Professional automotive detailers from the West Coast have devised a two bucket method of hand washing their customer’s automobiles and trucks. Using two buckets to wash a car by hand is something used by the show car circuit. They never use a commercial car wash, the kind with the floppy brushes on their beautiful finishes. That is a sin to be avoided on the show car circuit for sure.
Cars cost $25,000 and up today for just average models. Modern paint jobs for automobiles are great. The clear coats that automobile companies use are quite durable. However, the paint coating is only a few thousandths of an inch thick and can be scratched quite easily. Ever notice swirl marks on a car’s finish? Especially on a dark colored car? Somehow, grit and dirt was caught on a sponge, or mitt, and the circular motion scratches the paint.
The two bucket method solves the problem of dirt scratching your valuable paint job. One bucket has the soapy water that you wash the paint surface with. The second bucket has the rinse water that you rinse off the sponge(don’t use a sponge) or washing mitt in.
Please invest in a sheepskin car washing mitt. The fibers of the sheepskin tend to work dirt away from the surface. A good sheepskin wash mitt will last for years. Just make sure you rinse it thoroughly after each use. Please don’t use a sponge! Dirt and scratchy stuff can get caught on the sponge and scratch. The pros use a sheepskin mitt to keep swirl marks off their beautiful car finishes. A wise idea to use.
Wash your car in the shade. If the finish is too hot the paint softens and scratches easier. Wet the car thoroughly with a gentle stream of water. Don’t use full force spray! This can grind grit into the paint finish. Just a thorough wetting is sufficient.
Never use dish detergent, because this will remove the wax! Use an appropriate car washing solution sold on the automotive aisles of your favorite store. Fill up your bucket with water first. Then add the car washing solution. You don’t want a whole bunch of foamy bubbles. Once you’ve added an ounce or two of the car soap then swirl it around with your mitt to get the suds.
Start at the roof first. Watch a 2 foot section with clean, soapy water. Then rinse your sheepskin mitt and shake it around in the rinse water to dislodge any dirt particles that can scratch the finish.
There is a round grid-like plastic gadget, you can buy that fits in the bottom of a 5 gallon pail. The idea is that the grid allows dirt to settle to the bottom of the rinse bucket and not scratch the paint.
Work in sections and rinse quickly to prevent the suds from drying. Dried suds residue can scratch the paint. Don’t let the suds dry. Rinse them off to avoid any paint damage.
You’ve started at the roof, and washed the surface by sections. As you work, you have rinsed thoroughly. Now you are finished. The next step is to dry the car thoroughly. Those micro-fiber towels soak up many times their weight in water. Get a few to do a proper job.
You’ve done an excellent job of hand washing your car, and have dried it properly. Using two buckets has kept dirt and grit from scratching your expensive paint job. Now you are ready to apply a coat of wax, or liquid polish. The type of wax or polish is a whole different article. Give the two bucket hand wash system a try. You will be pleased with the result.
