Complete Guide to Decontamination Car Wash Soaps

Before delving into the world of decontamination soaps we first need to understand what paint contaminants are. Paint contiminants are unwanted grime and pollutants that bond to your paint.

These contaminants can be any number of things such as:

1. Industrial Pollution

2. Exhaust Pollution

3. Road Tar

4. Rail Dust (The little yellow spots that look like rust spots)

5. Brake Dust

6. Tree Sap

7. + Others

Why do I need to decontaminate my paint?

"I hand wash it every week. Why would I need to decontaminate it?"

When we are talking about decontaminating your paint we are talking about a deep cleaning of your paint to remove bonded contaminants. They key word here is bonded. Yes washing your car regularly removes dirt, mud, dust, salt etc. but over time the contaminants mentioned above stick to the paint and are not removed with traditional car wash soaps.

Think of your skin.  It breathes, has pores, and also has dirt that can clog those pores.  Paint has a lot of similarities to your skin in that respect.  you wash your face everyday with regular soap. That would be the equivalent of using a standard car wash shampoo on your paint.  In addition to washing your face you may periodically do an exfoliation or face scrub to your skin which are designed to pull impurities out of the pores of your skin. Paint decontamination is similar to that periodic exfoliation you do to deep clean your skin's pores.

"My car is ceramic coated. Why do I need to decontaminate it?"

This is one of the most common misconceptions we run accross. Many people assume that just because their vehicle has a ceramic coating on it that it will remain contaminant free. False! Yes a ceramic coating provides a slicker, easier to clean surface than your factory paint does but over time the surface of your coating will become contaminated. You may not get as much contamination build-up as you would on factory paint but you will still get some. Over the years we have had numerous customers say to us...

"I ceramic coated my car a year ago. It was supposed to last 3 years but it's already worn away. The surface is not as slick as it was, the water doesn't bead like it did, and it doesn't look as shiny as when the coating was applied"

The first question we ask is "How long since you decontaminated your paint?" Almost 100% of the time the customer tells us that they haven't. Well, the coating has not worn away, it is contaminated. Your coating is not going to look or perform as intended if the surface has built up contaminants on it.

Preventing Long Term Damage

If your vehicle has sap, bird droppings, insects etc. you should always remove them ASAP from your paint (do not wait to do a maintenance decon wash). The acidic chemicals in these decontaminants will very quickly eat into your factory paint, permanently etching the clear coat layer. If this occurs the only solution is to mechanically polish some of the clearcoat layer to remove the etching (similar to what you would do to remove scratches).

Most people that care at all about their vehicle will remove bugs etc. before they do any permanent damage to the paint but there are other contaminants that are not as noticable (specially on dark colored vehicles) that if neglected too long can cause permanent damage. Rail dust & brake dust particles are metallic. Once they bond to your paint if left too long can work their way into the paint. If they go too deep into the paint till they touch bare metal that allows a pathway for moisture to get to the metal bodywork resulting in rust.

Decontaminates on a Clay Bar

Decontamination Soaps vs Other Decontamination Methods

Think in terms of decon soaps as being an "all in one" decontamination solution. We often refer to them as a "clay bar in a bottle". If you are unfamilar with clay bars and how to use them please see our blog post Everything you Need to Know about Clay Barring

Decon soaps are a very simple easy way to regularly decontaminte your paint. You use them very similar to any other car wash soap they are just much stronger. Used at least every 6 months they will keep your paint (or ceramic coating) contaminant free.

However, if for example your vehicle is covered in tar, iron particles, sap etc. you are better off using a dedicated iron remover, sap remover etc. to remove these. A dedicated iron remover is formulated specifically to attack iron deposits, a sap remover for sap etc. Decon washes are designed primarily as a maintenance product to remove contaminants before they build up so much that they require dedicated task-specific cleaners.

Decon Washes vs Pre-Wash Soaps

Pre-wash soaps & decontamination soaps are not the same thing. A pre-wash soap is designed to be used every time you wash your car. They are normally applied with a foam cannon. Pre-wash soaps are allowed to dwell on the surface and they remove or loosen dirt before you wash your car with your conventional soap & mitt. Although stronger than regular car wash soaps the primary purpose of a pre-wash soaps is to lesson the likelihood of creating swirls on your paint during the wash process (by getting dirt trapped in your wash mitt).

Decon Washes vs Clay Barring

As mentioned above decon washes perform the same task as clay barring (either synthetic or traditional clay) but there are some differences. Going through the full clay bar process will give you a better decontamination than just the decontamination soap will. If for example your vehicle is 3 years old and you have never decontaminated your paint you are probably better to go through the extra time and effort to give the vehicle a full clay bar treatment. In a case like this you might be best to decon wash first, then clay bar to ensure you get all embedded contaminants off. Another good time to perform an actual clay bar treatment is before applying a long life ceramic coating. In this case we recommend doing both a decon wash & a clay bar treatment. Ceramic coatings bond to your vehicle's paint. You want to make sure there is nothing in between your paint and the coating when you apply it. This will give you the best performance out of your coating.

Decontamination Schedule

How often you should decontaminate your paint will vary. Cars parked outdoors will get more contaminants then a garage parked vehicle will. If you park in an industrial area daily you will get more industrial fallout landing on your car than if it's always parked in a residential area area etc.

As a general rule consider following these genral guidlines:

Before Applying a ceramic coating:

1. Decon Wash

2. Clay Bar

3. Use a Panel Prep Spray right before applying your coating

Regular Maintenance

1. Clay Bar once a year

2. Use a decon wash twice a year

How to use

Decontamination soaps are very easy to use. Essentially you use them just like you would any other car wash soap. Most can be applied using a bucket/mit and/or a foam cannon/soap foamer. Just read the directions on the product label and you will be fine!

DECONTAMINATION SOAPS

There you have it. Your complete guide to decontamination car wash soaps! Happy Detailing.