There is no way I would have the patience to do what CalgaryDetail did in his "How To" thread, but I thought some of the things I have learned in a few years of using this type of product might be of some interest.
My first few years were with Protectall's Quick & Easy Wash commonly referred to as QEW.
For the past few months I have been using the Detailer's Pride Four in One product. I prefer the 4 in 1 because it seems to be a little slicker while I'm using it. That could just be me. Both products seemed to give about the same results.
I have not tried the 4 in 1 for anything but a rinseless wash. Early on, I did try the QEW as a spray pre-soak and wasn't at all impressed with the results. I did not use anywhere near as strong a mix as is recommended for the 4 in 1 QD.
*I use two buckets, but many people have good luck using just one.
*They could be considered my wash bucket and my rinse bucket, but I mix the same solution of 4 in 1 in each. Thar keeps you from diluting your wash bucket with rinse water. This was a suggestion from another member whose opinions I value. Necessary? Probably not, but I still do it.
*I mix the solution with hot water in two gallon jugs and then pour it into the buckets in the wash area. The hot water is not only more comfortable to use, I think it does a better job of cleaning.
*I wear either dishwashing gloves or nitrile throwaway gloves that I buy in large quantities. If your hands are dry, they feel much warmer.
*I have used a cotton chenille covered sponge, a cotton chenille wash mitt, a sea sponge, and a grout sponge as my wash tools at various times. I have not used a MF towel as is sometimes recommended.
*The cotton chenille wash mitt with the cuff turned inside and used as a wash pad is probably my favorite. The sea sponge works just as well, but I feel the mitt has more surface to pick up the dirt from the vehicle.
*I wash a pretty good sized section at a time. ~All the roof of the Montana or the roof and all the windows of the GP. ~The hood & fenders of either vehicle. ~One side of either. ~Then the other side. ~The rear deck and bumper of the GP or the rear door of the Montana.
*With the mitt pretty well saturated, I wash the section with one side of the mitt, then flip the mitt over and do it again. The mitt then goes in my rinse bucket. It will be pretty well wrung out and then will go back in the wash solution for use on the next section.
*I use 2 good plush MF towels and make one pass with one that leaves some moisture behind. I then follow up with the second MF towel to fully dry the section. Some people use a WW MF towel for the drying.
*The windows are in pretty good shape after the 4 in 1, but if I have time, I still use a glass cleaner to finish them. FWIW, I do use a WW MF towel for the windows.
*The wheels, wheel wells and tires are then washed in basically the same way except some brushes are added as wash tools. Poorboy's BnB is what I use on the tires. My drying of these areas is done with some of my cotton terry towels. I really try to avoid getting my good MF towels terribly dirty.
*Water on the floor is minimal except at each wheel. I seem to get quite a bit of water in those areas, but it still isn't much. It seems to either evaporate of freeze dry so ice is not a problem. I heat my garage while washing, but not all the time.
Questions/comments welcome.
Charles
My first few years were with Protectall's Quick & Easy Wash commonly referred to as QEW.
For the past few months I have been using the Detailer's Pride Four in One product. I prefer the 4 in 1 because it seems to be a little slicker while I'm using it. That could just be me. Both products seemed to give about the same results.
I have not tried the 4 in 1 for anything but a rinseless wash. Early on, I did try the QEW as a spray pre-soak and wasn't at all impressed with the results. I did not use anywhere near as strong a mix as is recommended for the 4 in 1 QD.
*I use two buckets, but many people have good luck using just one.
*They could be considered my wash bucket and my rinse bucket, but I mix the same solution of 4 in 1 in each. Thar keeps you from diluting your wash bucket with rinse water. This was a suggestion from another member whose opinions I value. Necessary? Probably not, but I still do it.
*I mix the solution with hot water in two gallon jugs and then pour it into the buckets in the wash area. The hot water is not only more comfortable to use, I think it does a better job of cleaning.
*I wear either dishwashing gloves or nitrile throwaway gloves that I buy in large quantities. If your hands are dry, they feel much warmer.
*I have used a cotton chenille covered sponge, a cotton chenille wash mitt, a sea sponge, and a grout sponge as my wash tools at various times. I have not used a MF towel as is sometimes recommended.
*The cotton chenille wash mitt with the cuff turned inside and used as a wash pad is probably my favorite. The sea sponge works just as well, but I feel the mitt has more surface to pick up the dirt from the vehicle.
*I wash a pretty good sized section at a time. ~All the roof of the Montana or the roof and all the windows of the GP. ~The hood & fenders of either vehicle. ~One side of either. ~Then the other side. ~The rear deck and bumper of the GP or the rear door of the Montana.
*With the mitt pretty well saturated, I wash the section with one side of the mitt, then flip the mitt over and do it again. The mitt then goes in my rinse bucket. It will be pretty well wrung out and then will go back in the wash solution for use on the next section.
*I use 2 good plush MF towels and make one pass with one that leaves some moisture behind. I then follow up with the second MF towel to fully dry the section. Some people use a WW MF towel for the drying.
*The windows are in pretty good shape after the 4 in 1, but if I have time, I still use a glass cleaner to finish them. FWIW, I do use a WW MF towel for the windows.
*The wheels, wheel wells and tires are then washed in basically the same way except some brushes are added as wash tools. Poorboy's BnB is what I use on the tires. My drying of these areas is done with some of my cotton terry towels. I really try to avoid getting my good MF towels terribly dirty.
*Water on the floor is minimal except at each wheel. I seem to get quite a bit of water in those areas, but it still isn't much. It seems to either evaporate of freeze dry so ice is not a problem. I heat my garage while washing, but not all the time.
Questions/comments welcome.
Charles
)