Hello Mark, and welcome to Autogeek. They have plenty of quality products to choose from that cover a wide array of skill level as well as a good group of people here to help.
After compounding I don't see much of a need for washing the vehicle. You can wait till you are entirely done polishing to clean up the mess you left behind.
The real trick is to limit the amount of mess left behind, and there are several ways to go about doing so, here are a few in no particular order.
1. Tape up all vulnerable areas that are prone to accidental contact, as well as edges that may create a spur like result in throwing dust all over the place.
2. Try to avoid slinging any product at any time as it will most certainly cost you time and effort on the back end. If you are a heavy slinger, try different application processes, and slow your machines down. For some reason when I read your post I immediately assumed you were a slinger. Sorry if I am wrong.
3. Have multiple pads handy of the same cutting ability. Either that, or clean your pad after every panel, (especially if using wool) or switch to a new one every three panels.
