I had a brain wave today when I was watching TV and the Miracle Gro Liqua Feed advert came on.

Basically it uses a bottle of plant food that mixes into the watergun and sprays the ground with water and plant food at once. I was thinking if you used an empty bottle of plant food stuff, and filled it with you brand of car wash shampoo, it would wet the paint and apply a soft foam of shampoo at once, Obviously you'd need to rise all the loose dirt off first, but you can select water only with the water gun....Handy all in one thing or just toff?

It's a good idea until you've seen how hard it would be to fill the empty container.

Just get a snow foam lance and pressure washer

I had a brain wave today when I was watching TV and the Miracle Gro Liqua Feed advert came on.

Basically it uses a bottle of plant food that mixes into the watergun and sprays the ground with water and plant food at once. I was thinking if you used an empty bottle of plant food stuff, and filled it with you brand of car wash shampoo, it would wet the paint and apply a soft foam of shampoo at once, Obviously you'd need to rise all the loose dirt off first, but you can select water only with the water gun....Handy all in one thing or just toff?

Flash bought out a product to the market that was a similar principle, needless to say they don't make it anymore as far as I am aware.......... :no:

I still have one; the soap was pretty rubbish but it had a water de-ioniser and that meant you could just leave you car to dry and there would be no streaks at all. It was a great idea imho.

I still have one; the soap was pretty rubbish but it had a water de-ioniser and that meant you could just leave you car to dry and there would be no streaks at all. It was a great idea imho.

Ive still got one

The Auto dry thingy was good.

You can still get cartridges on eBay

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/6-x-Flash-Car-Wash-Autodry-Shampoo-Filters-/190399095106?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item2c54aba142

It's a good idea until you've seen how hard it would be to fill the empty container.

I'm guessing you've tried before? I've never personally seen the bottles, I was hoping they would be pretty easy to fill up... Then again, who says you cant cut one, and get the old hot glue out and put your own lid on it bit DIY but it gets the job done I suppose.

I'm guessing you've tried before? I've never personally seen the bottles, I was hoping they would be pretty easy to fill up... Then again, who says you cant cut one, and get the old hot glue out and put your own lid on it bit DIY but it gets the job done I suppose.

The bottles have a special valve to match up with the gun and appear to have it stuck into the bottle top.

Granted it would be cheaper to mix your own 'feed' but time is money - in saying that, I've got a bottle that's nearly empty so I'll have another look and see if there's a Plan B solution.

Just buy a Gilmour (if you haven't got a PW) - http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/gilmour-foamaster-ii-pro-foam-gun-and-free-1-litre-snow-fo.php

Couldn't you just drill a hole near the top to fill and then put a bung in?

Was in B&Q today, looks like they have another product very similar to the liquafeed called the "feeder" its slightly cheaper but I don't know if it does the same job, so stuck with what I know works.

Just buy a Gilmour (if you haven't got a PW) - http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/gilmour-foamaster-ii-pro-foam-gun-and-free-1-litre-snow-fo.php

Looks impressive but I dont have £50 to spare, this should be under a tenner to get working and should do the same job.. with three spray patterns!! haha.

Couldn't you just drill a hole near the top to fill and then put a bung in?

I was thinking that, but it might scoosh out the top. Once this bottle is empty (went out today and bought one) I'm going to cut the bottom off the bottle, glue and tape the top of a coke bottle on the top for a ghetto lid so I can fill it up while its still connected up the the gun. Basically a bottle with a hole at each end. Very blue peter but I like mucking about with things so hopefully it works. Will get back to this topic once I've got it all modded haha.

Edited 3 June, 201016 yr by apmaman

I use a car wash 'n' wax spray thing I picked up in Aldi/Lidl a couple of years ago. You plug your hosepipe in and you can switch it between foam and just water. I use Valet Pro PH neutral snow foam in it and it produces a decent enough foam.

OK the foam isn't 2 inches thick like you'd get with a lance and pressure washer but it does the job, and at the end of the day it's really only the foam that's in contact with the paint/dirt thats going to do any good. Although I can appreciate how much fun it would be producing great big layers of foam .

OK the foam isn't 2 inches thick like you'd get with a lance and pressure washer but it does the job, and at the end of the day it's really only the foam that's in contact with the paint/dirt thats going to do any good.

The foam gives the chemical weight and cling (through surface tension), so it sits on the surface longer and it drags dirt particles downwards as it dwells.

Ideally, you don't want a foam, you want a gel (they are widely available in industrial cleaning). The single massive advantage of the foam is you can see where you've applied it.

The foam gives the chemical weight and cling (through surface tension), so it sits on the surface longer and it drags dirt particles downwards as it dwells.

Ideally, you don't want a foam, you want a gel (they are widely available in industrial cleaning). The single massive advantage of the foam is you can see where you've applied it.

Which is why I assume they say to use two coatings? First one soaks all the dirt and grime, blast it off then the next gives that protection and deep clean that we all want.

So I done it and.....

IT WORKS!!

All be it terribly

Theres a light foaming action inside the gun which produces a very, and I mean, very light amount suds on the car, and only when its on the "jet" selection. Mind you its better than a bucket and sponge but unless you already have one of these I wouldn't bother.

I think the reason for this is the gun has a built in valve which means only so much shampoo can get in and its just not enough. I assume it's been set so you dont over load your plants with plant food and I have a fairly poor outside tap, those two combined means its a 3/10

Then again it means I now have reason, in my head at least, to get a pressure washer and a foam lance! PlusI dont have to buy bottles for it ever again, just top it up with water based plant food instead of special bottles which is always a good thing.

So I think I deserve my blue peter badge for that!

I have wondered about using one of these garden plant feeders, I'm sure my mums got one in her shead. However I didn't know if it would work as the dilution rate and sprey nozzel (not mixing with air) may be wrong so it would not work. I don't have a pressure washer and that Gilmour thing looks expensive.

Am I right in saying Snow foam is not used only to wash your car, but used as a 'pre-wash'? So only usefull to remove the ash fallout before you wash and would scratch the paintwork.

Edited 11 June, 201015 yr by Jim H

I've used the foam bottle on my pressure washer, and as I've stated above, a wash/foam mixer connected to my hose pipe and TBH I cant see any difference.

A pre wash soak with either a foam lance or foam mixer, followed by a blast off with the pressure washer will produce virtually identical results.

At the end of the day you're going to wash the car anyway - it just depends if you want to kid yourself that giving the car 3 inches of foam on top of it makes a difference to how it looks when you've finished washing it.

Your choice - I've chosen to spend my pennies on something different to a foam lance, and I'm very much a VFM person.

Edited 12 June, 201015 yr by KR MAN

I've used the foam bottle on my pressure washer, and as I've stated above, a wash/foam mixer connected to my hose pipe and TBH I cant see any difference.

A pre wash soak with either a foam lance or foam mixer, followed by a blast off with the pressure washer will produce virtually identical results.

At the end of the day you're going to wash the car anyway - it just depends if you want to kid yourself that giving the car 3 inches of foam on top of it makes a difference to how it looks when you've finished washing it.

Your choice - I've chosen to spend my pennies on something different to a foam lance, and I'm very much a VFM person.

Completely agree with you here mate, I don't use my snow foam lance on my own car anyway to wash it, complete waste of time, 2BM for me and I am happy...........