A foam cannon Jeep wash can be an easy and inexpensive undertaking and an alternative to the typical bucket wash method, as seen in this article and video. Below you will find a list of the materials required, a list of steps involved, and tips on how to get what you need inexpensively. A video of this foam cannon process is also available at this link.
DISCLAIMER: Any and all content provided on this site and YouTube channel is Cheaper JeeperTV’s opinion and for educational and discussion purposes only. Seek a professional’s advice where appropriate for your vehicle.
Materials Required For a Foam Cannon Jeep Wash
Only a few items are required if considering washing your Jeep with a foam cannon. Basically you will need;
- A foam cannon
- A good car wash soap suited for a foam cannon
- A pressure washer, gas or electric, that produces the appropriate amount of gallons per minute of spray, and
- A wash mitt is possibly required if you wish to rub some tough spots clean.
Instructions For a Foam Cannon Jeep Wash
By following the next series of steps, you will be able to clean your Jeep using the foam cannon method.
Step 1 – Fill the foam cannon to the 200 mL mark.
Step 2 – Fill the foam cannon bottle with warm water mixing the soap with the warm water.
Step 3 – Attach the foam cannon to the gas or electric pressure washer. The pressure washer MUST be rated at about 2 gallons per minute.
Step 4 – As you prepare to begin spraying, adjust the volume of soap dial on the top of the foam cannon, and the nozzle of the foam cannon to give you the desired amount of foam and spray angle.
Step 5 – Begin spraying on the Jeep while it is dry. This allows the soapy foam to cling to the dirt, loosen it, and begin to drip it down the side of the Jeep to the ground. Do NOT allow the soap to dry. If the Jeep wasn’t too dirty to start with, you can begin to rinse the Jeep after a couple of minutes of soaking. If it was exceptionally dirty, you may elect to repeat the wash and rinse cycle two or three times, or just add repeated coats of soapy foam to allow it to soften and remove the dirt over more time.
Step 6 – While you give the soap time to soak into the dirt and run off, I sometimes remove the tough spots, and bugs on the grill and windshield using a microfibre wash mitt.
Step 7 – After you’re satisfied with the amount of soaking of the foam on the dirt, remove the foam cannon from the pressure washer and rinse off the Jeep with just water.
Step 8 – Further drying and detailing instructions can be found in the bucket wash method article and video, but for the most part, you have just easily and quickly washed your Jeep with a foam cannon.
How to Get the Material You Need
Below are instructions on how to get what you need, and how you can get it, inexpensively. Links to products mentioned in the article are also found on the websites Featured Products page.
Foam Cannon –
Professional quality foam cannons can run upwards of $200. The one I used in this article and video, was a budget brand, Amazon acquisition that cost under $30 (CDN) I was satisfied with its performance and quality, and recommend getting one of these foam cannons for the average Jeep lover trying to have fun looking after your Jeep.
Car Wash Soap –
Reviews online rate different soaps for their performance in a foam cannon. The soap I used, as was evident in the article and video, worked very well in the budget brand foam cannon, and would use it again. Some other soaps received good reviews online, but I haven’t tried them yet.
Pressure Washer –
Whatever pressure washer you use, it should be capable of spraying about 2 gallons per minute in order to produce adequate foam action.
The pressure washer featured on the “Featured Products Page” has received good reviews from people using the foam cannons, and is likely the one I’d get if I didn’t already have a capable pressure washer.
Pressure washers that function at this capacity aren’t cheap, and some people already have pressure washers that do not meet this criteria. For those people, some folks on the forums have shared that by replacing the orifice in the foam cannon with one that has a hole size of 1.1mm, they have been successful at producing foam from the cannon with their existing pressure washer.
So it isn’t necessary to spend upwards of $200 on a pro level foam cannon, when as evident in this article and video, a budget brand foam cannon can still function well enough to do the job of washing your Jeep. The foam cannon is a quick and easy way to clean your Jeep, and now that we’ve learned it can be done relatively cheaply. Therefore, we can now use the extra time and money that we’ve saved to ponder what else we can now buy for our Jeeps.
Subscribers Tip
Hello Cheaper Jeeper, new subscriber here. I have reviewed many many videos from professional detailers and I feel I should let you know that according to their process you are doing it wrong and are risking scratches in your clear coat. This is a lengthy process but this is what I learned. 1) Rinse your Jeep with the power washer to loosen up and whisk away any surface contaminants. I do this on the underside of my Jeep as well. 2) Now that the remaining contaminants have absorbed the water apply the foam from the foam cannon. I hit the underside of the Jeep, and wheel wells as well. Let it sit for about 10 minutes and make sure you are in the shade or it’s a cool cloudy day. The foam/soap will work on the remaining contaminants and they will be removed in the next 2 steps. 3) Rinse the Jeep with the power washer completely. 4) Get a bucket of water and a bucket that contains your soap and water. Dip your mitt or whatever you use to wash your Jeep with into the soapy water and wash it with a front to back motion. This motion will eliminate swirl marks. 5) After washing by hand, rinse it with the power washer. Dry it completely, I use the assistance of a leaf blower for all those Jeep places that store water! 6) The surface should be super clean, take the back of your hand and lightly drag it across the surface, or you can do the same with a dry microfiber. It should glide across the surface. If it grabs you could have some contaminants buried deep into the clear coat, don’t worry! Just purchase an auto detailing clay bar and some kind of lubricant. You will be amazed at what comes out even after such a thorough cleaning. There are tons of videos showing you how to clay bar, so refer to those for that process. As far as a ceramic coating that is easy, I use The Last Coat. It’s not a full blown ceramic coat but I think it does a fantastic job and the water repelling properties are amazing. I’m not sponsored by them or anything. I’ve tried just about everything on my Jeep and the hot Southern California sun makes the others I’ve tried fail after about a month or two on the hood, fenders and roof (horizontal surfaces). I hope this helps!
Signed Bill