Detailers know that the two bucket method is the best way to get your exterior clean. Use one bucket to hold your clean suds, and another bucket to hold clean water. Before you dip your cleaning mitt into the clean suds, rinse it off in the clean water bucket and wring it dry. Then, you're always putting a clean mitt into the clean suds that will go on your car. If you only use one bucket, you are simply moving dirt off your car, into your suds and back onto your car. It is also advisable to use a Grit Guard insert, it will help sediment settle to the bottom of your wash bucket, instead of getting stirred up in the water and re-deposited on your wash mitt.
2: Use Microfibre towels
Pro detailers use color-coded, task-specific microfiber cloths and towels for greater efficiency, lower friction and scratching and easier washing, rinsing and drying. (wash your different colour microfiber towels as a separate load, do not mixed with your regular laundry and rags. Microfiber will trap the lint from cotton towels, defeating the purpose of the wash. Use very little detergent and do not use fabric softener, as it will coat the fibers and inhibit microfiber's qualities. Buy good quality MF's if you want the best result.
3: Use Good Quality Car Care Products (Not dishwashing liquid or other detergents - you get what you pay for)
A good quality Car Wash Shampoo will cost you more, but it will be worth it. Cheap Shampoo's are often harsh on your paintwork and can cause the surface to look dull. Good quality Shampoo's are often highly concentrated, last longer and provide much better lubrication.
What you should DO:
DO wash one area at a time. Doing one section at a time will help keep the soapy water from drying before you have a chance to rinse it off.
DO give your car a good pre-wash rinse, to remove loose dirt and debris. You don’t want to take a chance of getting something abrasive stuck under your sponge or towel, leaving tiny scratches in your paint.
DO use separate buckets for sudsy water and for rinse water, and DO rinse out your mitt often.
DO use a special bug-and-tar remover to get these difficult substances off your paint. Use a different MF or mitt for this job, since the tar and grease will blacken whatever you use to remove it.
DO rinse off the suds and dirt properly before drying the surface.
DO hand-dry your car with a good quality drying towel.
Step One:
Start with the wheels. Cleaning the wheels first instead of last will keep any wheel dirt from flying onto the car you just washed.
Use the 2 bucket system.
What you will need:
1. Soft paint brushes that will not mar the surface of your wheel, Magg brushes and an old tooth brush. - These will help you get to all the hard to reach places and enable you to clean the rims properly.
2. A Good quality wheel cleaner. - Use a good quality rim cleaner such as CarPro's Iron X. This will breakdown break dust that accumulate on the rims during day-to-day driving.
3. Drying towels
Lets start....
First rinse then wash the rims and rinse again. Spray the rim cleaning solution on, ensuring that you cover the whole rim, in between the spokes and wheel nuts. Leave the cleaning solution on for about 5 minutes, then use your brushes to agitate the surface and loosen the dirt. When all the dirt is loose, rinse, wash again with car shampoo and rinse again. Dry properly.
Step Two:
Add the proper amount of shampoo to the water as recommended on the label instructions. Using a strong jet of water, and fill the bucket, this will also activate the suds. Fill the second bucket with clean, water for rinsing your wash mitt.
Thoroughly rinse the vehicle’s surface to remove the loose dirt and grime before you begin washing the surface. If the paint is excessively dirty or you wish to add more protection, use a foam cannon to pre-soak the vehicle prior to rinsing.
When washing your vehicle always go from top to bottom, never the opposite. Dirt will automatically roll down and usually the dirtiest parts of your vehicle are those parts closest to the ground. You do not want to move that dirt up onto the paint surface and risk scratching it.
Load up your wash mitt or use a separate sponge, with your car wash solution and wring it out over the wash surface. This will act like a pre-soak and helps loosen surface dirt or alternatively use a foam lance.Soaking the surface adds more sudsy water to the surface and more lubricity helps safely wash the grime away without scratching.
Keep your wash areas small and rinse your wash mitt frequently in the second bucket.
Wash in straight, overlapping lines (no circles) and be gentle with the wash mitt on the first pass. This first pass will pick up the majority of the dirt, and loosens the remaining dirt for pick up on the second pass. Remember to clean and rinse one panel at a time, you do not want the suds drying on the surface.
Rinse your vehicle completely and let the water run or sheet over the surface. This helps in two ways. First, generally when water has “sheeted” off of a surface it tends to leave fewer residual droplets behind. This means less drying time. Second, since there is less water to pick up, there is less chance of your leaving water behind to spot the vehicle.
When you dry your car, use only high quality microfiber waffle weave drying towels and wring out often. Gently dry the surface without much pressure. You don’t need to rub the surface. Now use a second towel to lightly pick up any remaining streaks or droplets.
Step Three:
Read further in the Forum on what to do next. Polish, Wax or Seal
