As per the subject, will it be odd or laughable if I use leaf blower to dry my car?
I just like the idea of blow-drying the car, logically easier streak-free result.
If it's fine, what's the right sequence after you rinse all the shampoo off the car? Do you wipe with drying towel first or blow first then drying towel?
but is it odd to use leaf blower for automotive? would you laugh at me if I blow dry my car?
well unless you have a back mounted one like in your pic, probably wont have much drying power. As well as it taking absolutely forever.
absolutely… not out loud at you that is.. maybe huddle with the other neighbours for a giggle.
I would laugh but who cares what an internet stranger would do! That being said a chamois is a better option.
The only reasons I would laugh at you:
1] The air won't be warm enough to actually dry anything. You will most likely just move the water droplets from one place to another.
2] The air is not filtered. So, you would be blowing contaminated air back onto your vehicle body right after cleaning it.
U ever open your windows at a commercial car wash? I have. Wanna know a secret? That air isn’t warm…
@2025: Yes but it's high powered and spread enough that it will blow the droplots off.
I can't imagine any leaf blower is going to be able to blow all the water off without spending a good 10-15 minutes circling the car
@Nereosis: U ever try an Ego blower? I have. Wanna know a secret? It blows. A lot. I would try it on my car but I don’t want to get laughed at.
good point about the filtering…never thought of that! So would probably need a HEPA rated minimum filter so you get nice clean air blow drying the water droplets off.
I use a cheapie ozito battery blower to get the bulk off quickly and then chamois it dry or let it dry then spray on detail.
Definitely be by the window and calling the wife to laugh at the idiot giving his car a blow job.
I'd wait in line for him to give me a blow job!
I use my ryobi battery powered leaf blower to shift most of the water off then mop up the remaining droplets with a microfibre cloth. Swirl marks greatly reduced.
Chamois? Is it still the 90s? It's all about microfibre these days.
OP, you can use a blower. It works but it's not really any quicker than using a drying towel and if you pair that with a drying aid like Bowdens Own Afterglow you're adding some protection while drying.
The thought is it minimizes swirl marks as their is no rubbing on the paintwork,
I have heard people recommending microfibre lately, including some of my favourite you tubers, but in defence of the old chammy:
-They are quite cheap, the SCA ones are decent enough and sometimes are on sale for a few bucks
-they do a good job, and hold lots of water
-they give me an opportunity to inspect the car closely, and clean up anything I may have missed (a microfibre towel let's you do this but not a blower so much)
-they last forever if you take care of them by keeping them moist
-they don't leave plastic fibres in the environment
My dad used one on his cars and after 15 years they still looked new, so the fine scratches people talk about weren't a problem IMO
@MrFrugalSpend: The chammies that I have a not made from animal skins, they are all basically artificial, but they just don't shed microfibers
You win on the plastic fibres argument, but I can throw up an alternative vegan/animal friendly argument
i bought my chamois in 2002… when i bought a new car back then, i'm still using it. longevity is key.
Those cheap ones are usually synthetic and often a form of plastic. I used genuine chamois for decades but times and technology change. Microfibre today is superior.
-they don't leave plastic fibres in the environment
Small correction here, Microfiber cloths are by definition small plastic fibers.
They are all made of polyester and nylon.
chamois? ew
aka dead animal skin
Not ewe, more like goat.
i'd be impressed if you said you own or use nothing derived from animal products..
A better point is why use an animal derived product like a chamois when a microfibre drying towel is better
@teacherer: Natural chamois is 100% biodegradable and renewable and contain no plastics.
Microfibre towels are made from micro plastics and microfibres and can release tiny mictoplastics into run off water.
I was converted to using Bowden's Own Big Green Sucker Microfibre Towel.
Much better than a chamois.
What is the right one then? All the ones I've used all still leave water droplets which will stain the paint, wet or dry. Been thinking about using distilled water to wash cars now…..they won't leave stains even if you have water droplets or huge lone waterfall from parts of the car that can't be dried up without blowing.
what i usually do is wash and dry the car in the shade. usually in the morning or afternoon.
never get droplet marks or stains.
dude just get Bowdens Big Green Sucker. Very frequently on special at super cheap.
I bought a Big Sucker a while ago and it is streets ahead of using a chamois on the car or bike. Strongly recommend.
Yep 100%! Get the bowdens big green sucker before buying anything else,see how it goes
You will use it even if you eventually get a blower, as it still wont be completely dry
Save your coin, get the BGS and give it a go for a few washes 👍
Big green sucker with Boss Gloss, job perfectly done.
I won't lie. I had the idea from hairdryer.
Who gives a shit what your neighbour thinks if it has the required result and saves you time and effort?
In fact, if it works, neighbour may even copy OP!
I am his neighbour, and I laugh at this thread
I have black cars, I use a blower to dry then microfiber towel if needed. Much more efficient as you can get into sills between the panels and quicker. Washing a car will take 5-10min for me.
I use a small cordless electric unit, both of my cars have ceramic coating. Think also a ceramic hybrid wax may also reduce water surface tension so can use a small blower as well. Without a ceramic coating be a PITA
https://www.bunnings.com.au/bosch-blue-gbl-18v-120-professio…
This above is correct way to do it ^^^^^ only different is I use a powerful ego blower.
Blower gets rids of the large water particles and gets the water out of cracks, gaps, etc. Then use the Microfiber towel to dry off the last of the water.
Yes you need the Ego blower.
Get a pet dryer - basically a big compressor thing with a hose. that will dry it nice and fast
but also you're going to get spots all over your car if you're not wiping the water off.
I second pet dryer for all the nooks and crannies. You just need an extension cord to get around the whole car. But for most parts multiple (not one) microfibre clothes will do the job.
Provided you're not wearing a bikini and heels to wash your car your neighbour probably won't laugh at you.
Who cares what they think, do you live for them or for yourself ?
Would going for 5min drive be easier?
that's actually a nice idea. why didn't I think about this solution? I'm assuming you've done this in the past? well obviously you have to accelerate to achieve the objective.
Motorbike yes. Car never bother.
You wont be able to dry the back unless you're doing some high speed reversing as well.
nahhh…the left over water will just pick up the dust and car gets dirty again
Yeah as opposed to the hepa filtered purified air the blower will be providing…
Garden Blower for Drying Car?
I recently installed one of these in my garage.
Works better than a garden blower.
My neighbour did give me a wtf look when she saw me. It didn't work that well anyway and I am using a drying towel from now on. Blow first as the water droplets are bigger and easier for the blower to push.
"Streak free finish" and "blow dry car" don't really belong in the same sentence.
Also, who gives a (fropanity) what your neighbours think.
Wanted setup a "Blow'n go" car wash, wash to be optional
I've been using the california blade jelly, works a treat
As an extra precaution, i like to dip it in the soapy solution before running it down the body
You can interpret your comment in a few different ways.
mfw california blade jelly
I always use the blower to get the excess water off before drying with a chamois.
Just make sure its a blower only, not a blower vac! You don't want bits of crap flying out from the last use as a vac.
Taking the car for a drive would have the same effect?
Cost more in fuel though.
Wash your car 10 minutes before you need to go to the shops?
That’s even more expensive - depending what you buy!
Nowadays blowers are generally used for hard to reach places with a microfibre to finish. On the detailing fb pages you'll frequently see people using a garden blower to do this.
Chamois are old school and nowadays people say they scratch.
Yep, Makita blower for me.
I use this one specifically - https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/510338 - I don't think Makita sell this particular model any more though.
At the time, it had a higher velocity than the larger outlet ones Makita stock. It was the better pick for me as I have lots of gum nuts in my driveway and double duty for the car is perfect as the higher velocity clears out water from the grill, fog lights, door handles, gutters, etc. with ease.
Follow up with Bowden's BGS and some Boss Gloss for a silky smooth finish. 👌
hahahha
I Don't Want My Neighbour to Laugh at Me
they monitor your movements?
i have pretty high self-conscious
If your neighbors are polite then they will laugh at you behind your back and you will never know.
Car detailer I know uses a makita battery blower and a microfibre. I tried it and now that's all I do.
so blow then wipe?
its more like, one hand has a microfibre cloth, other hand has the blower.
Blow on ,wipe off.
Mr miyagi is that you?
the question is not how silly you would look but how effective it actually is, i'm curious to try this myself
Just when you thought you'd heard it all… OzB comes to the rescue.
I have an ego blower i use to get water out of Bailey channels, mirror surrounds, grill etc. No good gor drying.
This is what you need: https://www.carcareproducts.com.au/blo-air-gt-car-dryer.html
Heats 30c above ambient, i think as well to dry.
If you keep your car waxed, then I think the blower would work very well. You want to push the water off the car, not evaporate it.
If it's not waxed, then I think the water wouldn't roll off the paint well enough. You'd be better off drying with a microfibre towel.
Cheap air compressor?
I used to fire up my air compressor when washing both our cars to check the tyre pressures and to help when drying them with a chamois.
It was great for getting all the water out of the front grille, around the headlights and the roof channels….no annoying drips later on.
A petrol powered leaf blower also does the trick.
Yeah if you want a fine mist of oil all over your car. Unless you are going to use a water/oil trap and filter it's not worth it.
air compressors dont spit oil….
Do some research before you make blanket statements. They can and do. While this is an issue more relevant to industrial applications, it's still relevant. Especially with a "cheap air compressor".
@meowsers: I just did some googling and thats all old news. New compressors dont spit oil unless the piston rings are broke or something else which is of course rare….
I've used a leaf blower to dry my cars for years. It's only used to dry cars so it doesn't pick up any contaminations.
The mini blowers are a waste of money, not enough power, but the Ozito electric is good enough.
I use my Milwaukee 18v leaf blower with my bowdens big green sucker just to blow water out of areas like the mirror and panel gaps etc.
I do exactly this. My car has a ceramic coat applied, which aids in beading.
The blower is incredibly effective for a pre-chamois dry. I'm sure I get weird looks, but none weirder than the looks I give my car once it's clean (hubba-hubba).
+1
I have a ceramic coat and the only way I dry my car is with a blower. I actually don't touch it with a microfibre cloth at all - the whole point is to not run the risk of trapping dirt or grit in your microfibre cloth and damaging the paintwork. I think it wouldn't work without the ceramic coat, but with a ceramic coat I find I don't need to get the last bits with a microfibre cloth and they are so small they end up rolling off or drying without leaving water marks.
It doesn't save any time but it basically eliminates any chance you have of swirl marks. I've had my car almost a decade and the paintwork looks fantastic - like new. My last car I washed and took care of extensively and somewhere around Year 6, I must have gotten a tiny bit of dirt trapped because I got swirl marks somewhere around then. So I swear by the leaf blower approach now.
I’d like to see somebody in a pink frilly robe with a hairdryer drying their car. Gender doesn’t matter but a clown nose would also help.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Use a squeegee first and then microfiber cloth.
Why not go the whole hog and use a heat gun, That way you can get it back to a perfectly smooth metal finish. And yes… they are laughing at you.
i normally take the car for a quick drive to blow the excess water off and then chamois. I get that the blower wouldnt be drying it per se (comments above saying not hot enough) but yeah I guess blowing it off would do the same
Saying that - the new car feeling wore off and so I tend to just park it in the garage to air dry or if I could be bothered just the shammy. I like the idea of the blower though! might give it a go as it is easier than driving lol. I've got a blower https://www.bunnings.com.au/air-movement-sc_p0144389?store=6… which I use to clear out the garage when the cars are out getting their yearly wash (one good thing about covid isolation I guess - the car does a tank of fuel a month max)
thanks the idea!
Ozito make cheap small garden blowers but their are different versions with different powers outputs. I think what is lacking is a nozzle that is wide and thin to spread the air so you are hitting a wider area.
Just use a chammy!
use the right chamois. and you wont need to blow dry…