The price on the container tells you very little. What matters is how far it goes. Enter the price, the size and the dilution ratio and this calculator shows what each wash costs, how many washes a container gives and what you spend in a year.
1 part product to this many parts water.
One foam cannon bottle is usually 1 litre. A wash bucket is 10 to 20.
Optional. See what a stronger or weaker mix would do to the yearly bill.
How the sums work
- Product per wash = mix used ÷ (ratio + 1). A ratio of 1:15 means 1 part product to 15 parts water, so a 1 litre mix holds 62.5 ml of product.
- Washes per container = container size ÷ product per wash. 5 litres ÷ 62.5 ml is 80 washes.
- Cost per wash = container price ÷ washes per container.
- Cost per year = cost per wash × washes a week × weeks worked.
Why price per litre misleads
Two concentrates at the same price per litre can cost very different amounts to use. The number to compare is the cost of a litre of ready to use mix:
- A 5 litre container at £34.99 that dilutes 1:15 makes 80 litres of mix. That is £0.44 a litre.
- A 5 litre container at £25.00 that dilutes 1:5 makes 30 litres of mix. That is £0.83 a litre, almost double, from the cheaper container.
What SoapX concentrates cost per wash
Worked from the current list prices on this site and the ratios on the labels.
| Product | Container | Ratio | One mix | Product in it | Mixes per container | Cost per mix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No.02 Snow Foam, Summer or Winter | 5 L at £34.99 | 1:15 | 1 L cannon bottle | 62.5 ml | 80 | £0.44 |
| Snow foam, Summer or Winter | 1 L at £12.99 | 1:15 | 1 L cannon bottle | 62.5 ml | 16 | £0.81 |
| Snow foam, Extreme | 5 L at £36.99 | 1:10 | 1 L cannon bottle | 90.9 ml | 55 | £0.67 |
| No.01 Pre Rinse and Bug Remover, Summer or Winter | 5 L at £34.99 | 1:10 | 1.5 L pump sprayer | 136 ml | 36.7 | £0.95 |
| Pre rinse, Extreme | 5 L at £36.99 | 1:5 | 1.5 L pump sprayer | 250 ml | 20 | £1.85 |
| No.05 Contact Shampoo, Summer or Winter | 1 L at £14.99 | 1:200 | 20 L bucket | 99.5 ml | 10 | £1.49 |
| Shampoo, Summer or Winter | 1 L at £14.99 | 1:200 | 10 L bucket | 49.8 ml | 20.1 | £0.75 |
| Shampoo, Extreme | 1 L at £15.99 | 1:100 | 20 L bucket | 198 ml | 5 | £3.17 |
Delicate formulas cost the same per container as Extreme and dilute at the same ratio as Summer and Winter.
How dilution changes the yearly bill
One 5 litre container at £34.99, a 1 litre mix per wash and 30 washes a week for 52 weeks. Only the ratio changes.
| Ratio | Product per wash | Cost per wash | Containers a year | Cost a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1:5 | 167 ml | £1.17 | 52.0 | £1,819 |
| 1:10 | 90.9 ml | £0.64 | 28.4 | £992 |
| 1:15 | 62.5 ml | £0.44 | 19.5 | £682 |
| 1:20 | 47.6 ml | £0.33 | 14.9 | £520 |
| 1:30 | 32.3 ml | £0.23 | 10.1 | £352 |
Common questions
How do I work out the cost per wash of a car cleaning product?
Divide the mix you use by the ratio plus one to get the product per wash. Divide the container size by that to get washes per container. Then divide the container price by the washes. A £34.99 5 litre snow foam at 1:15 in a 1 litre bottle uses 62.5 ml a wash, gives 80 washes and costs £0.44 a wash.
How much does snow foam cost per wash?
For SoapX snow foam at 1:15 in a 1 litre foam cannon bottle, about £0.44 a wash from the 5 litre container and about £0.81 from the 1 litre bottle, at the current list prices.
Is a 5 litre container cheaper than a 1 litre bottle?
Per litre, yes. On our snow foam the 5 litre container works out at £7.00 a litre against £12.99 for the 1 litre bottle, which is about 46% less.
Does diluting more save money?
Only down to the label ratio. Past that the product cleans less, so the saving on paper is lost to extra time and rewashing.
How many washes do I get from 5 litres of snow foam?
At 1:15 in a 1 litre bottle, 80. At 1:10 it is 55.
Planning a van setup as well? The mobile valeting water tank calculator works out cars per tank and product for the day. For trade supply see bulk, trade and wholesale. You are welcome to link to this calculator.
