Lets Discuss The 2 Bucket Method

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BLM

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So the weather has curtailed most outdoor detailing. That had me watching a couple videos which I do to possibly pick up any additional methods/tips. Once again the video I recently watched claimed the two bucket method was a waste of time and unnecessary. I've even seen well know detailers put the kibosh on the two bucket method. I disagree with this.

Those that claim the two bucket method as unfavorable instead often promote the double foam method. However in the double foam method they are still using a wash bucket. To me that 2nd foam is a waste of product.

If one doesn't use a rinse bucket then any dirt accumulated by ones sponge or mitt gets deposited into the wash bucket. I even converted to using a rinse bucket when using rinseless wash. Whomever determined a rinse bucket isn't needed with rinseless wash was wrong IMO.

Admittedly I have never tried using ten microfiber towels to wash my vehicle. Agreed it keeps dirt from the wash bucket but seems like it would take significantly longer to wash and just something I don't care to get into.

So let's hear your take on this.
 
I've been washing cars for longer than I've been driving, but the two-bucket method was introduced to me when I joined detailing forums 20 years ago. It was one of those lightbulb moments, and when I started doing rinseless, I couldn't imagine doing it without a rinse bucket. I have never been able to get myself to like the "multiple media method", however I keep trying.

The idea of putting dirty water back onto your vehicle just seems antithetical to the whole point of washing your car in the first place, and it's even more amplified in the rinseless scenario.
 
I never heard of the two bucket method until i found this place in 2021. Tried it, didnt like it as it took to long. Then i tried 1 wash media for a while and would rinse off with hose before redunking...it was ok of a process. Finally found my happy place with the hybrid wash so to speak.

Foam, then pw rinse then 12 wash media's in a bucket for either rinseless or a regular bucket wash. For me atleast it is without a doubt much faster of a wash than having to use the same media over and over again. I have never looked back.

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I use the 2BM if I'm washing a car that has been driven through rain and has road film on it. Or an interstate trip where it has picked up muck on its journey.

More often I do single bucket but the key is the Pre-Rinse. Not the pre-foam dwell or the pre-wash like BH Touchless
The HP PW rinse that always knocks off most of the potential grit before the mechanical wash
 
chefwong said:
I use the 2BM if I'm washing a car that has been driven through rain and has road film on it. Or an interstate trip where it has picked up muck on its journey.

More often I do single bucket but the key is the Pre-Rinse. Not the pre-foam dwell or the pre-wash like BH Touchless
The HP PW rinse that always knocks off most of the potential grit before the mechanical wash
Click to expand...
If you use the prefoam or presoak with a high alkaline soap then pw off, it will breakdown roadfilm and remove the heavy debris. Leaving you with a cleaner surface to contact wash

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opie2 said:
Foam, then pw rinse then 12 wash media's in a bucket for either rinseless or a regular bucket wash. For me atleast it is without a doubt much faster of a wash than having to use the same media over and over again. I have never looked back.

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Not challenging you but to me that doesn't make sense. If you are using 12 different microfiber then you are making one pass with each side of a folded microfiber. Then stopping to either flip that microfiber over to make another pass or even more time consuming refolding the microfiber to make another pass. The most one can get is 8 passes before one has to stop washing to discard the dirty microfiber and acquire another clean microfiber.

In contrast when using a sponge I can wash my entire hood or entire roof ( with cap ) of my truck before I have to stop/use scrub wall in rinse bucket/ then toss sponge in wash bucket. At this point I am temporarily stopping the washing process regardless of what wash media I am using as I dry my sections with my drying towel as I go.

How can the 12 microfiber method be faster?
 
opie2 said:
If you use the prefoam or presoak with a high alkaline soap then pw off, it will breakdown roadfilm and remove the heavy debris. Leaving you with a cleaner surface to contact wash

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Yes......not in disagreement. It just takes on toll on my LSP. I think partially because of the base that it is on......aka, PPF. LSP IME does not bond well
 
BLM said:
Not challenging you but to me that doesn't make sense. If you are using 12 different microfiber then you are making one pass with each side of a folded microfiber. Then stopping to either flip that microfiber over to make another pass or even more time consuming refolding the microfiber to make another pass. The most one can get is 8 passes before one has to stop washing to discard the dirty microfiber and acquire another clean microfiber.

In contrast when using a sponge I can wash my entire hood or entire roof ( with cap ) of my truck before I have to stop/use scrub wall in rinse bucket/ then toss sponge in wash bucket. At this point I am temporarily stopping the washing process regardless of what wash media I am using as I dry my sections with my drying towel as I go.

How can the 12 microfiber method be faster?
Click to expand...
Valid point. I suppose one may need to try it out a few times to really see how it works.

For instance i will use one mf towel for the hood maybe even the grill and part of the bumper depending on how soiled paint is. 1 towel folded in half twice, work 1/4 of hood, flip, work 1/4 of hood, then as im walking to the other side of the vehicle i will unfold towel to the other half clean side. Redo the process over again.

You can also find videos on the interweb of how to do the roll method as you use mf towels if you so choose to.

Now keep in mind that i use duel pile towels for this. I only use the thick pile of the towel. So essencially you could say i only use half of the full towel. But by the time the panel or panel and a half is done, the towel has lost any excess solution so disguard it anyway.

I will say that the last conact wash of the season i got to try out autofiber flat out pads. Only one use but really liked them. More uses will determin if i dirch the mf towels and switch to them as my new wash media. They have the ability to hold alot of solution.

Also your from pittsburgh so have you heard of autoality?

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chefwong said:
Yes......not in disagreement. It just takes on toll on my LSP. I think partially because of the base that it is on......aka, PPF. LSP IME does not bond well
Click to expand...
Ah roger that

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opie2 said:
Also your from pittsburgh so have you heard of autoality?

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Click to expand...
I believe I had looked at them briefly in the past. But I went and looked again. I'm sure it's a good resource but don't think it's for me. Looks like they would benefit the professionals who are using a lot of product. With a place like Autoality one has to use the products offered by that business. I want the freedom to use different products of my choosing. Currently I'm pretty stocked up. Only product I'm looking for in the near future is an SI02 sealant. At present that will most likely be a quart of Jescar Ultralock.
 
BLM said:
I believe I had looked at them briefly in the past. But I went and looked again. I'm sure it's a good resource but don't think it's for me. Looks like they would benefit the professionals who are using a lot of product. With a place like Autoality one has to use the products offered by that business. I want the freedom to use different products of my choosing. Currently I'm pretty stocked up. Only product I'm looking for in the near future is an SI02 sealant. At present that will most likely be a quart of Jescar Ultralock.
Click to expand...
Copy that. Its close and the detailers club is well worth it, IF like you said you use any of the brands they sell.

Im no pro either. Its worth it for me even if i only took care of our 3 vehicles.

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk
 
opie2 said:
I never heard of the two bucket method until i found this place in 2021. Tried it, didnt like it as it took to long. Then i tried 1 wash media for a while and would rinse off with hose before redunking...it was ok of a process. Finally found my happy place with the hybrid wash so to speak.
Click to expand...

I use the 2BM if I'm washing a car that has been driven through rain and has road film on it. Or an interstate trip where it has picked up muck on its journey.

More often I do single bucket but the key is the Pre-Rinse. Not the pre-foam dwell or the pre-wash like BH Touchless
The HP PW rinse that always knocks off most of the potential grit before the mechanical wash
Click to expand...

I have a similar thoughts to these two posts.

I've heard about a two-bucket wash for a long time, but I don't always use it. If my cars are just dusty/slightly dirty or I'm pressed for time, I'll use the hose to clean out my wash mitt after each section. If the vehicle is really grimy, I'll break out both buckets and do a proper two-bucket wash. Regardless of the number of buckets in play, I'll always pre-rinse the area to knock off anything loose. The nice thing is with coatings, only the heaviest of grime/mud/bugs really sticks to the surface and a good rinse gets you out of the "danger zone" of most marring.

If it is the rare occasion when I'm paid to do someone else's vehicle, it's a two bucket wash every time. I'll take a little risk with my cars, but not someone else's and certainly not if I'm being paid to do the work.
 
Ive never used 2 buckets or grit gaurds. I use 6 mits
As each one is used I throw it on the cowl
When I rinse the vehicle, I rinse the mits and chunk them back in the bucket if I haven't already finished washing the body
 
BLM said:
So the weather has curtailed most outdoor detailing. That had me watching a couple videos which I do to possibly pick up any additional methods/tips. Once again the video I recently watched claimed the two bucket method was a waste of time and unnecessary. I've even seen well know detailers put the kibosh on the two bucket method. I disagree with this.

Those that claim the two bucket method as unfavorable instead often promote the double foam method. However in the double foam method they are still using a wash bucket. To me that 2nd foam is a waste of product.

If one doesn't use a rinse bucket then any dirt accumulated by ones sponge or mitt gets deposited into the wash bucket. I even converted to using a rinse bucket when using rinseless wash. Whomever determined a rinse bucket isn't needed with rinseless wash was wrong IMO.

Admittedly I have never tried using ten microfiber towels to wash my vehicle. Agreed it keeps dirt from the wash bucket but seems like it would take significantly longer to wash and just something I don't care to get into.

So let's hear your take on this.
Click to expand...

Most will rinse mitt with hose or PW along way. Also have seen the one bucket is with grit guard to scrub mitt along way.

Two bucket too much work. One bucket 8 mitts.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I don't do rinse less....

I use a crapload of water each time I wash.
I'm primarily a 1 bucket 1 mitt washer 1 Pad Washer
I use my XL Pad primarily and the mitt for door cups and panels where I need to finesse into corners:edges
 
Wow you guys are a tough crowd.

Anyway, I lied earlier when I said I always use two buckets since joining detailing forums 20 years ago, shortly after. I started using a Gilmour foam gun to wash, so when doing conventional, I don't use a wash bucket, only a rinse bucket. You guys that are saying 2 buckets are too much work, really? That never even occurred to me, although I can't remember the last time I did a conventional wash on anything other than wheels.

I can say that since adopting rinseless wash as my primary method, I have frustratingly observed that most of the time is spent cleaning the wash media in the rinse bucket, so I have tried to embrace the multiple-media method, but I always find that when folding towels I wind up with a dirty edge somewhere, and it doesn't feel safe. I tried some TRC Eaglets, thinking that with just two sides that wouldn't be a problem, but the 350's didn't really work for me. I did buy some Eaglet 500's but I haven't tried them yet.

Anyway, since I haven't found the right media (for me) for the multiple method, I always fall back on my microfiber sponge and two buckets (for rinseless).
 
Desertnate said:
The nice thing is with coatings, only the heaviest of grime/mud/bugs really sticks to the surface and a good rinse gets you out of the "danger zone" of most marring.
Click to expand...
This right here. I always do a pre-wash on my cars with either Reset for light dirt or Touch-Less if I need something more powerful. Since they’re coated my cars are both damn near clean after that. I foam again, which some of y’all think is a waste, but my foam cannon is my toy and I like to enjoy my wash. I’d foam three times if I could find a reason to.

If necessary I’ll throw a few mitts in the bucket but i can’t remember the last time I did the two bucket method and have no desire to ever go back to it.
 
I actually enjoy washing and sealing/waxing my vehicles. As long as weather is between 40-80 degrees Fahrenheit. If I had my vehicles ceramic coated that would crush a lot of the fun. I never say never but at this point in time I have no plans to ceramic coat any of my vehicles.
Also doesn't one still have to "boost" their coatings with ceramic detailers and such? So there is still maintenance.
 
Last edited:
I tried the two-bucket thing, but I found it to be a complete waste of time. And that's from someone who typically follows "procedure" and is super anal with car care.

If you didn't have access to a pressure washer or foamer, then yeah, probably best to use the two-bucket method. But I'd say most people here will be using a foam cannon, garden hose foam gun or pump action foamer. In which case, these tools apply soap directly to the whole vehicle, maximizing lubrication and eliminating the need for a soap (wash) bucket. You then rinse you wash media between sections with a single rinse bucket. Just as safe, if not more so because you get full soap coverage on the car, but you save time, water and effort by halving your bucket count.

Now, I approach this single bucket method in two ways depending on the condition of the vehicle................................

Variation 1 - Dusty to mildly dirty
1. Rince
2. Foam the entire vehicle
3. Contact wash, rinsing the wash media in the single "rinse" bucket.
4. Rinse
5. Dry

Variation 2 -Mild to very dirty
1. Foam, pH neutral or alkaline depending on contamination, allow to dwell while prepping your bucket/wash media
2. Rinse
3. Foam, typically the same pH neutral soap from step.
4. Contact wash, rinsing the wash media in the single "rinse" bucket.
5. Rinse
6. Dry

The argument here would be these methods are time and product wasteful. My counter would be that the time you spend filling buckets and carrying them around balances out the extra time used for foaming and rinsing. In terms of soap consumption, I always mix up a full foam cannon, any remaining after foaming goes into the rinse bucket, so it gets used regardless. Remember, you'd be using more soap if mixing up a foam cannon and "wash" bucket solution. Personally, I think the time and product consumption very similar between single and two bucket methods.

I'm all for making things more complex, but there has to be a genuine benefit in doing so. Work smarter, not harder.
 
We all have our own preferences, and the thing is, none of us are wrong. We all do what works for us based on our individual setups and requirements. I did a basic 2B wash on the FJ yesterday because that fitted my requirements and the weather.

We improvise, we adapt, and we get our vehicles clean, regardless of what our neighbours think of us.
 
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