Car Wash Shampoo
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The pH of your shampoo matters - but not the way most labels imply. The pH scale is logarithmic, so every step is a tenfold change in strength. A shampoo at pH 5 isn't slightly stronger than one at pH 6 - it's ten times more acidic. That is why 'neutral' is printed on so many bottles. But pH on its own doesn't tell you how damaging a product really is.
What actually matters is the active ingredient producing that pH. Two shampoos at the same number can behave completely differently on your paint, alloys and trim depending on the chemistry behind them. A well-formulated, near-neutral maintenance shampoo lifts dirt and road film without stripping the wax, sealant or ceramic coating you've paid to protect. A harsh cleaner built on aggressive alkaline salts can shorten the life of that coating even when the number on the front looks perfectly safe.
So we group our shampoos by the job, not just the number:
Safe regular washing on coated or waxed paint, with no effect on your protection. Try Labocosmetica Semper, Maniac Line Neutral Foam, MIRCH Dragon Tide or Sonax Xtreme Rich Foam.
When you deliberately want to strip old wax and start fresh, reach for an alkaline strip wash like MIRCH Typhon Surge.
For bonded mineral or iron contamination, an acid shampoo such as Maniac Line Descale Foam decontaminates while you wash.
Every shampoo below is chosen on that principle: effective, surface-safe chemistry, explained. Want the full breakdown? Read Acid, Neutral or Alkaline: the only framework you need, or, if your car is coated, why pH-neutral isn't the whole story.