Ask Meguiar's: Can I Use Dish Soap to Wash My Car?

A lot of people think soap is soap when washing your car, but dish soap is a degreaser that strips off your wax protection and the vital oils from your vehicle’s paint. Over time this promotes oxidation. Our car wash soap has been designed to clean and remove dirt while not stripping your wax and essential oils. When selecting a car soap be sure it’s formulated specifically for car washing so you preserve your wax protection and your shine.

o For assistance or questions contact the Solutions Hub: 800-347-5700
o Find us at your local retailer or auto specialty store!

[UrielX]

Well of course Mequiars doesn`t want you to use dish soap because they want you to use their

I use Gold Class though :) 

[thatcrazywolf]

Lol he said "essential oils" like your car needs to preserve it's natural floura. Dish soap is fine if you need to cut through tough grime but car soap is best for regular cleaning

[errhka]

A dish soap like dawn is fine to use on your car to CLEAN the car. Dawn is a degreaser - your car will never be as clean as it will be with a soap like dawn. HOWEVER, because it is a degreaser, Dawn will strip wax off your car, exposing your car paint/clear coat to the elements. This is fine for people who don't wax - most people that own cars don't wax anyway so it's a nonissue. If you've just gone offroading and your car is absolutely caked in mud - Dawn should be ideal. It is also great for stripping off previous layers of MOST waxes if you are putting a fresh coat on the car. In these situations it is fine to save a little cash and use what you likely already have in your kitchen.

Dawn has its uses - if you are serious about keeping your car clean (weekly wash, wax, clay bar, all that jazz), then it's best to stay away from it. It will NOT "ruin in your paint" in the sense that washing with Dawn itself ruins the paint - the lack of wax (a protective layer) is what ruins the paint. It will also not "dry out weather stripping" or ruin trim if rinsed off properly. If not rinsed off some plastic trims can be discolored - and fair warning - Dawn can be VERY tedious to rinse off. As a quality of its chemistry it likes to "stick" to the surface that it is cleaning - what makes it such a great cleaner makes it a bitch to rinse off. You will have to do quite a few passes to get all of it off - agitation while rinsing works best.

So you can use Dawn, just know the drawbacks and limitations of the soap

Sincerely,
a chemist

[albingasinec]

IHAVE BEEN USING DISH /HAND SOAP 4 WASHING MY CAR FOR OVER 20 YEARS AND never HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH CAR PAINT FINISH .. SO, iF IS SAFE 4 YOUR HANDS THAN >>>?

[BaptistJoshua]

Hello. Is your car soap poisonous? I live on a well, have animals running around outside, and our sewer system dumps right into the river.

[jusb]

dear meguiers, should i use another manufacturers product to wash my car vs yours? lol

[MikeMoore-dn]

what if i'm planning to wax the car afterwards anyway?

[uhavemooface]

I just used Dawn dish soap to wash my car and it seems fine to em. I will not be getting a car wash soap to wash my car sense I would be spending too much money for it. Great try with the video though.

[dmimcg]

I tried your product- didn't like it. Sure it's safe, but not enough cleaning action.

[djnevousus]

humm i guess i better not use dish soap anymore

[erdan]

Bad product... Beli meguiars black wax.. nomor seri G6207 dan G6207EU, tp hasil beda.. Dengn hasil G6207 bagus sementara G6207EU tidak trlihat hasilnya... Bagaimana mungkin?? ... Merugikan Konsumen saja...