Car Washing Methods – How To Wash Your Car
We go over 4 different car washing methods for cleaning your car and get into the pros and cons of each method. By the end of this article I hope that I’ve shared how to wash your car safely, more efficiently, and given you ideas to try out!
One Bucket Washing Method
The one bucket wash method is one of the simplest car washing methods. It consists of a wash mitt and one bucket. The wash mitt gets dunked in the bucket of car soap, a panel of the car cleaned with the mitt, and the wash mitt dunked in the same bucket. This method has the minimal amount of supplies and is pretty convenient, however the wash water becomes contaminated and could scratch your paint.
Two Bucket Washing Method
With the two bucket wash method, one bucket is used for the car washing soap and the other bucket is used with a grit guard to rinse the mitt off. This method reduces the chances of any debris getting reintroduced to your paint in the car washing process.
This is safer than the One Bucket Wash Method but does require more effort and equipment including added time rinsing the mitt in a separate bucket. Read on to hear about the Multiple Mitt Method!
Multiple Mitt Washing Method
The Multiple Mitt Method is where you have one bucket and enough mitts to wash the entire car without having to rinse or reuse a mitt. This is my preferred method as I think it’s the safest for your paint. The mitt isn’t being dunked into contaminated water and being reused. I like to have an extra bucket nearby to toss the used wash mitts into.
The Multiple Mitt Method combines the convenience of the One Bucket Wash Method and greatly reduces the risk of scratching your paint. One drawback of this method is the increased cost due to purchasing multiple car wash mitts.
Rinseless Washing Method
The rinseless wash method conserves water and can be a safe and effective way to clean your car. Rinseless washing consists of washing the car with a rinseless solution, usually diluted 256:1, and the car is cleaned with a sponge or microfiber towels. After cleaning the paint, a drying towel is used to dry the car and there’s no need to get out your hose!
Two popular rinseless wash solutions are Optimum No Rinse and Mckees N914. These are both great products and can double as a clay lubricant or paint prep. The rinseless solution can be pre-applied with a spray bottle or pressure sprayer to encapsulate dirt before the initial contact wash.
One option is to use a sponge, like the Rag Company UBS, and the cleaning process is similar to the One Bucket Wash Method. The thought behind a sponge and the rinseless product is that the encapsulated dirt lifts from the sponge and sinks to the bottom. Another option is to use microfiber towels instead of a sponge. My favorite for this are the Rag Company Edgeless 365. Using microfiber towels would be similar to the Multiple Mitt Method where each section of the towel is used once. The microfiber towel is folded twice so that only a quarter of the towel is used, allowing for 8 passes on the car per towel. When cleaning with microfiber towels, try to rotate your hand in so that a new part of the microfiber towel is in contact with the paint.
Rinseless washing is a quick and effective way to wash your car. This method saves water over the traditional wash method by not having to rinse your car. I’ve also found rinseless washing to be easier with less setup and can be done anywhere. This is my go to method on a lighter soiled vehicle.
Car Washing Supplies
- Home Depot bucket or Adam’s Bucket with Gamma Seal Lid and Grit Guard. The Adam’s bucket uses higher quality plastic and will last longer than the HD bucket. It also comes with a grit guard and gamma seal lid. The gamma seal lid is useful saving any wash solution and mitts for use the next time you wash your car.
- Car wash mitts
- A good car wash soap like Meguiar’s Hyper Wash. It provides good value by having a high dilution ratio and costs about $30 when this article was published.
- Grit Guard
Upgrade Picks
What I use to enhance the cleaning effectivenss and experience:
- Sun Joe Pressure Washer. I like the form factor of this unit and it’s been reliable for me (Also, Sun Joe has a two year warranty).
- MJCC Foam Cannon V3.0. MJCC makes the best foam cannon out there. I use the MJCC V2, although I can’t currently find it on Amazon, so the upgraded V3 model is linked. I was previously using the MTM Hydro PF22.2, however MJCC’s foam cannon produces better foam and has superior build quality. Double check the foam cannon connector for your pressure washer.
- P&S Bead Maker or Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer are great drying aids that add protection to your paint during the drying process! Sonax BSD can be diluted 5:1 with distilled water and makes your paint bead.
Tips!
- Wash your car in straight lines, horizontal or vertical, and top to bottom. This reduces the chances of creating swirl marks and the dirtiest areas left for last.
- Glide the wash mitt across the paint without applying too much pressure.
- And, most importantly, have fun!
A Quick Note on Washing Microfiber
When washing microfiber, it’s best to use a dye and scent free detergent. I pick up All Free & Clear from Costco or the Kirkland brand, whichever is cheaper. Your microfiber can also be thrown in the dryer without any dryer sheets and on the low heat setting.
When it’s time to dry your car, check out my review of the best car drying towel!
