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Can I make my own Screen Wash?

Which is the best TFR for the money?

Which is the best Shampoo?

What dilution rate should I use?

Why won’t my Pressure Washer make pressure...?

Ask-Albert.co.uk  is the vehicle cleaning products advice and tips resource.

Here you will find advice on Cleaning Chemicals, Accessories and Cleaning Equipment including Pressure Washers, Buffing Equipment etc...

If you can’t find the info you need from our previous asks, then feel free to contact Albert HERE

LATEST QUESTIONS...

MAKE OUR OWN SCREEN WASH

Question “Hi Albert, We run a small Skip Hire Firm and we are getting through loads of Screen Wash. Can we make our own Screen Wash as we are paying a fortune keep nipping down to Halfords” Phil, Leicestershire

Answer “Hi Phil, yep it’s that time of year again when we need to keep the old Screen Wash reservoir topped up... Firstly in a word you can’t LEGALLY make your own screenwash in any quantity (especially for commercial use) as 1. You need a license to handle flammable chemicals (the main ingredient in Screen Wash is highly flammable) and 2. By the time you have bought the materials (in the relatively small quantities compare to Screen Wash Chemical Manufacturers use) / mixing tank etc you won’t be any better off. In truth, Halfords isn’t really the option you should be going down... If you are using more than 25 Litres a month you should be buying from a Trade supplier. A good site for Screen Wash with plenty of special offers is www.screenwash-direct.co.uk These guys supply Screen Wash to trade users via Mail Order in 25, 205 and 1,000 Litre containers.  Cheers, Albert

find more info on Cleaning CHEMICALS here

PRESSURE WASHER FREEZING

Q “Hi Albert, How can I stop my Pressure Washer from

freezing” Johnny, Dumfries

A “Hi Johnny... The only way to stop a pressure washer

freezing is to drain all the water out of the system.

You didn’t say if it was a Cold or Hot/Steam Cleaner

you have but Hot Water machines can be a little more t

ricky sometimes to drain. Check out

www.uk-pressure-washer.co.uk for tips and advice on

Winterising Pressure Washer Cleaning Equipment

ALBERT

find more info on Cleaning EQUIPMENT here

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DOES WATERLESS CAR WASH REALLY WORK?

Q “Do Waterless Car Wash Products really work - I have read loads about them on the net but frightened they will scratch my paintwork” Jay, Derbyshire

A “Hi Jay... There are now loads of Waterless Car Cleaning products on the market and YES they do work.. HOWEVER... A WORD OF WARNING.. Only use a very high quality Waterless as there are many inferior products that may scratch your paintwork and ALWAYS use a microfibre cloth. In our opinion Waterless products are great but they have their limitations (ie you can’t remove caked on dirt, you still need to use good old-fashiomed water!) The best Waterless Wash & Wax we have used is DryShine. It is by far the best quality we tested and the results are pretty amazing as it contains very high levels of Natural Carnauba Wax. Check it out at www.dryshine.co.uk ALBERT

WHAT IS THE BEST TRAFFIC FILM REMOVER FOR THE MONEY?

Q. “I run a small haulage company and times are tight what with fuel costs, tax etc... My problem is that my drivers get through Traffic Film Remover like it’s going out of fashion, especially this time of year (winter). I know I can buy cheap TFR’s as we have tried them but they are crap and just diluted with water... What is the best ‘cost in use’ traffic film remover?” Mick, Barnsley

Albert says “.. Yes Mick, the age old argument.. The cheaper the TFR the weaker it is and the more your drivers use!! Have you considered using Hyper Concentrate Traffic Film Remover? This is a TFR PRE-MIX that you mix with water yourself and because the suppliers aren’t transporting water around and it comes in smaller containers.. A 20 Litre container makes a high quality 205 litre of TFR for about 70 quid... Not only does it save space, it works out nearly half the price of pre-diluted TFR. Not many companies sell this as it is a bit of a ‘trade secret’ but a good site for buying Hyper Concentrate is www.trukwash.co.uk

find more info on Cleaning CHEMICALS here

FLATTENED / DULL PAINTWORK

Q “Albert, I’ve noticed that our fleet of trucks and vans are losing their shine. We use a Karcher hot water pressure washer (turned to full heat) and ********* Traffic Film Remover. What are we doing wrong?” JD, Northampton.

Firstly, turn the heat on your Karcher DOWN... the max temperature setting on a pressure washer is for degreasing chassis and engines, not for cleaning paintwork. Secondly, how long are you leaving the TFR on before you wash... In the case of the TFR you are using it has fairly high levels of Caustics (yep the stuff that strips doors!!) and leaving it on too long or even leaving it to dry will flatten paintwork. Although you might want to consider using a Wash and Wax product AFTER Washing with TFR (dependent on the size of the trucks), an alternative to your current Traffic Film Remover with a TFR with Added Wax. Try www.uktruckwashsupplies.co.uk You can buy a comprehensive range of Traffic Film Removers with Added Wax.

DASHBOARD TOO SHINY

Q “Big fan of your site Albert... I like to keep my small fleet of removal trucks in tip-top condition, inside and out as, sometimes our clients ride along to their new homes. My problem is our dashboards are TOO shiny. I use ********** from ******** at the moment and the sun reflects off the dash and nearly blinds my drivers.. What would you recommend?”

Andy, Dorset

Well Andy, this sounds like a classic case of the old Silicone Dash Aerosol strikes again... There are many dashboard cleaners now that offer a ‘silk’ finish. The most economical way is to buy a 5 litre bulk container and trigger spray the product on... A quick wipe over and the dash looks like new without the GLARE. Try UnoChem’s  Dashboard Renovator in their Car Valeting Range.... They do a Silk and Gloss finish for those that like the shiny finish. www.uno-chem.co.uk

BEST GENERAL PURPOSE CLEANER

Q “I know there are loads of different hard surface cleaners that I can use inside my vehicles.. I should know I have tried loads of different ones over the years... Can you recommend one that is a true multi-task cleaner as a lot can only be used on certain surfaces. Ideally I’d like to be able to clean my fleet of vans and cars with just one interior cleaner.

Joe, Manchester

Joe, have you tried Citro1.. This is a citrus based all-purpose cleaner and can be used on all surfaces including Plastics, Leather, Vynils etc, so safe to use in vehicle exteriors. Citro1 comes in concentrate format but can be diluted down from 1:1 to 200:1 for light soiling making it extremely cheap to use. www.citro1.co.uk

TFR.. SPRAY-ON OR THROUGH PRESSURE WASHER?

Q “Hi Albert.. I recently went through my local Hand Car Wash (yeah I know was being idle but I was off to the mother-in-laws for Sunday Dinner!!) and noticed that they spray the TFR cleaner on with a pump sprayer rather than how we do it through our pressure washer... I asked the fella what he put in the sprayer and he said just normal TFR diluted down... Is this the best way to use TFR?” Sam, Newark

A. In a word Sam, YES it is probably the best and most cost effective way to clean vehicles (and Hand Car Wash fella’s should know.. They need to kep costs to a minimum... But theres one exception.. You didn’t say what you are cleaning... Great for cars, vans (up to transit size) but anything bigger than that and you would be struggling height wise. A lot of people still use TFR through their pressure washer but it can produce a lot of waste and money ain’t for throwin down the drain as my old man used to say!