The Forgotten Wash

2011wahoo

2011wahoo

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While the washing step of a detail is by far the most mundane step in the detailing process, it is undoubtedly the most important step. There is certainly more glamour in a thread about the best products to use for swirl removal or the best LSP, but I have not seen a good thread about the best wash products to use. So what are your favorite products to use to wash an automobile?
 
My favorite wash is the DP Xtreme Foam Shampoo with the Foam Cannon and my favorite wash tool is the Boars Hair brush.
 
Good question.

I think you will find a lot of answers from people about what is the best media to use.

Some love brushes and some hate them.
Some love sheepskin mitts and some say they create swirls.
Some love the dreadlock style microfiber mitts (and I haven't heard anything negative about them so far).

In all honesty, before I was an AutoGeek, I used a soft bristle synthetic brush that you connected to the hose (made for car cleaning btw). The water from the hose was released from holes in the brush head and ran over the bristles.

Now, the amazing thing with that is that it didn't produce any swirls!!! A lot of people on here would never dream of using that on their paint (and I wouldn't either these days) but it was still safe.

These days I have seen the light and use a foam gun with DP Xtreme Foam shampoo, the two bucket method with Meguiars Gold Class shampoo and a dreadlock style microfiber mitt. Before the microfiber mitt I used a Meguiars sheepskin mitt and I would still happily go back to it as I found it to produce no swirls either.

I know Megan is a fond user of the Boars Hair wash brush.

My washing procedure goes:
Either foam with foam gun and DP Xtreme Foam OR spray with hose so car is completely wet

Then I use the two bucket method with my Meg's GC shampoo and microfiber mitt.

Rinse between panels and at the end sheet water before drying.

For drying I use a couple of Cobra Guzzler drying towels and pat dry the small amount of remaining water on the paint. Pat drying is the most effective way to reduce swirls from drying in my eyes as you can't induce swirls if you're not rubbing the paint.

Of course I'm not including cleaning the wheels, wheel wells tyres or areas underneath the edge of the car.

My full wash procedure is more detailed than this, but this is how I clean my paint, probably the most sensitive area for swirls.

I'll be watching to see where this thread goes. I think it'll be interesting to see.
 
I use Griot's Garage car wash with the boars hair brush to clean gently the first wash,and in between panels I rinse out the brush thoroughly before putting it back into the wash bucket. After I wash the whole car with the brush, I wash it again with a microfiber mitt, only this time, I rub harder until the paint feels slick under the mitt. Again, I always rinse the mitt thoroughly before putting it back into the wash bucket. I should use two buckets and a grit guard, but I don't. That is my next step. Also, I will start with the DP extreme foam to presoak after the initial rinse in the future, and then use the boars hair brush as I did before. After washing the car twice like this, I am confident enough that there is no grit on the car so I dry with a water blade, and then follow up with a terry cloth or microfiber towel.
 
My washing process,

-Rinse the wheels, wash them with Megs hyperwash, Mothers Brush en EZ brush
-Rinse the rest of the car (foam first if too dirty)
-Wash with TBM and Wolfgang Bathe, Carrand mitt for upper half of the car, Meg's washmitt (Ultimate washmitt) for lower half of the car
-Rinse again, dray with Dodo Juice Supernatural Drying Towel and Miracle Dryer, rims with Mother's Wheel & Jamb towel

I love Dodo Juice Born to be Mild and Wolfgang Bathe, excellent shampoos. Also the 2 mitt washing tributes to a swirl free car but you can never prevent them completely.
 
I dont have a foam gun yet. So i rinse down the whole car 2 or 3 times. I use the two bucket method with Griot's Garage Car wash or Megs GC soap. Then I uses some cobra microfiber drying towels to dry the car.
 
Wheels first with whatever car wash soap I have available and a Mother's wheel/fender well brush.
Presoak with foam gun and DP Xtreme wash soap.
Then, two bucket wash method with Lowe's Proline grout sponge and chenille mitt for lower part of car.
Final free rinse with hose.
Dry with leaf blower, then waffle weave MF towel.
 
I have not yet started washing using the ONR wash method (I'm hoping the recent poll will inspire some good write-ups), so I still use the old school washing method. Well, not really old school because it's all new products and methods to me; but you know what I mean...

First I pre-soak with water, then with the foam gun on my wheels. Unless they're really bad, I just use soap and water with a E-Z detail brush, and a tire brush. Rinse wheels/tires/wheel wells. Then I pre-soak with just water, then foam up the surface with the foam gun. If I'm feeling it, I will continue to use the foam gun to lead my wash mit (or grout sponge) as I wash. This provides a TON of suds and lubrication. (I point the foam gun towards the mit, and as the mit moves across the paint; it's being flooded with foam from the gun). After the final rinse, I'll take the nozzle off and flood the paint. Before using the WW towel, I use the Griots water squeegy. That will get 85% of the water off. Then I mist the paint with a QD as I dry with a WW towel.
 
I use 2 buckets, grit guards, Megs Gold Class and Mothers lamswool wash mitt. I dry with Megs water magnet and then QD with a supreme shine and wipeoff with my new Cobra Shamrock!:xyxthumbs:
 
Oh man, countless products.

-Pressure washer throughout the entire wash.
-Bucket for wheel brushes with water and Meg's Gold Class Wash Soap.
-Mothers Wheel Brush for rims.
-Mothers Tire Brush for tires.
-EZ-Detail Brush for wheel barrels.
-EZ-Detail Mini Brush for behind wheel spokes (bent in an "L" shape).
-Paintbrush-style small brush for lug nuts.
-Mothers Wheel Well Brush or Walmart Toilet Brush for wheel wells (depending on whether the Mothers brush fits or not).
-P21S Gel Wheel Cleaner or other good wheel cleaner for wheels and tires.
-Autogeek Foam Cannon HP for pre-soak.
-DP Xtreme Foamula for pre-soak...amazing cleaning power from just the pre-soak with the Foam Cannon HP...foam and rinse, and if the vehicle is well-waxed, it's almost completely clean before I even start washing.
-Meg's Gold Class Car Wash Soap for washing, two buckets with twin Grit Guards.
-Lake Country Grout Sponge for washing paintwork.
-Cobra Micro-Chenille Wash Mitt for mirrors and door handles.
-Pinnacle Bug & Tar Sponge for side skirts and under-panels.
-Wash Brush for grilles, license plates, emblems, etc.
-Then I'll rinse and post-foam with my AG Foam Cannon HP with ONR and Wash & Wax soap such as Poorboy's SS&Wax, rinse again.
-Dry with a blower and the new Cobra Waffle Weave Microfibers that are on BOGO right now. Was previously using Cali Water Blade and the MF towels, but I like using the blower now.

I will also use the post-foam on the wheels to help resist brake dust and make future cleanings easier. I must foam up my car 2 or 3 times during a wash because it's so much fun!
 
How long do some of these car wash set ups take you guys! I'd be 4 horus just washing if I had to worry about all that gear. I tend to just ONR the entire thing :)
 
Da Fats said:
How long do some of these car wash set ups take you guys! I'd be 4 horus just washing if I had to worry about all that gear. I tend to just ONR the entire thing :)
Click to expand...

Well cleaning my car, including paint, wheels, tyres, wheel wells, exterior glass and drying takes me between 3.5-4.5 hours each time.

That's EXCLUDING the interior and cleaning only, no dressing of tyres or exterior plastic/ waxing paint.
 
I might get a lot of heat for this, but I don't like the two bucket method. I know that the first is for rinsing, and the whole theory behind it. But IMO, there are still trace particles of brake dust and what have you that stays on that rag, sponge, mitt,, ect. that could still cause micro-marring.

I use a system that is pretty simple. I use one bucket, and 10 shmitts.
The ShMITT Multi-purpose Foam Mitts

I do one panel, and then that shmitt gets set to the side; then I get a new one out of the bucket that has perfectly clean water. I feel that this is the best way, or the way I can be the most sure that I am not introducing new dirt particles to the surface of the paint, and therefore less wash induced swirls.

just my .02
 
Da Fats said:
How long do some of these car wash set ups take you guys! I'd be 4 horus just washing if I had to worry about all that gear. I tend to just ONR the entire thing :)
Click to expand...
Washing takes me about 1.5 to 2 hours to do what I outlined before.
 
Blackthornone said:
Washing takes me about 1.5 to 2 hours to do what I outlined before.
Click to expand...

Same here. If i've been driving through a lot of bugs or not I will pre-treat those areas are the tar that is more than likely on the side of my car from going over all the new asphalt around here.
 
HHIslander said:
I might get a lot of heat for this, but I don't like the two bucket method. I know that the first is for rinsing, and the whole theory behind it. But IMO, there are still trace particles of brake dust and what have you that stays on that rag, sponge, mitt,, ect. that could still cause micro-marring.

I use a system that is pretty simple. I use one bucket, and 10 shmitts.
The ShMITT Multi-purpose Foam Mitts

I do one panel, and then that shmitt gets set to the side; then I get a new one out of the bucket that has perfectly clean water. I feel that this is the best way, or the way I can be the most sure that I am not introducing new dirt particles to the surface of the paint, and therefore less wash induced swirls.

just my .02
Click to expand...

That's actually a pretty good idea that would work with any wash mitt you use. I guess you then give them all a thorough cleaning when you're done. How do you usually clean your Schmitts?
 
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