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Product Review: P21S Paintwork Cleanser

Product Review: P21S Paintwork Cleanser

The P21S Paintwork Cleanser, simply put, is a must have for everyone.

P21S Paintwork Cleanser is a great way to prepare your paint before sealing or waxing. This pure polish helps cleanse the clear coat so it is free from embedded debris and other contamination. Over time contaminates will become lodged in between the micro ridges of the clear coat and they will often not be removed with a simple wash and dry. The contaminates and swirls cause light to not pass directly through the clear coat, which prevents a deep shine. This polish will help remove imperfections, surface contamination, oxidation, old wax and sealant while buffing the paint to a high shine. The Paintwork Cleanser’s smooth cream goes on and off very easy and makes a great addition to any detailer’s arsenal.

This a must have because it’s a product in a category all by itself.  Along with being a great pre-wax cleanser, it’s a great tool when you want to avoid a complete clay bar decontamination and polishing.

As the description states, the P21S Paintwork Cleanser works very well as a chemical cleaner for everything from faded/oxidized paint to water spots.  It is surprisingly effective considering it leaves a perfect finish and doesn’t marr the paint at all when used properly.  I use it mostly when clients are seeking removal of lighter surface contamination but don’t want any clay usage and machine polishing, or prior to applying protection to the paint.

How to use it

I use the P21S Paintwork Cleanser mainly by hand, utilizing either a DI Microfiber Applicator Pad or DI Yellow Foam Applicator Pad.  I like to use the foam applicator pad when I’m trying to remove some spotting or staining, such as light water spots or tar staining in the paint, because I find it to be a bit more aggressive.  By being a tad more aggressive I find the foam pad simply easier to use compared to the microfiber pad because I need to use less pressure and spend less time removing certain staining.  Along with water stains, it’s a great combo to use when removing wax residue, sticker/adhesive residue and minor scuffs in the paint.  On the other hand, I find the microfiber pad much easier to hold and use in general, so I like to utilize it when applying the cleanser simply as a pre-wax treatment over the entire vehicle.  The microfiber pad also covers more surface area so it makes more sense to use it instead of the foam pad for pre-wax prep.

As far as motion and pressure goes, it generally requires very little to no pressure.  I like to use left/right and up/down motions as with anything else to ensure that you don’t cause any circular swirl marks and makes it easy to tell if you are causing any by seeing straight swirls in the paint.  As I said above, pressure will slightly vary depending on the results you’re after and what exactly you’re trying to accomplish with the cleanser, but in general I’d recommend almost no pressure.

To wrap up, I have been using the P21S Paintwork Cleanser for many years now, and I don’t see another product replacing it.  Zymol’s HD Cleanse is a competing product but I find the P21S cleanser to be the same or better in terms of actual cleansing ability and considering that it’s much easier to use, doesn’t stain the applicators and also leaves a well prepped finish, the P21S Paintwork Cleanser is an easy choice over any others.  Highly recommended for all to try out soon!

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