Griot’s Car Wash is a pH neutral shampoo that doesn’t contain any gloss enhancers or additional additives to help protect the paint. It is purely meant for cleaning purposes. However, there is one claim to fame for this product and it is that it’s supposed to be super concentrated. Griot’s advertises that only one ounce of product is needed per two gallons of water and a one-gallon jug can make 256 gallons of usable solution. This is what really attracted me to this shampoo. If the claim is true, then Griot’s Car Wash can provide some excellent bang for the buck. So, let’s see how it fairs.
For my first test, I’m used the Griot’s Ultimate Car Wash Bucket which has a built-in measuring cup. When filled to the indication line, two ounces of the product are present. I then filled the bucket up with 4 gallons of water, using the capacity indicators on the inside of the bucket. First up, the land lubricity test. This involves getting a feel of the product between the skin of my hand. At one ounce per two gallons of water, Griot’s Car Wash failed miserably. The soap solution was barely slicker than water. I have to admit, I had my doubts but was really rooting for Griot’s because I wanted the advertising to be true. Unfortunately, I don’t think that is the case. At this point, I measured out another two ounces of Car Wash and added it to my bucket, bringing the total to 4 ounces of Griot’s Car Wash to 4 gallons of water. This of course means that I’m using 1 ounce of product per gallon of water. At this ratio, Griot’s Car Wash is absolutely acceptable and slick enough for use.
In a bucket at one ounce of product per gallon of water, Griot’s Car Wash performs up to my standards. It was able to get all the noticeable contaminants off the surface of my car and that’s all I can ask for. However, I do consider the super-concentrated formula advertising to be false. I just do not recommend using this product at the manufacturer’s recommend 1 ounce of product per 2 gallons of water. Of course, do you own testing and make your own judgment. But for me, 1 ounce per gallon of water is the way to go.
Next, let’s try Griot’s Car Wash in a foam cannon. It should be noted that although Griot’s advertises that this is a high-sudsing shampoo, they do not mention anything about using it in a foam cannon. This would indicate that it’s meant to be used in a bucket as a contact wash, not in a foam cannon as a pre-wash. But, we’re going to test its ability to foam anyway for curiosity's sake. For this test, I filled my foam cannon up with three ounces of Car Wash and water to the third indicator line.
From my testing of various car shampoos, I’ve found that those that are more so intended to be used in a bucket for a contact wash, typically do not foam very well. They typically come out of the foam cannon very watery, with little foam, and do not cling to surfaces very well. This is where Griot’s Car Wash is weird to me. The foam that I got was slightly below average in terms of thickness. There were a lot of small bubbles at first but Car Wash did exhibit the ability to build up and get thicker foam if I really focused on a spot. What was really different was this shampoo’s ability to cling to the surface. I’ve never seen a foam move so slowly off the surface of a car. To me, this is a good thing because as the foam clings to the surface longer, it has more chance to encapsulate contaminants. Then when it naturally rolls off the surface or when we rinse, the contaminants are removed with the foam. Something else to note is that this foam did a really good job of not drying. I had the foam on this car for easily more than 10 minutes and I didn’t see any dried-on soap residue. For me, this is a benefit because I know that I don’t have to rush to rinse the product off. I have more wiggle room on those days where things aren’t going as plan.
And that’s Griot’s Car Wash. Overall, I would have to say that I really like this car shampoo. In a bucket, the advertised mixing ratio may not have worked for me but at 1 ounce per gallon of water, it is economical enough for me and gets a pass. In a foam cannon, Griot’s Car Wash really blew my mind with it’s staying power. This alone makes me think that it’s extremely viable as a prewash or simply as a foam contact wash. I’m actually quite surprised that Griot’s doesn’t advertise about this product’s ability to be used in a foam canon because it actually performs really well.
To me, a plain pH neutral car shampoo without any additional additives is the most versatile car shampoo because it can be used in any scenario. Because of that, I always recommend for people to have some around. Although no product is perfect, I would have to say that Griot’s Car Wash comes pretty close. Its ability to perform well in both a bucket and foam cannon makes it a great multi-step multi-use car wash shampoo at a reasonable price. I can’t recommend it enough.
If you're considering buying any of the products mentioned, please support my work by using the links below.
Griot's Car Wash https://amzn.to/2IKd5gV
Griot's Ultimate Wash Bucket https://amzn.to/3ncuj6k
All the Auto Detailing Equipment I Use: https://www.amazon.com/ideas/amzn1.account.AF43XRPGVOUH2E5CJXQY4FIOGVAQ/3AI3XVAQEMORX?type=explore&ref=idea_cp_vl_ov_d
Want to support my work?
Consider visiting the shop and buying "Absolutely Nothing" https://www.HaiHoangTran.com/shop/absolutely-nothing
or
Become a Patron!
https://www.patreon.com/HaiHoangTran
or
PayPal
https://www.PayPal.me/HaiHoangTran
or
Just shop on Amazon via this link!
https://amzn.to/2FgsDnG