First, though, what is snow foam? Is snow foam car shampoo? Snow foam got its name from how it appears like a layer of fresh snow on your car. Unlike the cold stuff, snow foam leaves your car cleaner. Still, most snow foam products are not car shampoo. Snow foam is an essential pre-wash, improving car wash results and keeping your finish brighter for longer. 

Snow foam’s effectiveness as a pre-wash results from its consistency and its chemistry, both of which make it superior to a plain water rinse. Snow foam sticks to your vehicle longer, while plain water simply runs off. Snow foam even sticks to vertical and underhang surfaces for maximum effectiveness.

On a microscopic scale, pollen on a wash mitt is harmful to a car’s finish, resulting in swirls and scratches. As a pre-wash, snow foam lifts dirt and floats it away without rubbing it into the finish. Snow foam detergents encapsulate road grime, dirt, dust, and pollen, lifting it away from the surface of your vehicle. As snow foam suspends dirt from your car and runs off, advanced hydrophobic polymers ensure a streak-free rinse. Turtle Wax Ice Snow Foam is also pH-balanced, so it won’t remove wax or affect paint, clear coat, chrome, aluminum, plastic, or rubber parts.

The best way to take advantage of snow foam’s pre-wash capabilities is to spray it onto your vehicle with a snow foam cannon or foam gun connected to a pressure washer. This ensures no physical contact with the vehicle surface, preventing scratches and swirls. Still, if you don’t have access to a pressure washer, you can take advantage of some of snow foam’s pre-wash characteristics with a microfiber wash mitt and a light touch.

Step 3: Allow snow foam to run off the vehicle, but do not allow it to dry. Apply more snow foam to dry spots.

Step 4: After five to ten minutes, rinse the vehicle with plenty of plain water, starting again from the top.

Step 5: For a car with light dust or pollen, you may be able to skip right to the last step. Lightly soiled vehicles will need a good car shampoo to get the best results, though, which is where Turtle Wax Ice Snow Foam’s hybrid formula shines, literally! If your car is really dirty, switch to a car shampoo like Turtle Wax Ice Wash & Wax.

Step 6: Mix 1 to 3 oz Turtle Wax Ice Snow Foam car wash concentrate per gallon of water in the wash bucket, agitating vigorously with a strong stream of water. Fill the rinse bucket with clean water.

When applying snow foam to your vehicle, pay attention to the consistency of the foam. You may need to adjust the foam gun, water supply, or concentration to get it right. The foam should be thick enough to stick, but not so thick that it doesn’t run off. If it runs off too quickly or not at all, it won’t clean very well.

If this is your first time using a snow foam cannon or the foam gun on your pressure washer, it can be a challenge to get the right snow foam consistency. We recommend starting with a baseline mixture of 1:16, that is, 1 part concentrate to 16 parts water. Dirtier vehicles might benefit from 2:16 or 3:16 mixtures. Most snow foam consistency problems are related to the snow foam cannon or the water supply.