Biodegradable washes??

[mgray]

I'd like to know what the main differences are between the 3 lines of products? Right now I'm mainly trying to decide on a washing product, but I'm unsure of which is best for me. I really like what I read about the "Deatailer" line "Shampoo Plus". Mainly because it is biodegradable. But what are the main differences between it and the consumer line? Why doesn't the consumer line carry it?

If someone could please just tell me the fundemental differences between the 3 lines and also if that "Shampoo Plus" is a good wash.

Someone said here that all Meguiar's washes are biodegradable...but why doesn't it say so on the product info?? The only ones to say it are the ones listed above. I can't think the EPS and synthetic washes are biodegradable??

Thanks

[Jeepster04]

Re: Biodegradable washes??

The different lines are for different needs. The D-line comes in gallon size containers and even bigger if its needed. Thats more for a fast past shop thats needs a good cost-to-product ratio.

I got a 12oz sample of shampoo plus from ADS and loved it. I also tried out the hyper wash but didnt like it much at all.

[roushstage2]

Re: Biodegradable washes??

This was the response to your question in the other thread:

All Meguiar's car washes are biodegradable, the problem isn't usually the car wash it's the gunk you wash off your car that's not always biodegradable.

Make sense?

Here's a list of all our car washes for automotive uses...

NXT Generation® Car Wash
Deep Crystal® Car Wash
Soft Wash Gel
Gold Class™ Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner
#00 Hi-Tech Wash
#62 Carwash Shampoo & Conditioner
D110 Hyper-Wash
D111 Shampoo Plus



They're all great washes as compared to dish washing soap.

The Detailer Line offers products made for high volume detailers. An item such as 128oz. of Hyper Wash that is dilutable 400:1 sure is cheaper in the long run than a 128 bottle of wash that cannot be diluted. You can also buy them in a 5 gallon size too (640oz.).

The Consumer Line is made for the average Joe to be able to walk into a store, buy a product that is ready to use, and go. Can you imagine the trouble that most people would have trying to dilute something 400:1 to wash their car? Most people don't even use the 1oz. to 1 gal. of water to wash the car.

The Mirror Glaze line is focused at body shops where certain chemicals cannot be introduced to the paint surface, etc.

Shampoo Plus seems to me to be closest to Gold Class wash, which is my favorite Consumer wash. I haven't bought any of the Detailer or Mirror Glaze line since I can just walk into a store 10 minutes away from me and buy a Consumer Line wash instead of having to order it and wait.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Biodegradable washes??

Someone said here that all Meguiar's washes are biodegradable...but why doesn't it say so on the product info?? The only ones to say it are the ones listed above. I can't think the EPS and synthetic washes are biodegradable??

Thanks

That someone was myself...


What are you working on?
What are your car care goals?

Looking forward to your answers.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Biodegradable washes??

I just started using my shampoo plus this week. I liked it a lot.It seemed to work just as well as the Gold Class. I like it a lot.

[yalerd]

Re: Biodegradable washes??

I just started using my shampoo plus this week.

I started using it this month and personally I think it's better than Gold Glass.
It leaves the paint awesome and it rinses off extremely well.

[Mary S]

Re: Biodegradable washes??

Hi, I was looking for information on what it meant for a car wash to be biodegradable. I think the storm sewers in our area drain into our neighborhood lake though I am not 100% sure if that is true. Anyway, to be sure, when I am finished, I always take my wash bucket inside and dump it in the toilet, because it has 5 fluid ounces of soap in it. I wanted to do the safest thing I know how to do.

I am using Gold Class shampoo. So what exactly does biodegradable mean in the case of these soaps. Would it be safe to dump it out and let it run off into the storm sewers if it would end up in a lake, or to dump it out onto the lawn?

[Murr1525]

Re: Biodegradable washes??

The grass is certainly green behind where I wash my car...

[TOGWT]

Re: Biodegradable washes??

[Hi, I was looking for information on what it meant for a car wash to be biodegradable. I think the storm sewers in our area drain into our neighborhood lake though I am not 100% sure if that is true. Anyway, to be sure, when I am finished, I always take my wash bucket inside and dump it in the toilet, because it has 5 fluid ounces of soap in it. I wanted to do the safest thing I know how to do.] Marki

Biodegradable:

[: generally organic material such as plant and animal matter and other substances originating from living organisms, or artificial materials that are similar enough to plant and animal matter to be put to use by micro-organisms] Wikipedia

Of all the environmental buzzwords, biodegradable has perhaps been the most misused and is perhaps the most difficult to understand. Because in the past there have been no guidelines or regulations, many products have called themselves biodegradable without any real justification.

Unfortunately, the word biodegradable has frequently been applied to products that generally aren't (such as detergents or plastics) and almost never used for products that really are (such as soap or paper).

A biodegradable product [:has the ability to break down, safely and relatively quickly, by biological means, into the raw materials of nature and disappear into the environment ] These products can be solids biodegrading into the soil (which we also refer to as compost able), or liquids biodegrading into water. Products labelled "biodegradable" cannot be legally released into storm water drains.

Environmentally friendly

[: means that the product does not contain toxins or carcinogenic components as defined by the various government agencies] however, many synthetic organic chemicals don't occur in nature and no natural enzymes exist to break them down. As a result, many petrochemicals remain in the environment for a long time and, because some are also extremely toxic, that means they cause serious problems

Notes

1. Any car care products used to clean dirt / road oil, etc from vehicle surfaces are not biodegradable nor environmentally safe
2. You should never assume that aqueous solutions can be disposed of untreated via the storm drainage system. Pending regulations are in place (Clean Water Act and Ground Water Pollution) to limit the amount of contaminated water that is allowed to be discharged into storm water systems (i.e. street vehicle washing)

[Mary S]

Re: Biodegradable washes??

Unfortunately, the word biodegradable has frequently been applied to products that generally aren't (such as detergents or plastics) and almost never used for products that really are (such as soap or paper).

I am confused, though, because I understood that at least the Meguiars car washes were not detergents, detergents being one of those bad things that is in automatic car washes or dishwashing liquid. Maybe they fall in the category of soaps but not sure what the definition of that is.

[Mary S]

Re: Biodegradable washes??

Well I have to admit, doing research on this subject turns what I thought I knew about this subject on its head. So what makes a detergent is it is synthetic. What makes a soap is that it is made of lye and animal fat.

I am going to go on the assumption that Shampoo Plus and Hyper Wash are the only biodegradeable washes out of the Meguiars car soaps because that is what the description says.

And I'm going to continue to dispose of soapy wash and rinse water in the indoor sewer.

There were recommendations that you are better to wash your car on your lawn than on your driveway where the soap will run off into the storm sewers. Maybe that is what I will start doing.

[TOGWT]

Re: Biodegradable washes??

CliffNotes® Version

Detergent

Sometimes the word detergent is used to distinguish a synthetic cleaning agent from soap. The chemical reacts with hydrocarbons derived from petroleum or fats and oils to produce new acids similar to fatty acids. A second reaction adds an alkali to the new acids to produce one type of anionic surfactant molecule.

First converting the hydrocarbon to an alcohol and then react with the fatty alcohol with ethylene oxide produce non-ionic surfactants non-ionic surfactant molecules. These non-ionic surfactants can be reacted further with sulphur containing acids to form another type of anionic surfactant.

How Soaps and Detergents work

Surfactants work at the boundary layer (the interface) between the soil and the solvent. Each surfactant molecule has two chemical groups; one that is attracted to water (the hydrophilic) and one that is attracted to soil (the hydrophobic).These types of energy interact and should be in proper balance.

Let's look at how they work together. Let's assume we have oily, greasy soil on a surface. Water alone will not remove this soil. One important reason is that oil and grease present in soil repel the water molecules. Now let's add soap or detergent. The surfactant's water-hating end (hydrophobic) is repelled by water but attracted to the oil in the soil. At the same time, the water-loving end (hydrophilic) is attracted to the water molecules.

These opposing forces loosen the soil and suspend it in the water. Warm or hot water helps dissolve grease and oil in soil; friction helps pull the soil free.

An extract from "Basic Soap and Detergent Chemistry" one of a series of unbiased Detailing Technical Papers, a library of educational materials that has become the #1 reference for car care on the Internet

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