Of the dominant methods of pre-washing your car, choosing between snow foam or pre-wash is almost unfair. Who wouldn’t rather blast some shaving-foam thick foam over a car’s bodywork like it’s just visited a late ’90s nightclub in Ibiza?
Snow foam is undoubtedly the most fun part of any car cleaning and has the bonus of being incredibly effective at removing larger pieces of debris and preparing your car for shampooing.
This leaves its cousin, pre-wash, looking a little starch-collared in comparison. After all, while it may offer similar (or even better) levels of performance, it’s not as visually exciting and definitely plays second fiddle. Is that fair though?
Pre-wash is better at shifting bug splatters and road grime. It doesn’t require a pressure washer (you will need a pump sprayer though), and it’s quicker to use and makes less of a mess. In short, we’re not ready to write off pre-wash yet – especially when one claims to be as versatile as this option from Autobrite Direct LTD.
What is it?
Described as both a pre-wash and multipurpose cleaner (basically an APC) by Autobrite Direct LTD, Citrus Wash is a highly dilutable cleaner. It’s supposedly able to clean anything from baked-in bird poo and degreasing right down to gently lifting surface dust on any hard surface you’d expect to find on a car.
The vitamin C-inspired name is no marketing exercise either, the cleaner makes use of citrus oils to help enhance its cleaning ability. The nice orange scent (once diluted) is merely a bonus for your nose.
Dilutable multipurpose cleaners like this are always worth looking into for the economic benefit alone, so long as they work effectively at every dilution ratio. Our current favourite dilutable multipurpose cleaner Bilt Hamber Surfex-HD doesn’t proclaim itself a pre-wash but can be used as one if a weak dilution is made. Citrus Wash is billed as a pre-wash and unlike Surfex-HD, is LSP (Last Step Protection) safe meaning it shouldn’t strip any wax or coating, even when used in a stronger dilution.
Autobrite Direct LTD Citrus Wash
Price: £11.99 | VIEW OFFER
Is it any good?
The first test saw the weakest dilution tested, a mere 10ml of product to a litre of water. Autobrite claims this ratio is for light cleaning and summer use, so it was put to use clearing pollen and dust from the test car. Applied with a pump sprayer without any brush agitation, this dilution was able to lift away light surface muck all while giving off a faint hint of lemon.
The most popular dilution ratio will be the 50:1 general cleaner. This is the most economical way of properly pre-washing a car and easily softening grit and other bits of dirt. Out of direct sunlight, it was able to dwell for five minutes before being washed off. It noticeably improved the overall look of the paintwork while still giving off a slightly stronger citrus scent.
It was in the ratio that it was applied via a pressure washer too, clinging well to all surfaces and lathering up surprisingly well for a pre-wash. While it’s nowhere near as visually interesting as a snow foam, if you’re after mess-free pre-washing with a pressure washer, Citrus Wash will do the job just fine.
The 30:1 heavy cleaning followed the same pattern as the above options. It smelt a little stronger, will cost a little more money and will clean tougher grime better. This solution was found to be particularly useful for tackling the wheels and lower part of a car. The mud kicked up from the tyres on the bodywork for example was softened up and came away much easier when blasted with water.
Heavy degreasing can be achieved using a 1:10 dilution ratio which leaves the solution both a formidable cleaner and smelling more like a citrus-infused disinfectant than a car cleaning product. Set to work cleaning a grubby engine bay and once again Citrus Wash made mincemeat of any built-up grime it faced. A fair amount of brush agitation was required.
Verdict
It’s good value for money, an effective multipurpose cleaner, smells delicious (most of the time) and works exceptionally as a pre-wash, Citrus Wash is an excellent purchase and proves that pre-washes shouldn’t be discounted in favour of snow foam. It’s easy to use, low mess way of preparing your bodywork for the shampooing stage.
The only real gripe with Citrus Wash is that the formula isn’t biodegradable. While its cleaning ability is on par with other APCs and safe to use on waxes, the fact that it’s not as environmentally friendly as other options keeps it from earning the full five stars.
4.5/5
Autobrite Direct LTD Citrus Wash
Price: £11.99 | VIEW OFFER
Pros:
Excellent and versatile cleaning ability
Good value for money
Won’t strip existing waxes and paint protection
Cons:
Not biodegradable
Strong smell before dilution
How we tested it:
To thoroughly test the versatility of Citrus Wash we tested all the recommended dilutions printed on the bottle, making sure to agitate the product with a detailing brush and removing it with a pressure washer:
► For light cleaning (100:1) we used a pump sprayer to clear away surface dust from a car.
► For general cleaning (50:1) we used both a pressure washer and pump sprayer to clean general muck off a car.
► Heavy cleaning (30:1) was tested using a pump sprayer to clean inner wheel arches and alloy wheels.
► Degreasing (10:1) was applied via a pump sprayer to an engine bay to see how it cut through toughened grease.
Other products used in this test: Venus PRO 1.5 Litre Compression Sprayer | Ryobi Cordless Power Washer | 26JPN Drying Towel | Detailers United Detailing Brush Set
Read next:
Car dryers: The best ways to clean a car
A guide to more eco-friendly car cleaning products
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