What Can Citrus Power Pre Wash Do For You?

Got Citrus Power In Your Kit? Here’s Why It Should Be A Must-Have…

We’ve said it a million times, but we’ll say it again—the pre-wash is one of the most crucial, if not the most crucial, stages in car detailing. This is where the most harmful contaminants are safely removed before contact washing, reducing the risk of inflicting damage, especially on paintwork.

Heavy grit, grime, and road salt can cause swirl marks and defects when dragged around by your wash mitt. That’s why we remove them first—to minimize the risk of damage that would otherwise need correcting later. These contaminants often cling stubbornly to surfaces, so we use Citrus Power Bug & Grime Remover as a pre-cleaner to break down, lift, and encapsulate harmful particles, making them easy to rinse away.

But why would you need Citrus Power in the summer when cars don’t seem as dirty? Do you still need to pre-wash? The answer is always yes. While there’s still a small amount of road grime year-round (especially in the UK, where “tropical” isn’t exactly the right word for the weather), summer brings an even bigger problem—bugs. As temperatures rise, the air fills with insects that inevitably end up splattered across your paintwork and glass. In fact, you’ll encounter far more bugs on warm evenings than in winter, making a ready-to-use, spray-on cleaner like Citrus Power an essential part of your detailing kit. After all, the name says it all—Bug & Grime Remover.

Why Is It Important To Remove Bug Splatter?

Aside from the sharp, gritty particles in bug splatter that can cause swirl marks—especially when scrubbing with a wash mitt—bug residue is also highly acidic. Bugs consume fruit and other acidic food sources, and when they collide with your vehicle, their blood and natural acids mix with these substances. These acids can break down protection layers and even etch into paintwork or clearcoat, leading to further damage. That’s why it’s crucial to neutralize the acids and safely remove the debris as soon as possible.

How Does Citrus Power Actually Work?

Citrus Power effectively dissolves bug splatter on contact. Like with other grime and particulate buildup, it uses advanced surfactants to break down, lift, and suspend contaminants within the solution—keeping them safely away from surfaces—so they can be rinsed away with ease.

These surfactants are "polar" molecules, meaning one end attracts water while the other bonds to grime and repels water. This hydrophobic-hydrophilic action allows the surfactants to latch onto bug residue and dirt at a molecular level, pulling them from surfaces. Once detached, the surfactant molecules encase the contaminants, making them easy to rinse away. For a deeper dive into the science behind surfactants and aqueous cleaning agents like Citrus Power, check out our article—All Car Cleaning Products Explained.

Is It Necessary to Agitate Citrus Power?

It depends on the specific use. For paintwork, Citrus Power is formulated to be a contactless cleaner, so agitation—such as scrubbing with a mitt—goes against the purpose of safely pre-washing. However, you can apply and agitate Citrus Power in areas like door shuts, window rubbers, engine bays, lights, and on protected wheels to assist with cleaning. In these cases, agitation isn't about scrubbing off dirt but rather working the solution into tricky spots with a detailing brush, removing any spent solution (the solution that has already broken down and encapsulated contaminants), and replenishing with fresh solution to address remaining grime. So yes, Citrus Power can be agitated, but we recommend not doing so on exterior paintwork, vinyl, or gloss plastics during the initial pre-wash stage.

How Frequently Can I Use Citrus Power?

Unlike many harsh pre-cleaners and APCs, Citrus Power is gentle enough not to strip protection layers, ensuring your waxes, sealants, or coatings remain safe. This makes it suitable for any detail, including regular maintenance washes.

So, the real question is: how often should you use it? Technically, you could use Citrus Power daily without affecting your protection layers. Of course, we understand that daily use isn't practical, as you'd also need to snow foam, contact wash, and dry the vehicle. However, using it once a week for summer maintenance washes on daily drivers is more manageable. Ultimately, you should only clean your vehicle when it's necessary.

How To Use Citrus Power?

That's the simple part! Citrus Power comes ready-to-use, so all you need to do is spray it over the entire vehicle, let it dwell for a few minutes to do its job, and then rinse the solution away.

Here are a couple of helpful tips: Always begin by applying it to the areas with the heaviest contamination, such as those with the most bugs and grime, to give them the longest dwell time. Also, be sure to rinse the entire vehicle with your pressure washer first. This ensures that Citrus Power is working where it's needed most, rather than on loose soiling that can be removed with a simple pre-rinse.