A bloke up the road uses Snow Foam (with Wax) to clean his car and caravan,

I have not seen it in action, and don't know him well enough to ask about costs.

Does it work well? and what does it cost? as far as I can see you need a

Snow Foam "lance" and liquid, anything else.

Why would you foam with wax? The car's dirty and you'll be washing it after foaming anyway.

 

Foaming's just supposed to emulsify and try and get rid of some of dirt before pressure washing and washing with a wash mitt.

I'd suggest asking in the deatiling / car care section as a lot of non-Yeti owning Briskoda members do this.

I'd suggest asking in the deatiling / car care section as a lot of non-Yeti owning Briskoda members do this.

 

As well as some Yeti owning members too.

 

Snow foam works just as well on Snow Monsters.

 

Couple of things worth a google are Autobrite HD Snow Foam Lance, Autobrite Magifoam and Polishedbliss detailing guide.

 

That'll get the old grey matter working for a start.  On cost, if you have a pressure washer, you'd be looking at spending £40.00 to get a good lance attachment to make the foam and there are deals where you will get your first half litre bottle of snow foam in for free, probably get 15 washes out of the bottle.

I've got one of these http://www.amazon.co.uk/Snow-Foam-Lance-Nilfisk-Autobrite/dp/B00HYY0QJK/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1391785059&sr=8-6&keywords=snow+foam+lance

 

which is pretty good for the price, and although their foam mix is a bit on the costly side it is very good http://www.amazon.co.uk/Snow-Foam-Pre-Wash-Litres-Magifoam/dp/B00GYC2VDW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391785231&sr=8-1&keywords=autobrite+direct

Yes.

Just done mine today, autobrite lance.

Great fun.

Edited 7 February, 201412 yr by servicepoint

As sparkly said yeah you can get a cheap enough pressure washer and a snow foam lance together or but seperate, I use a nilfisk pressure washer and snow foam lance.

Don't worry too much about the pressure washer but take advice from people on here about the foam you use, there are some terrible ones out there.

I have a yeti by the way, it does make the whole cleaning thing a little less work but a lot of time I'd rather just use the 2 bucket method as I can't be assed to set it up half the time.

As for the with wax, I'm guessing you mean he would wax after snow foaming? You can get bogged down with the amount of detail you can go into, I would say if your new to it stick to what you would normally do for your car cleaning routine and if you really fancy giving snow foam a go then go for it, takes a fair bit of work out of it.

Good luck with it.

Any questions just ask, I've learnt a lot of late from people like sparkly and ChrisRs and I intend to keep asking my knowledge is nothing compared to those guys but it's all good fun!

Yes.

Just done mine today, autobrite lance.

Great fun.

Me too!

I couldn't do without my Autobrite foam lances. I can soften the dirt while cleaning the wheels then pressure washer the whole car off, before washing the car with a wash mitt and shampoo.

Check the pH of the "snow foam".

 

Whilst being a bit caustic will help, I don't like using a high pH/high caustic "snow foam".

 

If you can, ask the maker, if you don't know who that is, just badger the reseller till you get an answer.

 

You should be able to have access to the MSDS with no problems.

I'm  a Valeter & Detatailer and always use snow foam to soften the dirt before washing. 

First I pre treat lower third of bodywork with TFR, then steam clean the worst off, then Snow foam and leave to dwell for a few minutes, rinse off foam then wash using 2 bucket method with lambswool wash mits. 

I did it for the first time last weekend, I had my pressure washer repaired and when I was there I bought a Karcher foam nozzle LINK  I filled it with TFR and set too making the yeti look like a big iced cake.

 As it was overcast and cold the foam did not dry out so I left it for ten minutes and then blasted it off, worked really well, finished by washing it with a wash and wax soap and a sponge.

 

 That is it though, I don't go in for all this polishing and waxes etc,

By the way Snow foam lances are a great way of spraying shampoo onto the car as well. They will foam anything up. I just put a bit of shampoo into it with water and spray onto car. I find it makes hand washing just a bit easier as there is already shampoo on the bodywork as well as in your wash bucket.

I did it for the first time last weekend, I had my pressure washer repaired and when I was there I bought a Karcher foam nozzle LINK  I filled it with TFR and set too making the yeti look like a big iced cake.

 As it was overcast and cold the foam did not dry out so I left it for ten minutes and then blasted it off, worked really well, finished by washing it with a wash and wax soap and a sponge.

 

 That is it though, I don't go in for all this polishing and waxes etc,

Just be careful with the TFR. Some are very strong and can damage/discolour rubber, plastic and chrome trim. A good snowfoam or just diluted shampoo is safer in my experience, but everyone has their own method.

TFR/Snow Foam are the same thing, just a different way to market.

 

TFR is sold as a product to dealers, £5 car wash, mobile valeters etc

 

Snow Foam is sold as a product to mobile valeters, general public, boutique shops.

 

As a basic thing, TFR is anything that you use to remove road grime/film, dirt etc from a vehicles paint work and glass.

 

But main thing, enjoy the snow!!!!!

The TFR I use has an added wax, in its neat form it will make the tyres and tarmac run with a brown discolouration. Also if you use a sponge and no glove on your hand it will eat your fingers!

 

 I uses TFR to the first mark in the foam canister and then add water to it, so a ratio of about 6-1, so very diluted.

 

 For tar spots I use a gloved hand and a sponge with neat TFR on directly on the tar spot, just a few gentle rubs, tar disappears and then a thorough rinse, as my Yeti is white tar spots are a abundant.  

TFR/Snow Foam are the same thing, just a different way to market.

 

TFR is sold as a product to dealers, £5 car wash, mobile valeters etc

 

Snow Foam is sold as a product to mobile valeters, general public, boutique shops.

 

As a basic thing, TFR is anything that you use to remove road grime/film, dirt etc from a vehicles paint work and glass.

 

But main thing, enjoy the snow!!!!!

Not wanting an argument but I don't agree. TFR sold to dealers and the £5.00 swirl inducers is non ph neutral aggressive cleaner closer to APC than anything, it's designed to work quick, save time and cost. It's not used the same, I doubt dealers or £5.00 car washes leave the foam to dwell 20 minutes ever.

TFR for me is aggressive, non lsp safe cheap and cheerful designed to strip anything and everything quickly

Snow foam is PH Neutral and should be lsp safe. It is designed for high foam and a long cling/dwell so it can so the job but at the same time being gentler.

I mainly make this point so keen guys on here don't go buying a 5 litre TFR for use as a home snow foam.

The market leader in Snow Foam (going by DW) is very caustic with a pH of 13.5.

 

Hence why you should ask the maker or reseller what the pH is and how caustic it is.

 

Since Snow Foam is a general term, their is no set rule for what it is and what it should be.

 

At the most basic level, its a general trade TFR but with added foam to give it that longer dwell time.

 

So lets look at that market leader (for now) just as an example.

 

Caustic, 13.5 pH (when last tested) with a long dwell time.

 

You foam on and its looking pretty for 30 mins, what is that chemical doing to your rubber, chrome trim, glass, stickers etc while it is sitting looking pretty?

 

The idea of a TFR/Snow Foam is to get it on, get it off with the least amount of contact with the body.

 

Whilst not wishing to start an internet fight (where no-one wins) I think we as a whole need to start taking a bit more time on research of products, how they work and the best way of using them.

 

Detailing (for those not in the trade) is all about a clean car and having fun whilst doing it.

 

If you go on DW, you will see me in the NW section mainly, where we have meets and these conversations are probably better over a coffee and a kranzle.

 

Main thing (and not wanting to take this too far off topic) is find a product, research it and enjoy!

 

Matthew

Not wanting an argument but I don't agree. TFR sold to dealers and the £5.00 swirl inducers is non ph neutral aggressive cleaner closer to APC than anything, it's designed to work quick, save time and cost. It's not used the same, I doubt dealers or £5.00 car washes leave the foam to dwell 20 minutes ever.

TFR for me is aggressive, non lsp safe cheap and cheerful designed to strip anything and everything quickly

Snow foam is PH Neutral and should be lsp safe. It is designed for high foam and a long cling/dwell so it can so the job but at the same time being gentler.

I mainly make this point so keen guys on here don't go buying a 5 litre TFR for use as a home snow foam.

+1. I use Auto smarts TFR  for my job and it certainly is not the same as shampoo. Just getting it on your hands isn't nice. It should be used on the lower half of the car where high build up of traffic film is present. 

I don't know the pH value of many products, but if it says pH neutral....that's enough for me

Valet Pro pH neutral snow foam fits the bill for me and is very effective....one of the best I've used

you should ask the maker or reseller what the pH is and how caustic it is.

Since Snow Foam is a general term, their is no set rule for what it is and what it should be.

Main thing (and not wanting to take this too far off topic) is find a product, research it and enjoy!

Matthew

Just like yourself I really wasn't posting to start a debate or argument.

The above points are bang on the money, know your product, because manufacturers have a lot to answer for with poor product description/naming etc. certainly what is true for one brand may not be so for another. Neither Snowfoam nor TFR have a strict EU definition so point taken.

I don't think I'm in the minority though equating TFR to being a fairly caustic cleaner and that caustic cleaners do degrade LSP's worse than gentler shampoos. However the only way to know is to DYOR and DYOT, which is what most of us enjoy anyway. I have mostly recommended Magifoam on here according to Mark@Autobrite that's PH6-7 so near as makes no difference neutral. What was the DW foam you refer to? Autosmart or maybe VP Citrus Wash?

I am far less active posting on DW because I feel there is too much ego and point proving than sharing of knowledge and helping those with less experience. I find Brisky the opposite and in that vein I'd say I am only a hobby/very amateur detailer, many people know lots more than I and my posting is only done out of enthusiasm.

What's the recommended snow foam?

I've used the autobrite stuff and it was ok but would like to try something else this time, ph neutral.. thinking Ultimate Snow Foam but open to advice and suggestions.

Valet Pro pH Neutral Snow Foam

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/washing-and-drying/valet-pro-ph-neutral-snow-foam/prod_500.html

The Bilt Hamber Auto Foam is great stuff too - http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/washing-and-drying/foam-pre-wash/bilt-hamber-auto-foam/prod_1165.html Non-caustic & wax-friendly. I found the AutoBrite stuff hung around on the drive too long, and the BH foam does just as good a job as the Valet Pro.

BHAF is good Martin, but I found it doesnt hang on the car long enough for me

Valetpro is more economical because I don't need to use as much.