How do you fill your buckets for washing?

[DRT BRD]

I do the exact same thing.



When you use 2 buckets and look at the rinse bucket water you will change your mind.

Bingo! I used to do the one bucket method and blast with the sprayer each direction to clean it off before going back into the soap. I got curious and figured, I'll do the two buckets, but before going into the rinse water...I'll blast it and then put it in there and see how many particles there still are. To my amazement, there was a good amount of dirt/debris inside the rinse bucket that could have been drug across the paints finish. I now do both. Is it over kill? Maybe for complete corrections I'll be doing anyways but why be lazy when folks are paying me a good amount of money to finess their paints finish?

No I won't

The Grit Gaurd doesn't remove as much debri as me rinsing the mitts between usage

I had this same process but under my own testing as stated above. (of course there are variables that do matter such as how you're spraying and pressure washer/house water pressure etc)

Flash,
While I understand you don't like juggling buckets, let me throw this out there for you to ponder.

Try and invision seeing a person under water in a pool. If that person has hair (LOL) it will usually float upward, and/or side to side as the person moves around. Their hair suspends and doesn't lay against other hairs.

If we apply this analogy in the same manner to fiber washing mitts, only on a much smaller scale, this suspension allows the fibers to have more space between other fibers. The dirt particles when agitated against a grit guard then tend to float free and away from the fibers.

Blasting with a hose, while it could work to remove some of the heavier particles of dirt, will not remove the lighter particles of dirt trapped in the fibers. The only way to free them would be to place the mitt under water, suspending the fibers, and at the least sloshing the mitt around if a grit guard isn't available. In fact, along with agitating against a grit guard or something similar, I would add that I think it's also important to slosh the mitt around after contacting the GG.

Call it over thinking things, but if you add dirt to a glass of water and then slosh the water around, some of the dirt particles will remain high in the water column until being allowed to settle, which will not happen in a short amount of time.

Depending on how particular you, or a customer would be, determines your approach. I prefer to err on the side of caution.

Excellent post and exactly what I was thinking of posting from my own findings (to an extent but not as well thought out as yours) to post until I read your post! VERY NICE!:xyxthumbs:

 

[Flash Gordon]

I got one of these

Double Dolly, two bucket dolly system, two bucket wash system

A little pricey but sure makes it easy to push/pull my two buckets around ......plus there is some room for brushes or other spray bottles.

Those are neat!

My Birthday was last week. You should all pitch in and get me one of these

 

[D.Acker]

I don't care what any of you say. I'm not lugging around 80 lbs of water. Call me hack if you wish

You hack! Just kidding.

I used to do the 2 buckets also, but I purchased the Griots 6gal bucket with grit guards built in, so that's all I use, just "scrub" the mit along the bottom, give it a swirl and go on my way. The Griots bucket is also on wheels

 

[Hoytman]

I have your solution to lugging 80 lbs. of H20 Flash...

...Just get in and move the car back and forth ha ha ha ha...your birthday was last week...geesh. LOL!!!

Cough...cough...hack...hack... (Joking of course Flash)

 

[Flash Gordon]

I have your solution to lugging 80 lbs. of H20 Flash...

...Just get in and move the car back and forth ha ha ha ha...your birthday was last week...geesh. LOL!!!

Cough...cough...hack...hack... (Joking of course Flash)

What about doing a 4BM and just leaving 2 buckets on each side of the car?

 

[Rei86]

Just read the OP and well for me I have two five gallon buckets from Lowes (very cheap like 2~8bucks) and than I have three, three gallon buckets.

I fill up my rinse bucket with water
I fill up my three gallon bucket with water as a rinse for the tires/rim
I fill up my other three gallon bucket with a mix of soap and APC to as my wash bucket for rims/tires

I fill my WASH bucket to about 3gallons of water and mix in my soap with my wash media already in the bucket, grit guard on the bottom already of course. Than I fill up the rest to about another gallon or so of water.

Other times I just use the two bucket system and after I'm done washing the body I go to work on the rim/tires.

 

[D.Acker]

I guess I never answered the original question, I pour the soap into the bucket, add water, fill till the suds hit the top, wash a little until some suds are gone, add more water.

 

[Old Tiger]

I fill up my rinse bucket (you really need to get 2!!)

I fill my wash bucket up and then I dump the soap in and swirl it around with my arm both clockwise and counter clockwise...Then the last half gallon I spray "on jet" inside the bucket for a little suds...

Same minus the hand mixing.

 

[Hoytman]

That birthday comment was a nice try though ha ha.

 

[HotRodM5]

When you use 2 buckets and look at the rinse bucket water you will change your mind.[/QUOTE]


+1!

I also use a smaller 3 gallon bucket for the wheels. I don't want any part of the wheels coming in contact with my 2-bucket dolly system! They were a tad expensive....

It's interesting to see so many varied ways of filling up a bucket with soap, LOL!

HotRod

 

[Bunky]

My bucket set up plus a 4th bucket for the wheels.

 

[alko]

Goodness!!! Ya'll got Christmas stuff up already?!?!?!?!?!

 

[Bunky]

Goodness!!! Ya'll got Christmas stuff up already?!?!?!?!?!

It was from last Christmas during one of the sales.

 

[A-train]

I pour the soap directly on the mitt while it's on top of the grit guard and spray it down, just as final insurance for any loose grit that may be clinging on.

 

[Tundra1316]

Supplies: 3 ounces of Meguiars Ultimate Wash&Wax,1 bucket, 2 wash mits ( Newest one for the car, old one for the wheels)
I fill and rinse my buckets 3 times, when I wash my car.

1st. time for one half of the vehicle.
2nd. time for the other half
3rd. time switch washing mits, for the wheels
Each time, I use 1 ounce of wash, and I use the jet on the hose to mix it up.

In the winter, I fill 3/4 of the bucket with hot water from kitchen sink on high, other with hose water on jet. to get the suds. (keeps my hands warm)

 

[Flash Gordon]

I had this same process but under my own testing as stated above. (of course there are variables that do matter such as how you're spraying and pressure washer/house water pressure etc)
!:xyxthumbs:

If I have a car thats super filthy, I always pressure wash first to remove most of the grime before hand washing. I then go around the bottom half of the car using 4 mitts removing whats left. I then thoroughly rinse out the mitts and start a fresh bucket of suds and do the top half of the car

It takes me 2+ hours just to wash, wheels, clay, jams, engine. Its my very least favorite thing to do, but it must be done

It's interesting to see so many varied ways of filling up a bucket with soap, LOL!

HotRod

Thats why this thread has 5 stars

 

[FUNX650]

When you're doing a regular wash, i.e. not waterless or rinseless, how do you fill your buckets up? Now I'll admit, I'm still using one bucket and I have always put the soap in first then stuck the sprayer in there and filled it up. This usually results in varying ratios of water to foam though. I'm think maybe I should be putting the soap in after filling (like mixing up ONR) but how do you get the solution to foam up then? Or is the foam just totally overrated?

1.) My Grandfather taught me how to fill a bucket up with water when I was very young...and that "process" has served me well.
2.) The idea of: When to add soap to a bucket...doesn't ring a bell to me......I don't use "soap" to wash my vehicles.
3.) Foam must have some value, as it often appears as a subject discussed in conjunction with the Gilmore Foamaster.
4.) There must be a difference between soap-foam and soap-suds.....or is there?
5.) Maybe Grit Guards could be the deciding factor in that debate.



Bob

 

[big tyme]

When using non-rinseless products, I prefer low foaming, very high lubricity shampoos...I don't see the advantage of foam and suds, all over the place.

I first fill my designated wash-only bucket 3/4 full with water, then pour in shampoo (and I always add 1/2 oz of ONR to the mix)...then stir with one hand, then continue filling until I have 4 total gallons. The ONR cuts water spotting a minimum, and also adds lots of lubricity to any shampoo. Once I started adding ONR to my conventional wash routine, water spotting has been almost entirely eliminated, and it gives the shampoo an extra kick with added protection.

I want that wash pad to glide over the paint without any pressure whatsoever.

Ditto, minus the ONR. However I might adopt that process, kudos to you SILVERFOX! Lubricity is key when it comes to shampoo. Whats funny is when friends ask where all the suds are and that without suds it isn't cleaning, I just laugh. Now I do like high foaming soaps for my foam gun, but I find I rarely use it now as it just adds more time to a detail.

 

[Rei86]

I use my foam gun for ever wash.

The presoak is just fab if you're scared about whats going to happen. Not only that its a great way to keep your mitt fresh with water/soap as you glide over each panel.

 

[arkus]

With a hose