GoClean Waterless Car Wash
$14.99
Available at: Canadian Tire
GoClean is a Mississauga, ON-based company that has come up with a liquid-based cleaning agent that is meant to provide high-quality washing without the need for a bucket or a hose. It's hard to estimate how much H2O it takes to give a vehicle a proper bath, but GoClean reckons that using its product saves as much as 500 litres of water for each wash.
Hence, why it's appropriately called Waterless Car Wash. The bottle of liquid looks a lot like a small jug of orange juice, and the consistency is light and thin, much like most cleaning agents tend to be. Each bottle is just under a litre (946 ml) with a spray nozzle at the top.
GoClean hasn't revealed exactly what it uses in its eco-friendly cleaning concoction, but the label says it's "a proprietary blend of polymers, and natural and organic soaps" and it "protects from UV, rain damage and scratching." It's also versatile enough to clean surfaces like paint, fibreglass, plastic, glass and chrome – basically most surfaces you would find on a vehicle.
One bottle is supposedly good for up to 10 washes, but that seemed like a stretch to me after just two. I was already about a fifth of the way down after washing a four-door compact. Granted, that figure is relative because of the variables involved. How dirty the vehicle is and its size will affect results.
It's implied that the Waterless Car Wash can somewhat substitute for a polish and wax, too. It undoubtedly works in making a car shine again, but it's not going to be an outright replacement for either of those. Still, most drivers, except those who treat their cars like babies, will be more than fine with the results.
What's good is that the product is pretty much idiot-proof. Spray a little of the agent onto a microfibre towel (not included), then spray the area you want to clean. Rub all the dirt away with the towel and then dry it off with a second microfibre towel. Repeat the process over and over again, and you get a clean car. It worked surprisingly well on windows, even when spraying some on a squeegee, but proved a bit of a mixed bag on side mirrors, and the product clearly isn't meant for tires.
GoClean is also right in suggesting that this is a product that can work for dwellers almost anywhere. A suburban homeowner with his or her car in the driveway can just as easily use this as someone living in a condo where the vehicle is always parked underground. And since there's no mess, it's a job requiring little preparation and no cleanup afterward.
That said, buying a few microfibre towels is a good idea because they get dirty quickly. A larger SUV, 4x4 or minivan might even require two towels just for the spray-and-wash portion — never mind the drying part.
But what matters is that GoClean works. It's not ideal for really muddy surfaces, which is where a car wash facility comes in, but it does the job in most cases, and at a price point that's hard to argue with.
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Correction: Microfibre towels are not included with the product. Incorrect information appeared in the story above.