There was a day when we all just grabbed a bottle of dish soap and went to work on our cars but those days are long gone.

Dish soap is designed to eat away grease and food oils and works great for that purpose but we need to keep all that in the kitchen! The same attributes that work so well at dissolving grease on pots and pans cause it to wreak havoc on car wax, plastic moldings and can even dry out your rubber seals!

Some of the factors that establish a great car wash shampoo are foaming ability, lubricity or slickness, ph, concentration, gentleness, and even gloss enhancers. All of these factors, and the care and skill of the manufacturer, contribute to why various car shampoos cost more than others.

Modern high quality car wash shampoos clean a car’s exterior surface and enhance the gloss as it leaves the underlying car wax, protectant or sealant intact. Cheap “no name” bulk clearance store soaps lack many of the refinements of the more “boutique” line of products. High-end car wash shampoos tend to cost a little more but they are also more concentrated, for if you do the math, you will find that you are actually getting a better deal with the higher quality car wash shampoo.