What is Wash'n'Wax?
Quick answer: A wash-and-wax is a car shampoo with wax additives that cleans while leaving a thin protective layer. It boosts gloss and water beading, but is short-lived -- handy between proper waxing.
Wash'n'Wax was a product made famous in the UK by Turtle Wax, but "wash and wax" is the name given to a whole category of two-in-one shampoo and wax products.
You add it to your bucket as you would any other car shampoo and wash the car normally. The shampoo carries wax that stays behind as you rinse and dry, giving a bit of shine and some light protection. All the major car care brands produce a similar product, and they all do pretty much the same thing.
The protection is not long-lived, but the assumption is that you will reach for the bottle again next time you wash the car, so it does not need to be.
We recommend these products, not for the level of protection, but because they are so easy -- even easier than spray-on waxes -- which means the car actually gets waxed often. They can also be used over the top of a long-life wax, a polymer sealant or even a ceramic coating. Dry the car properly with a good-quality microfibre towel and you should get a streak-free finish on paintwork, glass, chrome, plastic and rubber. And if you would rather go fishing or watch football than stand in the drive with a bucket, this is essentially the same product pumped through automated car washes and dispensed when you hit the "wax" button at the jet wash.
Across this site and any other source of sensible car-care advice, you will hear us repeat: use a pH-neutral shampoo designed for cars. Whatever the brand, wash'n'wax products are exactly that -- a good-quality pH-neutral shampoo with extra ingredients on top. The caveat with using wash'n'wax weekly on a ceramic-coated car is that the wax residue builds up on top of the coating and slowly masks how it is performing. See how to wash a car with a ceramic coating for the recommended weekly routine on a coated car.