ClintonM3

I am not a hippie. But my wife has been in a naturalpath craze on everything (we drink raw milk). And I must admit, I kinda agree. The garage is like a meth lab. And my 2 year old is eager to help when I am cleaning my cars, and is sad to just keep pushing him away, he doesn't understand at this age.

Anyone has recommendations, tips or experience with using the least amount or no toxic cleaners/ products at all? Anyone make their own?

Anyone tried Eco Touch? Or BMW's Natural Care? The ingridients don't seem too natural to me.

It seems odd that when it comes to wax, every manufacturer is all about natural, 100%, pure this and that. But everything else, not so.

Zurichgnome

Ecotouch is really the only company that has gone after this market in a big way. Fairly limited customer base, I suspect. Most guys here would clean their cars with a panda fur mitt dipped in a mixture of asbestos and plutonium, dried with baby seal fur and wax it with rhino fat if they thought it would make their car look better

One place you might want to look is Jerry Baker -- he does eco-friendlily gardening products that you make/mix at home. I understand that he also has a book or two on other cleaning products you can make at home. Maybe some auto related cleaners there.

ltc

^+1
I don't mind trying to live a green lifestyle where possible and practical, but stay away from my car care products and don't even think about "recycled engine oil"

Marine Blue

When I started cosmetically restoring older cars about 10 years ago I started to really pay attention to the composition of cleaners and how they interacted with the materials of construction on the car. On many occasions I was seeing cars that were cleaned using cleaners which removed protective coatings, reacted with plastics and rubber and eventually caused premature failure or corrosion. I made it a point to minimize the use of heavy cleaners.

So to keep my Spyder looking factory new I use the following products.

Exterior Paint: Pinnacle Crystal Mist or Meguiars Quick Detailer for wiping down the surface. I learned that many quick detailers have large quantities of silicone and I wanted to avoid this. I was using Ultimate Detail from Meguiars and stopped using it when one of the local detailers mentioned it had silicone. I use Carnauba (Pinnacle Souveran) to protect every couple of months. It doesn't have a harsh petroleum smell to it and uses carnauba for protection which is natural and harmless.

Interior/Exterior Vinyl Rubber: I use Griots Vinyl Rubber conditioner for this and I don't apply frequently except on the tires. The trim inside and out gets conditioned after a wash or once every three months. To clean I use a damp microfiber and wipe gently.

Glass: I use my own blend of Isopropyl and Distilled water in a 60/40 Blend. Works great and doesn't attack the surroundings although it does quickly remove plastic conditioners so try not to get it on surrounding areas.

Leather: I wipe my leather frequently with a wet microfiber towel. I use minimal pressure and I do it frequently enough that it maintains an as new appearance. I condition every two/three months depending on how much sun the interior sees.

Carpet: I try to avoid getting the carpet dirty and I roll with a lint roller to remove dirt, dog hair, leaves, bugs etc. I do occasionally vacuum and I wipe stains with water/microfiber immediately. Having a black interior helps.

Wheels: I have never used a wheel cleaner on my Spyder and when it's really dirty I use multiple microfibers and a wheel duster to remove heavy build up first before spraying with a spray wax and wiping clean. I use spray on wax for the wheels instead of quick detailer. I find it has more lubrication than a quick detailer and it leaves the surface slicker so it's easier to clean next time around. This is one area which I wish I had a better method and I continue to try new things. If I have an area that doesn't come clean with the wheel spray wax I will use quick detailer and clay to remove the stain/dirt/tar etc. It's more elbow grease but I don't drive the car that much and I enjoy spending time wiping it down so no big deal really. I don't like wheel cleaners mainly because they seem to attack suspension components and the calipers. Its impossible to avoid spraying these areas from what I've experienced.

Exhaust Tips: Quick detail spray and gently wipe the surface after every drive. They still look new and haven't discolored at all.

Overall my method is more elbow grease and less chemicals for the purpose of preserving my health and preserving the cars appearance.

MoeMistry

The focus has been so much on the environment, that we often forget who is actually using the product.

That's why we started a small company here in Southern California developing a truly all-natural product line geared towards high-end vehicles. These vehicles don't need the same aggressive cleaners and conditioners that are found on many products on the market. For one, the materials used are usually real leather, wood, aluminum, etc. They require much different care than synthetic or faux versions of the same material.

But the added plus to all of this is for health reasons for the user. My father passed away last year due to cancer. That got me thinking that we don't really know what triggers this deadly disorder. So why add more ammo to the sickness when we use products to clean our cars. That's why I enjoy using Lumiere products....that's why I created it

We're slowly developing more products so bare with us. Here are a few product currently available:

http://www.glisteningperfectionstore...ere/Categories

ClintonM3

MoeMistry,

Is the Lumiere Lube a lube only product, use in conjunction with the clay? Or can it be used as a spray quick detailer? Does it remove wax or sealant?


Afshin,

Thanks for the tip. I tried conventional elbow grease and washed my car with just water this past weekend, wasn't too hard. The Spyder gives out a good amount of brake dust, from day 1 I just assumed I needed wheel cleaners (P21s, Sonax). Wheel cleaners I bet is the harshest thing we use.

Here is the ingridients for Eco Touch's wheel cleaner:
Water, readily biodegradable surfactants (for cleaning: lauramine oxide & alcohol-ethoxylates), polishing agents (for shine: mineral oil), citric acid (pH adjuster), preservative (less than .05%).

What do you guys make of that?

The product I use the most often is spray detailer (griots). Then Car wash and wheel cleaners. So I will switch out of these products first.

Marine Blue

Clinton,

Technically you don't need to wash the car unless it's been rained on or driven on wet/muddy roads. Road dust can be removed with a California Duster followed by quick detail and microfiber. Wheels can be cleaned while dry, just gently remove the dust using an old microfiber and then follow up with either quick detail spray and microfiber or spray wax and microfiber.

I have driven my Spyder nearly 3000 miles this summer and I have only washed it once. Having judged many concours over the years I can say that the car looks as good or better than it did the day I received it from the dealer. The suspension and wheel wells do have some accumulated road dust but not bad. Wheel wells and suspension are surprisingly resilient if chemicals aren't used.

Let me know if you are planning on going on the drive coming up in Newport at the end of October. I think it would be fun to sit down and talk about detailing the cars either before or after the fun run.

MoeMistry

Lumiere Lube is a unique product developed just for the clay. It's not a detail spray and it doesn't remove wax. It's just a simple and effective lubricant allowing the clay to glide properly without scratching the paint.

We found most detail sprays hindered the ability of the clay to properly and effectively remove embedded materials on the paint surface.

No HTwo O

Moe, sorry about your dad.

Great looking product package design. Great name. Good job.

MoeMistry

Thank you Sir

It would have been nice for him to see this project reach maturity...but I know he's watching.

Lumiere is a product line really made for the automotive enthusiast. It encompasses some very important traits in every Lumiere product: quality, performance, design, and function. Even the name took time and it has a special meaning to me.

You'll hear more about it as we evolve and get into the right hands. It's been an enjoyable process and I'm very happy I'm at a time and place to finally do it.