Attracts dust

[EPHIOS]

Is it true that a waxed-paint attracts more dusts (and everything else), than a paint that has no wax?

[kimchiyuk]

Re: Attracts dust

Just from experience, I would say the opposite is true. Nicely prepared, waxed finish seems like there would be less for dust to "hold" on to than a neglected finish, or even just unwaxed for that matter.

[zaidgreat]

Re: Attracts dust

A 'properly prepped'
waxed-paint will definitely attract less dust than a non waxed-paint IME.
Static/non static aside....

[fredcandetail]

Re: Attracts dust

i couldnt confirm for sure but i will say that the dust gods are certainly against me everytime i was and wax ... i can literally go around the corner and get dusty ... im sure it is becuase i car is black and the finish is super ckear and super deep that any flick of dust stands out ... but o-well IT IS WHAT IT IS

[davey g-force]

Re: Attracts dust

I used to think that wax had no effect on dust attraction until recently.

Last September, we had a severe dust storm here (not a common occurence btw) which was generated 100's of kilometers away in the country through a combination of very hot, dry conditions and strong winds. Absolutely everything was coated in dust, including my car - even though it was parked in an undercover car park at work.

The previous weekend, I had done some paint correction to just the hood, and due to time restrictions, I waxed ONLY the hood and the front fenders with NXT 2.0.

As the below photo illustrates, there is clearly more dust on the freshly waxed area than the rest of the car.



This leads me to believe that freshly waxed surfaces indeed do attract more dust.

BTW that was easily the dirtiest my car has ever been and at the risk of going a bit off topic, here are a couple of pics inside the garage, after a wash and fresh wax:





And at the risk of going REALLY off topic, here is a pic of the dust storm in full flight over our fine Sydney Harbour Bridge.



Pretty eerie huh?

[scottphys]

Re: Attracts dust

It seems I notice more stuff on my paint. Maybe because of the shine/gloss.

Also keep in mind that most people start waxing again in spring when some places have pollen issues. Pollen gets all over my car for several weeks. That drives me up the wall!!!

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Attracts dust

I've done a lot of wax testing where a horizontal panel is stripped bare and then only taped off sections of paint were waxed or sealed with the paint sealant and in each case, the sections that are waxed or have a paint sealant applied to them attract the most dust.

This happened with EVERY wax or paint sealant I tested, not just specific brands.

Part of the reason could be the act of rubbing the paint creates a static charge to the paint.

[EPHIOS]

Re: Attracts dust

I've done a lot of wax testing where a horizontal panel is stripped bare and then only taped off sections of paint were waxed or sealed with the paint sealant and in each case, the sections that are waxed or have a paint sealant applied to them attract the most dust.

This happened with EVERY wax or paint sealant I tested, not just specific brands.

Part of the reason could be the act of rubbing the paint creates a static charge to the paint.

For some time, I thought I was crazy! I told myself, "Why would I put something on my paint, that attracts dusts?" I have tried many different waxes on the past, including TechWax, Mothers Synwax, EO NanoWax, Meguiars Cleaner Wax, and (of course) TechWax 2.0. They do ALL attract dusts. Thank you, Mike, for clearing it up.

One more thing...

I read somewhere that a company (CG) is claiming that their waxes and quick detailers are ANTI-STATIC. Is this possible for these products?

[EPHIOS]

Re: Attracts dust

I used to think that wax had no effect on dust attraction until recently.

Last September, we had a severe dust storm here (not a common occurence btw) which was generated 100's of kilometers away in the country through a combination of very hot, dry conditions and strong winds. Absolutely everything was coated in dust, including my car - even though it was parked in an undercover car park at work.

The previous weekend, I had done some paint correction to just the hood, and due to time restrictions, I waxed ONLY the hood and the front fenders with NXT 2.0.

As the below photo illustrates, there is clearly more dust on the freshly waxed area than the rest of the car.



This leads me to believe that freshly waxed surfaces indeed do attract more dust.

BTW that was easily the dirtiest my car has ever been and at the risk of going a bit off topic, here are a couple of pics inside the garage, after a wash and fresh wax:





And at the risk of going REALLY off topic, here is a pic of the dust storm in full flight over our fine Sydney Harbour Bridge.



Pretty eerie huh?

Thank You, for the perfect example!

[Lasthope05]

Re: Attracts dust

The anti-static products do work. I have FK 425 and FK146 and there is a noticeable difference in dust attraction. I believe the main contributor to dust attraction is the action of buffing the paint with a microfiber towel. That motion creates the static field on your car much like rubbing a balloon against your hair.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Attracts dust

The anti-static products do work. I have FK 425 and FK146 and there is a noticeable difference in dust attraction. I believe the main contributor to dust attraction is the action of buffing the paint with a microfiber towel. That motion creates the static field on your car much like rubbing a balloon against your hair.

When you did your test did you apply to the entire surface? Or only a dedicated taped off section. That's how I did all of my testing and every product I've ever tested always shows a dramatic dust accumulation as compared to "bare" paint surrounding it. By bare paint I mean the paint has been chemically stripped so there's nothing on it at all.

Once the panel is stripped to a clean base, then you have a "control" to which to test against. Otherwise your testing will be skewed. Also, if you apply a product to the entire panel, how can you tell if there's any difference in dust accumulation? The answer is you can't.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Attracts dust

I read somewhere that a company (CG) is claiming that their waxes and quick detailers are ANTI-STATIC. Is this possible for these products?

I talked to a chemist about this and they said that even if you make a product anti-static, (that's a good thing), the dust in the air has it's own static charge and there's now practical way to remove the static in all the dust floating around.

I've also been told that modern clear coat paints, the resin itself is prone to having its own static charge so you're always going to have that working against you.

At the end of the day, the choice comes down to,

1) Apply a wax or paint sealant to protect the paint and create beauty, (that's two things)

2) Leave the paint unprotected to help prevent dust accumulation

I think most people will accept the dust accumulation for the layer of protection and the beauty aspect.

There's actually a number of threads on this topic on this forum if someone can do the sleuthing to locate them...

[Lasthope05]

Re: Attracts dust

When you did your test did you apply to the entire surface? Or only a dedicated taped off section. That's how I did all of my testing and every product I've ever tested always shows a dramatic dust accumulation as compared to "bare" paint surrounding it. By bare paint I mean the paint has been chemically stripped so there's nothing on it at all.

Once the panel is stripped to a clean base, then you have a "control" to which to test against. Otherwise your testing will be skewed. Also, if you apply a product to the entire panel, how can you tell if there's any difference in dust accumulation? The answer is you can't.

Yup Yup. I did have a control. I waxed the entire trunk and stripped a portion of it bare. The left side is just wax , the "control" was left alone, and to the right applied FK 146 on top of the wax. The results I found was the dust attraction was similar across the board but it was the repellency that was different. The FK156 and control both released more dust with a simple blow than the just waxed side.


This was additional unexpected data I collected when I was doing a durability test on a wax.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Attracts dust

The FK156 and control both released more dust with a simple blow than the just waxed side.

Ah... the details left out of the first post...

Thanks for filling in the rest of the details...

Sounds like you have it handled. Keep up the good work!

[davey g-force]

Re: Attracts dust

My theory is that wax, sealant or any product designed to leave a layer on your paint does so by electrostatic charge. i.e. the product becomes electrostatically charged in order to bond to the paint.

The more durable a wax is, the higher its static charge, with the downside being more dust attraction.

Can anyone confirm this?