August 2nd, 2018 by Chris Chapman

If you want your car to look nice and shiny, you don’t need us to tell you that there are a huge range of products out there that can help you do just that. We stock many of them on our website, after all! There are a lot of factors to consider when you’re looking at cleaning your car, especially if it’s your pride and joy that you use for car shows or Sunday drives. One of these factors is the pH level of the car cleaning products you’re using. You’ve probably seen the words ‘pH neutral’ thrown around a lot, but unless you’re a fan of chemistry, they might not mean a lot to you. So what does the pH level of your car shampoo mean and how does it affect you? Read on for our jargon-free guide to pH neutral car products.

What Does pH Mean?

pH is commonly measured using these coloured testing kits pH is how we measure how acidic or alkaline something is. It’s measured on a scale of 0-14 where 0 is the most acidic, 14 is the most alkaline, and slap bang in the middle on 7 is what’s known as pH neutral.

Why Does pH Matter for My Car?

Car paintwork can be tricky to deal with if you don’t know what you’re doing. It’s softer than most other paints and has a variety of coatings and sealants that stop it from getting scratched while you’re out driving. pH neutral car cleaning products, such as pre-wash snow foam or wash and wax shampoo, won’t affect these pre-existing layers of wax and sealant that protect your car as they’re chemically neutral and gentle. Not all car cleaning products are pH neutral, though; some are alkaline.

So Are Alkaline Car Cleaning Products Bad?

Regular snow foam is only mildly alkaline so won't damage your car's sealant No! The benefits of alkaline cleaning products are that they offer a deeper clean, so you might find they remove dirt a little more effectively than pH neutral products. Some professional grade cleaning products are highly alkaline and can be quite caustic, but most commercial cleaning products – such as the non-pH neutral cleaning products on our site – won’t have this effect. In truth, most mildly alkaline car snow foams and shampoos won’t affect your car’s paintwork in any noticeable way anyway, especially if you treat your car to a proper wash and wax afterwards.

Which Cleaning Products Are Best for My Car?

That depends on what you’re doing. If you want to make sure your car’s finish is protected, or if your car is especially valuable to you, you might want to use a gentler pH neutral snow foam. If your car is covered in stubbornly dried-on dirt, a regular snow foam pre-wash followed by a wash and wax will be more effective at breaking down the dirt.

Can I Use pH Neutral Snow Foam on My Convertible Soft Top Then?

Soft tops require some special cleaning If you’ve got a soft-top, using regular snow foam and car shampoo on it isn’t recommended. It won’t hurt if you splash a little bit on it, but pH neutral or not, you shouldn’t be coating your soft roof in regular car cleaning products! Use some proper soft-top cleaner to get rid of dirt, mould, or bird droppings that can tend to form on your hood.

I’m Using pH Neutral Snow Foam but My Car’s Paintwork is Still Damaged…

pH neutral snow foam won’t ever damage your car’s paintwork on its own – in fact, neither will regular snow foam, either! A common problem people have when cleaning their cars is that they stand too close when using a pressure washer. It doesn’t matter how gentle your cleaning products are, if you blast them onto your paintwork from too close a range it’ll cause damage! Another common problem is when people use dirty water to wash their car. Using water that has a lot of dirt and grit in it can scratch your paintwork, so be careful if you’re using a pressure washer or doing a contact wash.