How To Properly Use Snow Foam

The snow foam stage is a critical first step in any car detailing process. It’s the key to removing loose particles that could cause swirl marks on your paintwork during the wash. Professional detailers prioritize this stage to ensure a safer, more effective clean, helping to preserve their hard work for longer. A quality snow foam is designed to loosen stubborn dirt and grime while being gentle on your paint. Take our highly-regarded Avalanche Snow Foam, for example. Its two-part formula combines an active citrus cleaner with a foaming agent, activated when mixed with water. This delivers powerful cleaning performance while maintaining a pH-neutral balance that's safe for your vehicle's finish.

Start by setting up your snow foam lance. To mix Avalanche, pour 800ml of water into the lance bottle and add approximately 200ml of the snow foam solution.

Step 2

Apply an even coat of snow foam across the entire vehicle, ensuring full coverage from top to bottom. Adjust the fan setting on the front of the foam gun to around the midway point for optimal spread and coverage.

Step 3

Let the snow foam sit for a few minutes to loosen baked-on road grime and remove loose debris that could cause swirl marks on the paint. Allow it to dwell as long as possible without letting it dry. Pro Tip: Use this time to prepare your buckets for the two-bucket contact wash stage.

Step 4

Rinse the entire vehicle thoroughly with a jet wash, starting from the top and working your way down.

Step 5

After fully rinsing off the snow foam solution, proceed to the contact wash stage using the two-bucket method.

Foaming results can vary based on several factors, including your local water pressure, the specific pressure washer's pump capacity, the snow foam product, and its dilution ratio. Rest assured, as long as the activated solution makes contact with the vehicle, it will do its job effectively.