Okay, let's talk about using one of those foam cannon things with a pressure washer. I finally got one after seeing them everywhere. Seemed like a good way to get the car clean without spending hours scrubbing.

Getting Started

First thing, I unpacked the foam cannon. Looked pretty straightforward. A bottle, a brass connector thingy, and a nozzle. I already had my electric pressure washer ready to go. Checked the connections, made sure the cannon's fitting matched my pressure washer wand. It just clicked right on, which was nice.

Mixing the Soap

Next up was the soap. I grabbed my usual car wash soap. The bottle for the cannon had markings on the side, but honestly, I wasn't sure exactly how much to use. I poured in maybe two inches of soap, then filled the rest up with warm water, almost to the top. Gave it a gentle swirl, didn't want to make too many bubbles inside the bottle itself.

Important bit here: I made sure the little plastic tube inside the cannon bottle was properly attached so it would actually suck up the soap mixture.

Foaming Time!

I screwed the bottle onto the cannon head nice and tight. Hooked the whole thing onto the end of my pressure washer wand. Turned the pressure washer on. Took a deep breath and aimed at the car – started with the roof.

Pulled the trigger. Wow! It really shot out some thick foam. Way thicker than just soapy water from a bucket. Covered the roof pretty quickly. I worked my way down, side panels, hood, trunk, wheels. The whole car looked like it was covered in shaving cream.

• Adjusted the knob on top. Turning it one way made the foam thicker (less water), the other way made it runnier (more water). I liked it pretty thick.
• Also twisted the nozzle at the very front. That changed the spray pattern from a narrow stream to a wide fan. Wide fan worked best for covering large areas fast.

Letting it Dwell and Rinsing

I let the foam sit there for a few minutes. Didn't let it dry, though, especially since it was a bit sunny. The idea is the foam loosens up the dirt. Looked like it was working, could see some grime dripping down with the foam.

Then, I disconnected the foam cannon attachment from the wand. Put my regular pressure washer nozzle back on (used a wider angle one, like a 40-degree). Started rinsing from the top down. Took a while to get all that foam off, but it washed away pretty cleanly.

The Result

Once rinsed, the car looked much better. Most of the loose dirt and grime was gone. Still needed a quick mitt wash for some stubborn spots, but way less effort than starting with a bucket. The thick foam really seems to help lift the dirt off the paint before you touch it with a mitt, which should mean fewer swirl marks down the road.

Overall: Pretty happy with it. Made the pre-wash stage much faster and more effective. Definitely beats just spraying soapy water on. It's now a standard part of my car washing routine. Took a little fiddling to get the foam consistency right, but once dialed in, it worked great.