The Best Foam Cannon and Foam Cannon Soap for Everyday Use

How Do You Pick The Best Foam Cannon Soap?

"I've been using dish soap to wash my truck forever. How is detailing soap any different?" We see this comment A LOT.

I get it. Something has been working good enough for you, but does that mean it’s good for your vehicle? No. Definitely not. That’s why it’s important to find the best foam cannon soap for your situation.

Your shampoo is a great example to compare with detailing soap.

For example, you wouldn’t wash your hair with dish soap (we hope). Dish soaps are aggressively formulated to break down greasy and caked on food particles. If you used dish soap on your hair, it would pull the oils out of your hair and scalp, leaving your head looking like a flaky disaster.

Detailing soap is a lot like shampoo in the sense that to get the best result, you want to break it down into separate steps. You have your shampoo for cleaning and conditioner (like a traditional car wax or ceramic coating) to leave it feeling soft and healthy. Or maybe you’re a 2-in-1 type of guy. These work fine for the average guy (like me) who isn’t concerned with taking the extra time to use some fancy conditioner.

So, how exactly do you pick the best foam cannon and foam cannon soap for everyday use?

Let’s dive into it.

PICKING THE BEST FOAM CANNON SOAP

I’m going to break this down to cover the different scenarios you’d want to use each type of soap. From there, you’ll be able to confidently choose the best foam cannon soap for your exact situation.
The 4 things to look for in the best foam cannon soap:
1. pH Balanced: Harsh acid and alkaline detergents can strip your wax protection or cause damage to your painted surfaces, polished aluminum / chrome, or trim. Soaps that are pH balanced will be gentle on your surfaces while providing a deep level of clean.
2. Lubricity: Fancy word for how slippery the suds are. The soap helps to encapsulate the dirt and grime while making your wash mitt gently glide across the surface. In short, less scratches.
3. Biodegradable: If you’re a human, you live on Earth and should be taking care of it. Be good to the environment by using soaps that’ll degrade without harming nature.
4. Thick Foam/Lasting Suds: Simply put, the thicker the foam, the easier it will stick to your vehicle surface. This increases the amount of working time the soaps have on you’re vehicle.

USE THE RIGHT PREP CHEMICALS WHEN WASHING

Since this article is primarily about the best foam cannon soap for every day use, we’re just going to breeze over this section. But keep in mind, when washing any vehicle, you want to start with prep chemicals to tackle specific pain points.

Bug guts and bird poop: Use a high quality Bug Remover to loosen and dissolve these particles with ease.

Wheel wells, engine bays, and tires: For this, you’ll want a good All Purpose Degreaser.

Rust spots, industrial fallout, and brake dust: Pesky caked on brake dust can be a pain to remove without the right chemical. And running a clay bar across your entire vehicle to remove industrial fallout from your paint’s clear coat takes forever. We’ve found it’s much quicker and easier to hit those problem areas with some high quality Iron Remover before you wash. Although, if you’re planning to apply a hand wax or ceramic coating, it’s always best to be thorough and bust out the clay bar!

Check out all of our prep chemicals here.

Ok, now onto the juicy bits you came for. The best foam cannon soap for everyday use.

WHAT SOAP DO YOU USE IN A FOAM CANNON?

There are many varieties of detailing soaps and sometimes you’ll find yourself overwhelmed when looking at some company’s catalog. A lot of the soap companies out there have 20-50 varieties of soaps that all basically do the same thing, but with very small differences.

Here at Image, our goal is to provide you with a super clear product line that isn’t bloated with unicorn soap or pumpkin spice seasonal nonsense. Today, we’re going to break down the three best foam cannon soaps for every day use.

THE BEST FOAM CANNON SOAP FOR MITT/BRUSH WASHING

If you’re looking for the best foam cannon soap that delivers extra thick suds, Platinum Wash is what you’re looking for. Besides producing the thickest foam, this concentrated detailing soap is packed with neutral pH cleaning power. Since this soap doesn’t contain any wax, it’s cleaning power is much better than soaps infused with wax.

The suds have extremely high lubricity and work to encapsulate dirt particles, giving you the gentle cleaning power you need while helping to prevent scratches and swirls. Since this is a neutral pH soap, you don’t have to worry about it stripping off your existing wax protection.

In addition to being gentle on your car, it’s also gentle on the earth due to its high biodegradability. Platinum Wash also does not contain phosphates, solvents, or APE/NPE,OPE surfactants.

THE BEST FOAM CANNON SOAP FOR VEHICLES WITHOUT PROTECTIVE COATINGS

If your vehicle isn’t protected with a layer of wax (or ceramic coating), then its a good idea to use a soap that adds a thin layer of protection to your paint. That’s why the best foam cannon soap for you may be a Wash & Wax.

Our Wash & Wax is infused with premium carnauba wax to help bring out the shine in your paint and also repel the elements. If you’re trying to save some time by using a 2-in-1 product or looking to add longevity to your existing coating, a good Wash & Wax is the way to go.

Wash & Wax has a neutral pH as well, so there’s no worries about damaging any exterior surface. It also contains the same high lubricity characteristics you’d find in our Platinum Wash along with the same cleaning agents. So you can be sure your ride will be looking it’s best no matter which you choose.

THE BEST FOAM CANNON SOAP FOR MAINTENANCE WASHES

We get it. Sometimes you want to get your ride cleaned up without having to bust out the bucket, mitt, and scrub every inch manually. That’s where Touchless wash soaps come to the rescue!

It’s important to note who this type of product is for and who it isn’t. If you’re the type of person who only washes your vehicle once a month, this definitely isn’t for you. If you hand wash regularly (every week-ish), then this is for you.

Touchless car wash soaps are also popular amongst ceramic coated vehicle owners. The less friction you put on your ceramic coating (like a wash mitt or brush), the longer your ceramic coating will last. Plus, these coatings help prevent dirt from sticking as much as it would to unprotected surfaces. This means touchless soaps are more likely to give you that 100% clean you’re looking for.

HOW DO YOU GET THICK FOAM?

The thickness of your foam cannon suds will mainly depend on the type of foam cannon you choose along with the specs of your pressure washer (if you have one). Simply put, the thickest foam cannon suds will come from using a pressure washer foam cannon or foam head nozzle. Both of which we’ll cover below.

THE BEST FOAM CANNONS FOR YOUR SOAP

There are a ton of different foam cannons on the market. So how do you choose which one is right for your situation and wash setup?

Let’s start with the basics.

For Pressure Washers Owners:
You’ll want to start by getting the PSI and GPM specs from your pressure washer. You can find this information on the metal tag that is attached to all pressure washers.

Once you have that, simply choose the one that meets those requirements.

Image Wash Products Foam Cannon
Capacity: 40 fl oz
Maximum Supported PSI/GPM: 5 GPM / 3,000 PSI

MTM Hydro PF22.2 Foam Cannon
Capacity: 32 fl oz
Maximum Supported PSI/GPM: 5.3 GPM / 5,000 PSI

Both of these pressure washer foam cannons are top tier and will deliver ultra thick suds while using any soap mentioned in this article.

For Mobile Detailers and Dedicated Wash Bays:
Foam cannons are great for the every day car enthusiast or someone only washing a vehicle or two. But if your business washes daily, filling up foam cannons can be super annoying. For any business owner looking to save time and money, you’ll want to invest in an injector system and foaming wash lance.

We offer two different injector setups. One comes with a single chemical injector with a draw tube that can be placed into any chemical container. The other option comes with a dual chemical injector. Same concept, but with a handle you pivot to select which draw tube you want to pull soap from. Each option can come equipped with a professional wash lance (our Foaminator) or a foam head that attaches to your pressure washer trigger.

These foaming guns are the best way to foam on any chemical efficiently with perfectly diluted chemicals every time! This eliminates the guess work or eye balling it when it’s time to refill those pesky foam cannons.

For Garden Hose Users:
I’ll cut straight to the point on this subject. Simply put, you’ll never achieve the same consistency of foam with a garden hose foam cannon as you would with a pressure washer foam cannon.

The mixture that comes out of the foam cannon is more of a soapy water mixture and less of a “shaving cream foam.”

If you don’t own a pressure washer, this is going to be your best option. Just make sure you understand the result you’re going to get. Check out this video where we show the type of consistency you can expect from a garden hose foam cannon.

For a full breakdown of all the benefits of each type of foaming soap system, check out this article here where we go into more detail. Click here if you understand the best foam cannon and soap for every day use and are ready to pick one out!

Thanks so much for taking the time to read until the end. Reach out to us at help@washproduct.com if you have any questions! We’d love to help you find the best foam cannon or foaming wash system for your needs.