We task a snow foam sceptic with sampling Sealey’s concentrated cleaner. Does it make home car cleaning easier?
Like the proper way to brew tea, car washing is one of those activities where everyone has their own opinion as to the only right and proper way to do it.
Personally I’m a traditional hose-and-bucket type of person, only breaking out the pressure washer for modern cars and then only when they’re streaked by winter road dirt.
Colleagues have from time to time persuaded me to give the labour-saving snow foam approach a try and in many cases I’ve been less than impressed by the results of the high street branded products, the foam dissipating before it’s really made a tangible effect on the dirt. With the bucket and sponge still needing to be deployed, it seems like adding an unnecessary extra step.
Having tried this Sealey Whiteout foam however, I’m prepared to revise my opinion. A concentrated product supplied in a five-litre container, the makers claim it offers a longer foaming (‘dwell’) time to break down dirt as well as successfully removing traffic film without stripping previously-applied wax or ceramic coatings.
Testing
We applied the Sealey product using a proper foam attachment for the pressure washer and first impressions were that it foamed up immediately and did indeed create a thick coating which remained on the bodywork for long enough to loosen the dirt.
The BMW we tried it on spends the working week parked up at a military construction site, attracting plenty of abrasive dirt which means getting as much as possible off without scrubbing it into the paint with a sponge is ideal. In this respect the Whiteout foam seemed to work well after being left to do its thing for a couple of minutes and then rinsed off with the pressure washer.
Certainly the results were better than I have generally experienced with this kind of product and the car needed only a quick wipe-over afterwards for a proper job. Sealey claims the foam is particularly good at removing winter road film and the efficient way it despatched the concrete and brick dust suggests it will do a good job.
The Whiteout foam also left a nice gloss to the finish which bears out Sealey’s claim that it won’t strip off existing wax, while it rinsed off cleanly even on a hot summer day without leaving unsightly streaks.
Sealey Whiteout Detailing Snow Foam: our verdict
As car washing foams go, this is one of the best I’ve tried. No, it’s no substitute for elbow grease but it does make the job of getting the worst of the grime off a whole lot easier and is particularly useful with baked-on summer dirt and winter road grime.
It’s a concentrated product and so the five litres should last a long time for private home users, with a price which compares well with high street brands.
Sealey Whiteout Detailing Snow Foam SCS090 specifications
RRP
£33.54Manufacturer
SealeySize
5 litresWeight
5kg
