why 2 buckets instead of...?

[markw78]

Why not just hose off the mit after each use on the car, before dunking back into the wash bucket?

[kaotikdt]

That works too, probably w/ more water wasted but the main reason to rinse between washes is to reduce the amount of dirt trapped in your mitt etc.

[04yfz]

Because by rinsing the mitt I think you won`t do as good of a job getting the dirt trapped in it. A rinse bucket with a grit guard inside it allows you to run the wash media against it which helps release the dirt from the mitt.

[swan]

Why not 3...or 4 even?:chuckle:

[BigAl3]

i use one bucket with the grit guard and lowes grout sponge. after i wash each panel and hose it off, i`ll do the same to the grout sponge if needed as well...

[Domas]

Is 2 buckets necessary if I first wash off all the dirt with power washer, and then washing with mitt?

[911fanatic]

The whole point is to wash your car safely while keeping things simple. Wash a panel then dip it into the rinse bucket. Swish it around to release all dirt and squeeze mitt to ensure all dirty water remains in rinse bucket. Back into wash bucket and onto car. Simple and effective.

[Chicagoareanew]

I stopped using the two bucket method and just use my hose. The second bucket gets dirty before I`m even half way done, so I`d have to keep emptying it and refilling it and that was a waste of time, not to mention having another bucket to carry around the car.

Since I don`t have a grit guard, I don`t think a bucket is better since I`m just rinsing it in dirty water.

[Mark77]

I have never seen the point in using 2 buckets that way, it`s annoying to having to walk around with both buckets+ the hose.

I use two buckets but I use one for each side of the car, and rinse the mitt with the hose, if it needs it. This way I don`t have to drag two buckets around the car and I start from the top with clean water on both sides..

[Mr.Concours]

Some of us foam gun, use the two (or even three!) bucket method AND rinse the mitt with a hose LOL.

[Bunky]

I was looking at getting a small wagon to haul the wash buckets around. A plastic with holes would be best.



A different kind of wash dolly.

[Accumulator]

Some of us foam gun, use the two (or even three!) bucket method AND rinse the mitt with a hose LOL.

Or in my case, two foamguns, four hoses (plus the DI rinse hose) and four buckets (plus another wheels/tires bucket). Redundant systems, on each side of the wash bay, make things a lot easier. I might even go with a second wheels/tires bucket so I don`t have to move that around to the other side of the vehicle!



All my buckets are on wheels, can`t imagine lugging around a bucket full of water.



All this talk of wash media getting that dirty, and lots of dirt in the rinse buckets, just makes me shiver... :nervous:

[markw78]

After awhile of washing, and rinsing the mitt with the hose... I can start to feel the grit inside the mitt against my hand. Better there then on the outside I guess, or in the buckets. Grit guards look kind of gimiky to me... I mean, by rubbing the mitt over the guard, your stirring up the grit that it caught, dirty water is dirty water, I`d rather just wash it away down the driveway



for my wheels I just wipe them down with a MF cloth, I keep the hose nozel on the area I am wiping at all times and just move the hose with the towel, hoping this will prevent scratches in the wheels clear. After that the tires and fender wells get sprayed with Simple Green, tires hit with a scrub brush, then it all gets rinsed... so far so good. The tires stay clean and I havent had to use any tire dressings yet, they look fine without it (new tires still).



The reason I started this thread is that my brand new car has a lot of swirls and scratches (straight line swirls), I have only had it a couple months, washed 3 times with all MF products (1 shammy dry, then I got a WW). I have a Jelly but am scared to use it Anyways I ASSUMING the bad scratches are from all the dealer washes (I`ve posted stuff about that before) since it sat on the lot of 2 dealers for some time. I guess I won`t know for sure until I get them polished out and see if they come back, so in a few months or next year I can post my results to the mitt rinsing method haha



back to polishing...

[scary bill]

I don`t really ever do a traditional wash. I don`t have shade to work in, there is no way I could wash/dry a large truck in the sun.



If my trucks are filthy I pre soak with a foam cannon. Helps break down bugs and other road-jerky. The soap will also soften the dried dirt and mud.



Then I PW until all of the grit is off of the truck. No grit, no swirls.



After that I use a 1 bucket ONR wash with 1 MF towel. First pass with the MF dripping wet to get any grime or oils off of the paint, then I rinse out the MF and wring it out well and get most of the water off of the truck.



After I am done with the washing I follow up with quick wipe down of UQD or DGAW.



The best thing to do is pw all of the gritty stuff off of the paint. You can get by with 1 bucket. If it is cool and cloudy I can wash that way. My other process is actually easier most of the time, because I don`t feel rushed.





If I do an ONR only wash I pre soak with ONR wash and use 2 buckets for that, along with a GS and MF. The GS is used to get the gritty stuff off of the paint from the pre soak, The MF is used to get the grimy stuff.





All of these methods work for me, and create no marring for *me*.





Good luck.

[w_huisman]

I was looking at getting a small wagon to haul the wash buckets around. A plastic with holes would be best.



A different kind of wash dolly.

Good one! My kids have a wagon that I hadn`t thought to use!



I`ve been using my shop creeper to set my two buckets on (one 5 gallon rinse, one 10 gallon shampoo).