Owner's manual

The Ceramic Wash System

Everything the kit does, how to get the most out of it, and what to do when something is not behaving. Print it and leave it with the cannons.

CWS · Rev 3.0
Section one

In the box

Four items, five pieces. Check everything is present before your first wash — if anything is missing or damaged, email support@kriegerwolff.com with your order number and we will put it right.

  • Pre-Wash Snow Foam Pre-Wash Snow Foam
  • Ceramic Snow Foam Ceramic Snow Foam
  • Foam Cannon Foam Cannon×2
  • The Wash Mitt The Wash Mitt

Two cannons in the box, so both foams stay loaded — no stopping to rinse out and re-dilute mid-wash.

Section two

Before you start

50mlper foam stage
2 litreswater in the cannon
10washes per bottle
30 minstart to finish

Pump until the handle firms up. That pressure is what makes the foam — a cannon that will not foam has almost always not been pumped enough, or has dried product in the pump.

Both foams are concentrate, not ready-mixed. Each cannon has an integrated measuring jug: add 50ml of product, top up with up to 2 litres of water, and shake. That covers one average car for one stage.

Work in the shade wherever you can, and never on hot panels or in direct sunlight — the foam dries before it has finished the job. If the car is caked in dry mud, rinse the worst of it off first.

Section three

The wash

30 min

Four steps, top to bottom, every time. The first two happen before anything touches the paint — that is the whole point of them.

1
Pre-Wash
50ml in the cannon with up to 2 litres of water. Completely cover the vehicle. The dense foam clings to the surface, increasing dwell time — leave it three to five minutes to break down road grime and traffic film without aggressive scrubbing.
2
Rinse Off
Rinse thoroughly, top to bottom. Everything the pre-wash loosened is carried away before any contact is made — less effort, less contact, no chance of damaging your finish.
3
Ceramic Snow Foam + Wash Mitt
Completely cover the vehicle and leave to dwell. Wash through the foam with a dampened Wash Mitt, top to bottom. The foam lubricates, the mitt carries the soap reserve — dirt lifts off the paint rather than being dragged across it. Rinse thoroughly, leaving a ceramic layer behind.
Step 4 — Dry4
Dry
1200gsm twisted microfibre pulls up water like a magnet with minimal effort. Edgeless, for complete safety on the final pass.
Section four

When the mitt is optional

If it has been rained on, use the mitt.

The full routine is the one to use most of the time in Britain. Rain carries road film and grit onto the paint, and film has to be lifted — rinsing alone will not shift it. That is what the Wash Mitt is for, and it is why the contact stage happens inside the Ceramic Snow Foam rather than in a bucket: the foam lubricates, the mitt carries the soap reserve, and dirt lifts off instead of being dragged.

There is one case where the foam alone is enough. A light dusting after a week of dry summer driving, on a car that has not seen rain — then you can run the pre-wash, the rinse and the ceramic foam without the mitt, rinse again, and dry.

Either way you get the full ceramic layer. The protection comes from the foam, not from the contact. A lighter wash cleans less; it protects exactly the same.

What it is not is a substitute for the full routine through a British winter. Salt, damp and traffic film bond to paint. Skip the mitt for a month in February and you will have a car that only looks clean from ten feet away.

Section five

Dose and coverage

Stage Product Dose
1Pre-Wash Snow Foam50ml + up to 2 litres of water
2Rinse onlyNo product
3Ceramic Snow Foam50ml + up to 2 litres of water
4DryNo product

Ten washes from each 500ml bottle. Both bottles deplete together, so a set of foams lasts roughly five months at a fortnightly wash.

Section six

Looking after the kit

The cannons

Rinse the bottle and pump clean water through after every use. Dried product in the pump is the single most common reason a cannon stops foaming properly.

The Wash Mitt

Rinse it out thoroughly, then machine wash at 30 degrees with no fabric softener. Softener coats the fibres and kills the soap reserve. Air dry.

The drying towel

Same rule — 30 degrees, no softener, no tumble drier sheet. A 1200gsm twisted pile stops absorbing the moment it is coated.

Grit is the enemy

If the mitt hits the ground, rinse it properly before it goes anywhere near the paint again. A second mitt is cheap insurance.

Section seven

Storage and safety

Store upright

Caps on, out of direct sunlight, somewhere that does not freeze. Both foams are water-based.

Keep away from children

And pets. Not for internal consumption. Avoid contact with eyes; if it happens, rinse with plenty of clean water.

Never neat

Both foams are concentrate and are designed to be diluted in the cannon. Neat product is wasted product, not stronger cleaning.

Not on hot paint

Let a car that has just been driven cool down, or move it into shade, before you foam it.

Section eight

If something is not right

The foam is thin

Check the dose first — 50ml into up to 2 litres. More water means thinner foam. Then check you are pumping the cannon fully; it makes its own pressure and needs the strokes.

The cannon has stopped foaming

Almost always dried product in the pump. Flush it through with warm clean water until it runs clear.

Water is not beading yet

Ceramic protection builds across washes rather than arriving all at once. Give it two or three. Also check nothing caustic has been used in between — traffic film removers strip the lot.

Streaks after drying

The towel is saturated, or it has met fabric softener at some point. Move to a dry section, or wash the towel again without softener.

Section nine

Questions

Do I need a pressure washer?
No. The Foam Cannons are self-contained and generate the pressure themselves, giving a thick, even fan of foam across the whole vehicle from an ordinary garden tap. That is the entire point of them.
Is this a contact wash?
Yes, deliberately. On a British car there is no such thing as a genuinely contactless wash — rain carries road film and grit onto the paint, and that has to be lifted, not just rinsed. What we have done is make the contact stage as safe as it can be: the pre-wash removes the heavy dirt before anything touches the panel, then the mitt works through the ceramic foam so it glides on a full reserve of soap rather than dragging.
Why two cannons?
So both foams stay loaded. One holds the Pre-Wash, one holds the Ceramic Snow Foam, and you move straight from step one to step three without stopping to rinse out and re-dilute.
Where does the Wash Mitt come in?
Step three. Apply the Ceramic Snow Foam, let it dwell, then wash through the foam with a dampened mitt. The open-pore sponge holds a large reserve of soap and the foam provides the lubrication, so you get contact cleaning and ceramic protection in the same pass — with no bucket.
Why is Rinse Off its own step?
Because it is the step people skip, and skipping it undoes the pre-wash entirely. Rinsing carries the loosened grime away; if you go straight to the mitt you drag that grit across the paint, which is what causes swirl marks.
Is it safe on a ceramic-coated car?
Yes. The non-caustic Pre-Wash and pH-neutral Ceramic Snow Foam clean effectively without damaging or stripping existing protection. Safe on all paint finishes, wraps, PPF and alloy wheels.
How much product does each wash use?
50ml per foam stage. The cannons have an integrated measuring jug — add 50ml of product, fill with up to 2 litres of water, and that covers one vehicle. Ten washes from each 500ml bottle.
How long does the ceramic protection last?
Up to six weeks, and it starts from the very first wash. Each wash adds to the last rather than washing the previous layer away, so the finish gets slicker and the water behaviour stronger over time. Durability varies with vehicle use, weather and washing frequency.
Do I still need a shampoo?
Not for this routine. The Wash Mitt carries the soap reserve and the Ceramic Snow Foam provides the lubrication, so the contact stage happens inside the foam. Ceramic Shampoo is available separately if you prefer a traditional bucket wash.
How often should I wash?
Fortnightly suits most cars. At 50ml a stage you get ten washes from each bottle, so a set of foams lasts roughly five months at that rate.

Running low?

The refill is the two foams on their own — Pre-Wash and Ceramic Snow Foam, 500ml each. Free UK delivery.

Order a refill

Anything we have not answered here: support@kriegerwolff.com

Krieger+Wolff — made and tested in the UK.