Okay, so let me tell you about my little journey with these soap dispensers for power washers. I figured, hey, this is gonna make washing the car a breeze, right? Or cleaning off that grimy siding. I was pretty sick of the old bucket and sponge routine, let me tell you.

First off, I went and bought one. Seemed simple enough. There are a few different kinds, you know? Some attach right to the wand, others are built into the machine, which mine wasn't fancy enough for. I got one of those bottle attachments. Looked straightforward.

So, I get home, all excited. Filled it up with car wash soap, a good brand too, not the cheap stuff. Screwed it onto my power washer wand, aimed it at the car, and… well, it wasn't exactly the thick, foamy blanket I'd seen in videos. More like sad, soapy water dribbling out. Not impressed. Not one bit.

What a letdown, seriously.

I fiddled with the little knob on it, supposed to adjust the soap mix. Turned it this way, that way. Still mostly water with a hint of soap. I thought, maybe it’s the soap? So I tried a different soap. Same sad story. Then I thought, maybe my power washer isn't powerful enough? But it blasts dirt off the driveway just fine, so that didn't make much sense.

I spent a good hour messing with it. Got more water on myself than on the car, probably. Frustrating, you know? You buy a thing, you expect it to do the thing it's supposed to do. This thing was not doing the thing.

So, I did what any sensible person does these days, I grumbled about it and then looked up what other folks were saying online. Turns out, these things can be a bit finicky. Some folks said you need a specific type of soap, others talked about water pressure, and then there's this tiny little nozzle thing inside some of them that can make all the difference. Who knew?

Round Two: The "Foam Cannon" Idea

After that initial disaster, I was about ready to give up and go back to my trusty bucket. But I’m stubborn. I saw people talking about "foam cannons" – they sounded much more heavy-duty. A bit pricier, mind you. I hesitated, because, you know, throwing good money after bad and all that. But the dream of that thick foam was still there.

So, I bit the bullet. Got myself one of these so-called foam cannons. This one felt a bit more substantial, had more brass bits, which is usually a good sign, right?

Hooked it up, filled it with the same car wash soap I'd tried before, because I wanted a fair comparison. And well, what do you know?

• First try: Still not perfect, but definitely more foam! Progress!
• Adjusted the nozzle on the cannon itself this time, and the water flow dial.
• Played with the soap-to-water ratio in the bottle. That seemed to be a big key. Too much soap, it gets gloopy. Too little, and it's back to sad soapy water.

It took some tinkering, I won't lie. More fiddling with knobs. More getting slightly sprayed. But eventually, I got it. Oh yeah. Thick, clingy foam, just like you see in the commercials. It was a beautiful sight, I tell ya. Covered the whole car in a blanket of white stuff. It actually clung to the dirt, started breaking it down before I even hit it with the high-pressure water stream.

So, did it work in the end?

Yeah, it did. The foam cannon was definitely the way to go for me. The first cheapo dispenser was just a waste of time and a bit of cash. This new one, once I figured out its quirks, actually made washing the car, and even the grimy patio furniture, a lot quicker. The foam really helps lift the dirt.

It wasn't exactly plug-and-play, even with the better one. Took some patience. But now that I've got the hang of it, the soap mixture, the settings – yeah, it’s pretty decent. Still a bit of a faff to set up and clean out the cannon afterwards, but definitely better than just spraying soapy water around or endlessly dipping a sponge. So, if you're thinking about it, maybe skip the really cheap ones and be prepared to experiment a bit. That's my two cents anyway.