How do the rinseless washes work? Is it like a normal soap, but it doesn’t leave water spots?
Definitely worth doing some searching on Rinsless products/processes. Saves the time and hassle of setup/teardown for a full wash. They are their own washes, not a different method for standard soaps.
For ease of use/leave nothing behind (let the LSP do it's thing), I've been digging the Griot's Brilliant Finish Rinseless. I also like their Rinseless wash and wax for ease of use/final result. While I haven't tried some of the more popular ones (Ech20, etc); Wolfgang Uber Rinseless wasn't for me (attracted dust, looked good clean though), The ONR variants weren't top of my list, and McKee's N914 is good, I just have clicked with the Griot's ones.
Cliff's note version of the method I use (again, there are different methods) - Mix solution in bucket, fill spray bottle with mix also for "pretreating". Add stack of clean towels to bucket. Pretreat panel with sprayer to loosen dirt. Use towel from bucket, wrung out to just dripping, gently clean panel. Discard towel to laundry bucket. Dry. Again - please research and see what appeals to you.
I'm confident the wheel designers, OEM or aftermarket, do NOT consider how hard/easy they will be to clean when developing a design for wheels. Even some of the more simple designs seem to have some sort of lip or strange edge which collects brake dust and grime.
The (aftermarket) wheels on my wife's Q5 are the bane of my existence. They're BBS Y spoke style, but the have a lip
Behind the spokes that means you have to go all in on wheel cleaning if you don't want them to look like garbage. As much as I don't like the speedmaster bristle brushes, I've been enlisting them to help get that area (flinging brake schmoo and soap to myself in the process...).
To the original topic - If you're looking to shorten your maintenance washes, one thing you might consider is looking at your efficiency during the process. I explain it to guys at my work - the reason it takes me less time to do a repair isn't because I'm mad-dashing around, it's because I have all the tools and supplies I need pre-staged and right at hand. That way I spend less time walking back and forth during the job.
Example: I'd recommend trying changing up your wash process and see if it helps.
Instead of 2 buckets, switch to one bucket with multiple wash media (Jayfro mentioned using a stack of Microfibers along the same line as you could with a rinseless wash, Eldorado2K was the first I remember seeing on here pitching the single bucket with a dozen wash mitts soaking and ready to go). Now you're not going back and forth between buckets, you simply use your chosen wash media until it's soiled, toss it in the laundry bucket, and grab a fresh clean one. The bucket follows you around, so you cut out a ton of (walking) steps and time. I most often use the inexpensive "Ultra Soft Microfiber Rinseless Wash Mitt" from the AG store, you can often get them for $6-7 bucks on sale.
On the extreme end of thinking about efficiency, I've heard professionals recommend setting up a camera and recording a time lapse video of yourself (This would be more for if you were doing it for a living). You'll find the full truth of how often you're walking from side to side of the car to grab a bottle/towel, checking your phone, etc.
