Wash your car... The right way.

[henrythomas]

Hi to all,

Yes, there is a right way to wash your car. The better you wash your car correctly, the less you'll have to maintain it, polish it, and worry about swirls. Washing your car is the number one cause of 'spider' swirls in your paint. Guess what's number 2? Drying it.

What you'll need:

* 2 - 5 gallon bucket(s)
* Car Wash Soap (not dish soap)
* 2 - Wool Wash Mitt(s) (DO NOT USE A SPONGE)
* Wheel Brush
* Wheel Cleaner


Wash Mitts can be purchased from walmart for ~$5. Make sure its wool, the one below is definitely available at walmart in the auto care section. The reason we don't use a sponge is because it has holes (porous) which pick up dirt and debris from your car, get stuck, and then get dragged all over your paint the remainder of the wash causing scratches.


If you drop this on the floor, throw it out!

Preparation:

* Pour a small amount of soap into the 1st bucket and fill it with water.
* Fill the second bucket with just water.
* Label the tags on your wash mitts 1 & 2
* Hose down the entire car from top to bottom until its completely wet, Doing this in the shade works better.


Cleaning:

* Starting with your wheels, spray your wheel cleaner on your rims & tires, and scrub with your wheel brush. After each wheel is done hose down all of them starting with the one you started with.
* Take mitt #1 and place it in bucket #1 until its soapy. Start washing your car from TOP to BOTTOM. This means start with the roof, then hood & trunk, then doors & bumpers, then underside.
* Wash ONE panel at a time, just gently dragging the mitt across the paints surface. DO NOT SCRUB. If it doesn't come clean the first time, wash that panel again. After you do one panel, dip your mitt into bucket #2 (clean water) to get all the soap and dirt off, then spray the mitt with the hose, and place it back in bucket #1. Now hose your panel off, and repeat for each panel that follows.
* Do the above until it is time to wash the underside of your side skirts, bumpers, door jams, et cetera... For this part you will wash with Mitt #2. The reason why we have two mitts is because Mitt #2 will get extremely dirty and greasy and it's best that it is saved for extremely dirty and greasy places... not your paints visible surface. Start with your door jams, highest to lowest, rinsing the mitt in bucket #2 after each section, and finish with the underside of your side skirts and bumpers.
* If you are satisfied after hosing the entire car down, the best way to dry the car is with an air compressor, and to PAT dry the remaining water with big clean cotton towels or microfiber cloths. You should never drag anything against your paints surface, unless you are polishing and buffing.

[2010 SSRS]

I use a leaf blower to dry mine, it works absolutely awesome.

[wrek]

I'm planning on getting a rain water collector for washing and rinsing my car. I'll collect it, run it through a filter and use it. Water in my area is moderately hard and has a TDS of over 400.

[cliffy]

Another good way when washing the exterior paint with bucket #1 is to have hose running sans sprayhead and mitt with one hand while rinsing with the other at the same time. Takes some coordination but I have found it leaves the dirtss suspended and on its way off the car in a constant river of water. I can wach the whole car in 5 mins so the neighbors wont yell at me for wasting water

[Mark25]

If you use Prolong's Waterless Wash and Shine, you won't have to worry about a bucket and hose and best of all it never scratches...I use the stuff on all of my cars.