing industry by the early 2000’s. Microfiber is specially woven fabric that is stripped down to micro strands and then woven together to create a soft, plush and absorbent towel. 

Here’s how it works: First we blow off the vehicle to remove any loose particulates. We fold our towels in a particular way, a four fold, to get maximum usage from each towel, and then work our way around the vehicle in a spray-and-wipe fashion until the car is cleaned. Once one part of the towel is filled with debris, we move to the next part, until all 8 sections are filled with debris (front and back). This is the most important part of the system. You don’t want to clean a car with a dirty towel, with or without water. We do go through a lot of towels using this method, but it’s the price that has to be paid for convenience of the system.

How is this useful you ask? We often perform detail services in Sacramento at the client’s work place, and these places don’t always allow water usage. Especially as much as needed to wash a car. Some places like parking garages don’t allow water at all. Furthermore, carrying large water tanks in a mobile rig (van or truck) can wear down the vehicle’s suspension, breaks and transmission must faster than normal, and these can get costly if we have to replace them more often.

Of course, waterless uses are very limited to cars in Sacramento that are not all that dirty, caked with mud, or the like. In these cases you will need to use water and one of our mobile detailers in Sacramento will be able to take care of that as well.  A waterless system is a great option for easy maintenance whether you’re a professional, weekend warrior or do it yourself-er.