Snow Foam...which way?

[mandp]

When you snow foam your car do you do it `top down` or `bottom up`?

The reason I ask is that I always do it `top down` because that just seems obvious and sensible. But I've seen a number of video clips by professional detailers and some of them do it bottom up.

I wonder why.

What say you?

[NJRJ]

Dirtiest bit is at the bottom so gets to soak longer?

[mandp]

4 minutes ago, NJRJ said:

Dirtiest bit is at the bottom so gets to soak longer?

Yeah maybe that's it.

Edited 26 July, 2020 by mandp

[Wardy]

Could be dwell time I guess. If you've seen it in a YouTube video or something Mike, stick a comment in asking - see what comes back  

Personally, I go from top to bottom.

[andy2407]

As well as the top or bottom first debate there seems to be mixed answers on whether to foam a dry car or rinse first. What are peoples views on this? 

[UndertheRadar]

I hose down first. Then pre clean spray and Hose down again. Then snow foam and deal with badges and shut lines, grilles etc using detail brush. Hose everything off and snow foam again and wash car two buckets with snow foam still on. 

Edited 15 August, 2020 by UndertheRadar
Spelling mistake

[SC03OTT]

1 hour ago, andy2407 said:

As well as the top or bottom first debate there seems to be mixed answers on whether to foam a dry car or rinse first. What are peoples views on this? 

Snow foam dry for me. Rinsing first means the foam hits a lubricated surface and runs off faster.  That’s my take anyway. 
 

The above does depend on how dirty the car is. If there are large chunks of mud, then yeah rinse first. 

[mandp]

4 hours ago, andy2407 said:

As well as the top or bottom first debate there seems to be mixed answers on whether to foam a dry car or rinse first. What are peoples views on this? 

I wondered about this for quite some time.

Because my car doesn't get used much and therefore not that dirty, I tend to give it a quick (less than half bottle) going over on the DRY car.

Rinse that off and snow-foam again (with the remainder in the bottle) onto the WET car.

The car is fairly clean now and I can either move on to the TBM or sometimes I'll just use the lance again but this time with shampoo in the bottle.

I'll spray a couple of panels and then wash with a wet mitt / pad and go around the car like that. Not bothering with any buckets at all. A much quicker method that.

Edited 15 August, 2020 by mandp

[labman1001]

On 15 August 2020 at 10:52, SC03OTT said:

Snow foam dry for me. Rinsing first means the foam hits a lubricated surface and runs off faster.  That’s my take anyway. 
 

The above does depend on how dirty the car is. If there are large chunks of mud, then yeah rinse first. 

 

 

I've never understood why it would affect how long the snow foam dwells going onto a wet car or a dry car as the snow foam is wetting the car anyway .... I've done both with no difference albeit with Bilt Hamber Snow Foam which doesn'r produce your usual great big shaving foam look 

[ZacDaMan72]

Makes no difference, dwell time is the important bit. You snow foam a car within a minute, it makes little difference doing it top to bottom or vice versa.

 

 

[FatWolfie]

I aways used to be a “top to bottom” man but my valeting guy swears by “bottom to top”.

 

reasons he gives are that if you start at the top, you kind of dilute the foam on the lower bit and half wash it off before you get there.

 

Going bottom to top you “cut through” the foam in its fuller form.

 

Plus if you get broken off you can see where you got to

 

 

[ZacDaMan72]

Again, makes no difference. Using the right product makes a bigger difference than in which direction you foam the car. I did it both ways yesterday and the dirt came off the same on both sides.

[mandp]

According to Kim Adams in Auto Express (Issue 1,683 dated 23-29 June 2021) when rinsing your car after snow foaming you should, quote, `start from the bottom so you can see what you've covered - if you start from the top the foam will wash off`, unquote.

Does that make sense to anyone?

[SC03OTT]

On 03/07/2021 at 16:17, mandp said:

According to Kim Adams in Auto Express (Issue 1,683 dated 23-29 June 2021) when rinsing your car after snow foaming you should, quote, `start from the bottom so you can see what you've covered - if you start from the top the foam will wash off`, unquote.

Does that make sense to anyone?

Yeah.  My car is white though so I never know what’s covered and what’s not anyway 😂