0 bucket wash

[Bill D]

I highly recommend the use of multiple mitts to avoid the possibility of re contaminating the paint. This is especially true in the case of a very soiled car. Multiple mitts bring me peace of mind and not have to worry so much about keeping one mitt pristine

[Accumulator]

Bill D- Yeah, you`ve been doing well with that for a while now...since long before Garry Dean started doing it with MFs and his rinseless

[Nautical]

Here`s a video for those interested in a video showing what I think Accumulator is describing as his wash method. Sounds like what Larry K does as well. You can skip to the 8:00 mark.

https://youtu.be/X0Sqi1lAj1A

[jmsc]

DetailZeus,

Been doing your described method (rinse mitt with a hose) for many years. Good post. Now that I use waterless methods and techniques I don`t even need a hose anymore. BUT, I still use a power wash + rinseless when called for.

[skibik]

I am at the end of my buying any more detailing stuff so the BHB is out. Other than maybe ordering up soap I just can`t keep justify spending anymore money. This is because, even though I don`t have much supplies, I currently have enough to last just about a lifetime and just can`t see shelling out more even just for tools that may help. The foam gun was actually more than I needed or wanted to spend but I do like it and seems to work for me. For that I just use OTC soap and run it strong, about 3 to 4 ounces in the quart gun. It seems to work for me. I only do small areas and flip mitt. So something like the roof I would work on one half and flip mitt when a quarter is washed return to bucket do the other side using both side and so forth. The sides I rinse more often. I tried the foam gun on a low ratio and kept flooding the mitt and paint but it was just to inconvenient so I went back to the bucket.

Years ago I bought an attachment for the garden hose that has a mop on the end of it. I bought it when I had my Dakota. I had the notion of popping the old mop off and attaching a new MF mitt to the end but there is no soap dispenser in it. I had the idea that would work as you are pushing water through it but the thought of doing that ended thinking I would end up with something stuck in it that wouldn`t flush out and mar it up. I have seen those BHB`s but have the same thought of something getting into the brush and dragging it all over the paint. I used to use the brush at the carwash on my that same truck but would never think of doing that to my Camaro. JMO.

Thanks for suggestion though.

[Accumulator]

Nautical- Close, but no cigar (at least he`s not getting one from me ). If it works for him, great. Really. Not knocking him at all. But if *I* washed like that I`d mar things up. I know because I`ve done it that way in the earlier stages of developing my current method.

(For the umpteenth time; I only do what I do because it`s the only way I can avoid marring. I hate that it`s so labor-intensive and I wish I didn`t have to resort to such off-the-deep end [nonsense]. I`m sure not trying to impress anybody with how fancy I make carwashing, or to make it sound like anybody else oughta do things my way. So when I get all critical about somebody else`s method I`m just pointing out why it wouldn`t work for *me*.)

Two Points:
1)He`s not allowing the foamgun to flush away the dirt; he lets it get trapped in the mitt and seems to believe it`ll be held up in the nap. I don`t rely on that, I try to keep the dirt from getting stuck to the mitt in the first place. So I hold the (wash solution-filled) mitt shut by the cuff and gently whisk it across the panel while spraying the foamgun. I don`t press the mitt against the paint the way he does.


2)He moves the mitt in long motions under continuous pressure, i.e., all along the length of that car`s roof; I move my wash media in short, interrupted, "jiggling" motions so the foamgun`s output is more likely to flush away the dirt (during the "pauses" in the mitt`s movement) and, perhaps more importantly, so that if I *do* somehow get marring, it`s not some looong scratch but rather some little short one that`ll be less obvious.

If I could change *one* thing about how people wash, I`d probably be to quit using long/sweeping motions that can result in long, obvious scratches. OK...I`d change two things- And rinse/redunk the mitt/etc. very frequently instead of waiting until it`s obviously necessary. Just those changes might make all the difference for some folks. Assuming anybody needs to make any changes....

[Accumulator]

skibik- I`m actually glad you`re not spending more $ on this stuff

And when you post "..it was just too inconvenient..") I think that is very reasonable. So no criticism from me

I`ve tried a lot of flow-through-device approaches, but never found anything that really satisfied me. I`d like to somehow combine a BHB and a foamgun if I could figure out how to do it....it really is just incredible (well, to me...) how the BHBs can rinse clean so easily if I do things right..but that "convenience" factor again...

[JustJesus]

JustJesus- If you do buy a BHB, *BE CAREFUL* that you get a good one. The only ones I currently recommend are the ones made by Universal Brush. There are a lot of BHBs on the market that are *NOT*, uhm....Accumulator-approved.

Thank you, sir!! Guess I`m lucky that supply store didn`t have any BHBs. Just synthetic brushes. Also, the Montana BHBs are on backorder on AG. I`ll look for some Universal ones.

And, Accumulator, you can keep spending *my* money.

.... And rinse/redunk the mitt/etc. very frequently instead of waiting until it`s obviously necessary.

And *this* is why I started using multiple wash mitts instead of rinse/redunk! It took me way too long, since I did it very often.

[Bill D]

See, that`s another reason to use multiple mitts

[DetailZeus]

DetailZeus,

Been doing your described method (rinse mitt with a hose) for many years. Good post. Now that I use waterless methods and techniques I don`t even need a hose anymore. BUT, I still use a power wash + rinseless when called for.

Thanks jmsc. If the hose removes all the dirt, then in theory you`d never be contaminating your wash solution right? I still find some wash media are grabbier than others (such as microfiber wash mitts) and may benefit from rubbing on a grit guard (or switch to fresh media)

I`ve had decent luck with rinseless washing. I have no less than 16 (!), 600 gsm microfiber towels, so plenty of clean sides to flip to for the multiple media method. I`ll be getting a power washer soon so I expect to do a lot of powerwash + rinseless washing. I guess my dilemma now is if I have the powerwasher out is it even worth using a rinseless soap?

I love discussing wash methods, it`s the detailing "thing" you do the most so all the better to find ways to make it faster/safer/more efficient.

[skibik]

skibik- I`m actually glad you`re not spending more $ on this stuff

And when you post "..it was just too inconvenient..") I think that is very reasonable. So no criticism from me

I`ve tried a lot of flow-through-device approaches, but never found anything that really satisfied me. I`d like to somehow combine a BHB and a foamgun if I could figure out how to do it....it really is just incredible (well, to me...) how the BHBs can rinse clean so easily if I do things right..but that "convenience" factor again...

I know it is sacrilege to go to a car wash, I have to this time of year, but I would guess you have been to a wand type wash and would guess your car washes wouldn`t be any different than here. Around here they have the foaming brush, I am not sure what the bristles are made of but when I had my Dakota or even my Monte Carlo I used them in the winter time to get the grime off after a rinse of the heavy build up. They feel soft. I know, I know, before I hear "you did that to your vehicle", keep in mind that was before I found this forum and before owning a black car.

Now after thinking about this while typing it up my gears are turning. I don`t think something like that would work with a foam gun but doesn`t those tornadoes use air to make foam? Wouldn`t be enough water though. The other idea that I was thinking of was, don`t some portable pressure washers have a soap dispenser built in? My brother owned one years ago for cleaning machinery, looked like a regular pressure washer that you set a jug on and had a siphon hose, there was a blending lever on the unit and wasn`t that big. Bad thing you would have to find a way to dial down the pressure. If you found a way to hook it to a foam gun I don`t think it would create enough foam but at least you would move soap through the brush. Good luck.

[Accumulator]

JustJesus- The "Montana" brush that AG sells is made by Universal Brush. I sorta pefer their "Blonde" line, but those are pricier and might be too gentle for some applications.

DetaiulZeus- I agree completely about the importance of getting the wash sorted out! FWIW, much as I love the Pressure Washer, IMO you`ll still need the mechanical agitation of doing a rinseless wash/etc. most of the time.

skibik- I sure won`t blame you for going to a carwash if that`s what`s best in *YOUR* situation!

The Tornador doesn`t really work for this IME. It`s too much of a "small area at close range" tool. I had visions of using my Tornador Black for this but after a few tries I gave up on the idea. I don`t really see how/why people use them for wheels...eh, maybe I`m missing something but I can`t imagine what.

I`ve never used the "detergent injection" feature of the Pressure Washers I`ve had with that feature, might work fine.

I have a siphon-fee sprayer that hooks up to my air compressor and works like a mini-Pressure Washer. I used it to spray shampoo solution as a prewash/presoak before I got the current Pressure Washer (no chemical injection). Since getting the Pressure Washer I`ve hardly ever used it, but some time I want to try it with IUDJ.

[DetailZeus]

DetaiulZeus- I agree completely about the importance of getting the wash sorted out! FWIW, much as I love the Pressure Washer, IMO you`ll still need the mechanical agitation of doing a rinseless wash/etc. most of the time.

Oh absolutely. What I meant was my "regular" soaps might start getting more use if I already have the pressure washer out. Not a touchless wash.

I actually think a *true* zero bucket wash would be something like pressure rinse + foam + pressure rinse + towel dry without getting dirt on the towel. I think we are close with the current coating technology but not quite there yet.

IIRC that SuperBee guy got somewhere playing with different soaps and LSP`s but wouldn`t risk towel drying without further wash steps.

I could see pressure rinse + foam + pressure rinse + waterless wash with multiple microfibers possibly working on slightly dirty cars with great dirt-shedding lsp (has anyone actually done this???)

Hmm maybe I should stop posting and start selling a wash system...

[d33p]

The only thing Ive learned from this thread:

there are many ways to wash a car so pick the one that works best for you

[Accumulator]

IIRC that SuperBee guy got somewhere playing with different soaps and LSP`s but wouldn`t risk towel drying without further wash steps....

Yeah, Superbee364 (MIA here, but remembered fondly). His approach got me to try using a Rinseless as part of my wash regimen, though I don`t use it until after more conventional steps than he does (my vehicles get dirtier).