Sonax Multistar is a highly versatile, alkaline All Purpose Cleaner that can be used for many parts of the cleaning process. It is safe on both the interior and exterior and is safe up to a dilution of 1:5
Interior
For general interior cleaning, depending on dirt level 1:100 is often enough, though you can use it up to 1:5 if needed for disaster cars. The exact dilution very much depends on the dirt.
It can also be used on fabric, 1:10 is a great dilution for this, but keep in mind that it is quite foamy so use a defoamer in your extractor tank. It should not be used on leather or on prints on plastic. On fabric, due to its alkaline nature it should always be extracted with water in order to neutralize it.
Exterior
Pre Wash
Multistar has an excellent pre-cleaning ability, that greatly benefits from being foamed on, and allowed to dwell. It can tackle insects and road grime with ease. For cleaning of static dirt, dwell time is needed. It works great at 1:10 in a foam cannon or 1:20-1:100 in a foam or pump sprayer (1:50 is what I use).
If needed, you can always increase up to 1:5 but often, a much more diluted cleaner does the job very well. It truly is a pleasure to foam it as it makes a very nice foam that runs down the car and you can visually see it taking the dirt with it.
Insect removal
Mostly as part of a regular pre wash, Multistar has no issues dealing with insects and, with some dwell time, will even handle insects that have been left longer than they should.
Wheels and Tires
Multistar is an excellent alkaline wheel and tyre cleaner, you can just use your pre-wash leftovers, it is great with contact, cleans well, and feels slick. It does well on maintenance washes and packs quite a bit of grunt. Due to its alkaline nature it also removes browning but, due to its gentle to rubber nature, it is not the strongest here – though it’s usually enough, especially if the car is somewhat well-maintained.
Watch this wheel getting cleaned with 1:50 Multistar during a maintenance wash – only the pre wash process is shown, a follow up contact wash with a pH neutral soap did the final touches.
Decon/Post-polishing wash
Multistar at 1:100 in the bucket works amazingly well as an alkaline contact wash, removing stubborn dirt with ease, and works very well on excessively dirty cars. It can also be used to wash away polish residue.
Pad Cleaning chemical
Multistar also is great as a pad cleaning chemical, in this aspect it can even be used undiluted and left to dwell for a bit to get the pad like new.
It truly lives up to its name in all aspects. For almost any situation where you would need an alkaline, all-purpose cleaner – Multistar excels. It is also safe on rubber gaskets, coatings, and most sealants. It has a nice, fresh laundry fragrance, and works at surprisingly high dilutions. Experiment a bit, you probably don’t need a high concentration!