While one dish soap or baby shampoo is often just as good as another for washing dishes or even babies, that isn’t necessarily the case when it’s used for installing film. It turns out, tinters are just as picky about the brand of soap they use in slip solution as they are about the type of soap they use in the solution.

Many installers who use dish soap in slip solution prefer Dawn, but that isn’t always the case.

All About Joy

Ashley Logsdon of Joplin, Missouri-based Tint N More takes an “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach to her slip solution soap of choice. While many installers who prefer dish soap gravitate toward Dawn, Logsdon chooses Joy instead. She says it is a bit of a family recipe.

“That’s what my dad used, so he taught me to use it, too,” says Logsdon. “I stick with that brand because I know it works.”

Logsdon has tried Dawn before, but says it works “a little too well.”

“It’s great that Dawn cuts through grease, but that means it eats through film adhesive too,” she says. “Joy is a bit milder.”

Logsdon adjusts her soap ratio based on temperature and humidity, and says she doesn’t need to be as precise as some of those who use Dawn.

A Generational Find

Sean Gill has tried many soaps over the years, but he came to appreciate his current favorite while learning a new skill.

“I use the Seventh Generation brand of soap,” says the owner of Tint Man Gill Inc. in Sumter, South Carolina. “That’s what my instructor had me use when I learned how to install paint protection film (PPF) three years ago. He mentioned it also worked for tint.”

Gill decided there wasn’t a point in buying two different kinds of soaps, so he started using Seventh Generation for both tint and PPF. The soap has another advantage over other brands he’s tried, Gill adds.

“I used to come back from vacation after a week to find the solution I’d mixed all coagulated and useless,” he says. “I’d have to pour out the whole batch and mix it again. I don’t have that problem with Seventh Generation.”

That alone made using it a “no-brainer” to for Gill, who says he discovered other benefits.

“The soap is hypoallergenic, which is nice,” he says. “It’s also clear, so it doesn’t stain door panels like some tinted soaps do.”

The Tale of Two Slip Solutions

Melvin Galdamez of ClearVista Window Tinting in Thurmont, Maryland, uses two different slip solutions, depending on the kind of film he’s using.

“I use baby shampoo for pressure-sensitive (PS) film, but I have to use Fusion All Type solution for clear distortion-free/dry adhesive (CDF) film,” he says.

Galdamez explains that the adhesive coat on PS film is thick and activates quickly, and baby shampoo gives him plenty of slip to move the film around before the adhesive dries.

CDF film is a different story.

“That activates much more slowly,” Galdamez says. “The last time I used baby shampoo on CDF film, the tint started curling up on itself.”

Galdamez considered using Fusion for all his work, but ultimately decided against it.

“I really don’t like Fusion’s smell,” he says. “Plus, customers like hearing that I’m using baby shampoo. They’re more comfortable with something they’re familiar with than they are with a tint-specific product they’ve never heard of.”