Cleaner or IPA? What to use before waxing a car?

It's a step you simply must take before protecting your paintwork: degreasing. But is isopropyl alcohol (IPA) enough on its own, or is it worth cleaning the paint with something more? We have the answers.

We often hear questions like...

Is degreasing the paintwork enough before applying wax?

Can I use IPA instead of a cleaner?

Should I use IPA after using a cleaner?

The detailing debate of "cleaner vs IPA" is one of the questions we're asked most frequently, and something we've encountered countless times in groups and on forums. Over the years, in various forms, but it always comes down to the same thing. Let's settle this once and for all!

For clarity, we use the word "cleaner" rather than "cleaning product" or "polish" to refer more precisely to specialist products in car care. Let's not be reaching for a household spray or bathroom cleaner when working on various surfaces of a car!

Let's clear up the confusion

First of all, degreasing and using a cleaner are two different processes with two different purposes.

Degreasing is "only" degreasing. The contaminants removed by degreasers represent just a fraction of the overall contamination that lands on our vehicles during everyday use.

Regardless of which degreaser you choose, it will only remove the oily film from the paint surface – it will never remove the remaining contaminants, which are often deeply embedded. For that task, you need something more specialist – a cleaner!

What's the point of cleaners?

A cleaner is a rich formula additionally packed with fine abrasive particles. It removes everything that has accumulated on the paintwork over weeks or months of use.

An example of such a deep-cleaning paint product is Micro Liquid Compound, available in two versions: for light and dark paintwork. The hard foam applicator included in the packaging handles the surface safely and allows the product to be spread optimally.

With a cleaner, you can remove road film, residues of old waxes and coatings, quick detailer residues, organic deposits, insect remains, oxidation and much more. You'll be lucky to remove as many types of contamination using a degreaser alone. This is why a proper assessment of the vehicle's condition and the selection of the best possible products is so important.

Solid preparation delivers solid results

A cleaner is the foundation of proper paint preparation before wax or a coating, and you should never skip it if you want the job done properly. If you'd rather not work by hand, bear in mind that Micro Liquid Compound also allows machine application with a mildly abrasive pad or on a wet surface, which will significantly ease and speed up the cleaning and preparation process.

Think of degreasing as an optional step that always comes after using the cleaner. If you want absolute certainty that the wax will bond to the paintwork with maximum strength, apply Silicone Off – our degreaser – as the final step.

Someone might ask: why not IPA?

IPA is significantly weaker, and in high concentrations can cause problems – particularly if it comes into contact with plastic elements, which are appearing on more and more exterior car parts.

IPA dulls the paintwork fairly quickly and provides no lubrication. Silicone Off wipes the floor with IPA in this and many other respects – its consistency aids spreading far more effectively. It's also more economical, as the product is dispensed as a fine mist from the can.

An interesting detail: the recess in the lid of Silicone Off allows any remaining product to drain onto a microfibre cloth placed underneath – ensuring you use every last drop.

Summary

Degreasers cannot and should not replace high-quality, multi-purpose cleaning products – cleaners. There's no "either/or" here, because the difference in cleaning power, especially for deeply embedded contamination, is what matters most. The rule is simple: cleaner first, degreaser second!