Two bucket wash

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Never even heard of the two bucket method. Will be implemented from now on tho.

Well worth a shot mate especially for the minimal cost of a second bucket.

You’ll really notice how dirty the rinse water gets compared to the wash water by the time you’re done. :)
 
Well worth a shot mate especially for the minimal cost of a second bucket.

You’ll really notice how dirty the rinse water gets compared to the wash water by the time you’re done. :)
I have buckets galore as I own a marine tank so loads of empty salt buckets :)
 
Yes, sponges are guaranteed scratch magnets and so last century! @PobodY - Go stand in the corner and have a long hard think about what you have done. You've let us all down but more importantly, you've let yourself down ;) :D

With tongue now removed from cheek, I would add that wash pads are actually superior to wash mitts. The reasoning is they produce less pressure on the paint surface than a wash mitt. With your hand inside a mitt you have halved the distance to the car and consequently increased your application pressure and thus the abrading power of any grit particle accidentally trapped in the mitt. Many mitts also come with rough elasticated cuffs with seams which could accidentally contact the paintwork. Have a look at this wash pad if you want to see the pinnacle in natural lambswool pads:

dooka OSHA wash pads

or if you prefer the longevity of a synthetic wash pad:

Microfiber Madness Incredipad | Microfiber Madness Car Care & Detailing Products
What product to you use to wash the car? Have you tried snow foam? I find it really effective to protect the wax coating.
 
Why not a belt and braces approach here, why not a three bucket wash, 1 wash mitt per wipe then discard. .
Or buy a silver car because they are more forgiving.

Wash it ,dry it , drive it, most of all enjoy it . which leaves more room in the garage because you’re not falling over all the buckets .
IMHO . :doh:
 
Why not a belt and braces approach here, why not a three bucket wash, 1 wash mitt per wipe then discard. .
Or buy a silver car because they are more forgiving.

Wash it ,dry it , drive it, most of all enjoy it . which leaves more room in the garage because you’re not falling over all the buckets .
IMHO . :doh:
Assuming this wasn’t tongue in cheek, I look after my car because it was the second most expensive purchase I’ve made.......
 
I've adapted to the two bucket method, it took some time to convince me, if I'm honest I thought it was just a load of piffle to start with but I have experimented a fair bit and have to admit that the results are startling.

I now use one bucket for sloshing the sponge about in and another full of ice for keeping the beers cold.
 
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I’ve been washing cars for over 50 years, the last 30 using a Karcher. If you keep your car well polished the Karcher will remove most of the muck.
Living in a rural community I give my cars a power wash every week starting off with the wheels then the underside working up to the roof.
For the last three years now I’ve used a snow foam lance then with a single bucket with added car shampoo and using a micro fibre mitt, I give the car a once over then rinse again using the Karcher and if I have time dry it off again using a new micro fibre cloth.
I clean the washing mitt by blasting it with the Karcher and it comes up spotless every time.
One full sized bucket is sufficient to wash both cars. I’ve never seen the benefit of having two buckets or one of those grit thingys as my mitt is never anywhere near the bottom of the bucket.
 
I use 3 buckets:
1. Clean soapy water
2. Rinsing water
3. Clean soapy water for the wheels.

Works a treat!
This is my method also. Might need to add a fourth bucket as the water after wheels is really filthy.
 
I’ve never seen the benefit of having two buckets or one of those grit thingys as my mitt is never anywhere near the bottom of the bucket.

Can't disagree on the grit part as you can ultimately just not venture near the bottom of the bucket. Personally I use the grit guard as a kind of wash board to ensure as much grit/dirt is removed from it it, before squeezing it out.

I washed my E Class at the weekend, it had covered around 500 dry motorway miles. In between it had sat on my driveway and gathered a bit of dust, had some rain land on it etc. Nothing too extreme.

This picture of the wash and rinse buckets once I'd finished are exactly why I stick with two buckets :

lx9rJ0M.jpg


Of course there will be an element of dirt that ends up in the wash bucket, it's unavoidable hence washing a car no matter how careful can inflict some minor marks. On the flip side, looking at the state of that rinse water, it would be a hell of a lot worse if I was using using just one bucket.
 
I'm sorry i won't come away from two bucket washing (a third for the wheels) it takes no extra effort really to have a second bucket to wash in and not so much with my car but definitely the missus (which is used for the shopping and school runs) looking at the state of the rinse water at the end just reaffirms my need for it.
 
I use the 2 bucket way & sometimes use just the one large deep bucket with a grit guard & both work well. Secret is to clean the wash mit regular & never use a sponge. I found that with the 1 deep bucket & grit guard wash on emptying the bucket there is a load of crap at the bottom under the guard like in bottom of the rinse bucket with the 2 bucket wash. I also regular wash all my drying towles & wash mits in the washing maching with a non bio wash.
 
I must admit I never really knew about the two bucket method until I bought the 63 and had it ceramic coated I was paranoid about scratching it up after :eek:

Now its just second nature and agreed doesnt take that much extra time especially having a hot water pressure wash to fill the buckets with. Seeing the difference in colour of the water especially when its quite dirty pretty much shows you everything you need to know :).
 
Never used snow foam, do you have to have a jet washer to use it? I only have a hose.

My problem with washing is the drying. I find I have to dry as I go to avoid water marks, there's no way I can wash around the whole car before the first bit's dried, so I have to dry a panel at a time, then be careful rinsing the next panel! Also have to do the wheels first because the splash is worst on the wheels, so then need to do more bucket replacement (I'd use the same bucket if I did the wheels last).
 
Never used snow foam, do you have to have a jet washer to use it? I only have a hose.

My problem with washing is the drying. I find I have to dry as I go to avoid water marks, there's no way I can wash around the whole car before the first bit's dried, so I have to dry a panel at a time, then be careful rinsing the next panel! Also have to do the wheels first because the splash is worst on the wheels, so then need to do more bucket replacement (I'd use the same bucket if I did the wheels last).
Ive seen ones that you can just connect a hose to but to be honest you need the pressure behind it to mix it up good and give it a good spray so ideally using a snow lance attachment to a pressure washer.

In regards to the drying im kind of the same I just try and work quickly and I rinse of each panel as I go and give the whole car a rinse each time to keep it wet until its dry time in which case I just drag a thick drying towel over it. I've got ceramic coating so it definitely helps out a bit.
 

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