Anyone care to fully explain this two bucket wash?

 

Not me, I got clobbered enough just for bringing it up in the first place!

I was trying to be informative, not adversarial, when I did it.

Anyone else is more than welcome to do it.

 

OK now to play devils advocate. So in the winter time with that the salt in my area besides that I spend 3 to 4 weeks on the road throughout out the New England area your saying I should never visit an auto car wash? Hate to disappoint you guys but I will not use a touch free because it just does not do the job, and yes the other might scratch the paint but at least the salt is gone. But if you would like one of you southerners can up for a visit this winter and wash my truck in the nice warm temps of 32 or colder weather.

Now in the summer time I wash and hand wax my truck my self unless the rain just wont stop. Got all my stuff ready the other day went to head out the truck and all of a sudden it started raining and it wasnt even suppose to rain.

this is just my .02 cents

 

You guys use a bucket? Pfft.

 

WOW!!! ...who knew washing a pickup truck could freak people out this much? It's a truck...not a luxury car. Small scratches, even on a nice one like the Lariat or King Ranch, help give it a little "manliness" and character.

This is kind of a metrosexual type of discussion. What's next...who's hair is shinier? HA-HA!! : )

 

lol .. naah .. it would be a metrosexual discussion if someone was saying "I don't want to haul xxxxx with my truck, because I might scratch it.

there is nothing wrong with keeping the paint as perfect as possible .. and actually, if you start correctly when it is new, it is not even that hard.

 

You are afraid of a little cold weather ?? wimp

j/k.

I understand what you mean about the salt and the cold.. I spent 12 years in Connecticut.

As for using an automatic car wash that is not touchless .. I would not do it under any circumstances .. too many things that can go wrong, and I cant justify washing my car with dirty, recycled water. but, I managed a full service car wash for about 6 years, so maybe I am just a little paranoid. (my 0.02 cents)

You have to deal with the circumstances you are dealt with .. sometimes there is no other way t odo it ..

 

I will explain the method I use most often.

I start with two buckets, and two chenile wash mitts. one brand new, and the other from my previous wash.

I fill one bucket with water and Meguiars gold class car shampoo .. the other with plain water ..

after getting the truck thouroughly wet, I take the new was mitt, and dunk it in the soapy bucket, and start at the top of the car, washing a small area of the truck, with the size of area based on how dirty the truck is, using a straight back and forth motion. then I will rinse the area.

I then take the mitt and dunk it in the bucket of plain water, and rinse the soap and dirt out of the mitt, including rubbing the mitt on my grit guard.

I will do the top half of the truck using the new mitt, then set it aside (saving it for my next wash, as the bottom half mitt), and use the old mitt for the bottom half of the truck, following the same procedure .. I will dump and refill my bucket of plain water as necessary to keep it from getting too dirty. I will do the wheels last .. the throw this mitt away, or save it for use in a rescue operation..

the idea behind the two buckets and the two mitts is to minimize the chances that dirt, grit, sand, etc will get caught in your mitt, or suspended in your wash water, possibly scratching or damaging your paint ..

 

I don't know if this even considered a 'two bucket' wash but this is what I do and it involves two buckets.

I use two buckets, filled with car wash. One with a 'dirty' mit and one with a clean mit. I use one to clean the wheels, fenders, inner edges of the flares, exhaust, and anything else that is too dirty. The secound bucket is for the rest of the paint.

Thank god this truck has never been too dirty, unlike the last one. The last one was Arizona Beige which was seriously the best color when it comes to cleaning and looking good all of the time. However if I did the things I did with my Arizona Beige truck with this Black one, I'd be in some DEEP trouble. Part of the reason why this one is staying out of the mud.

 

IMO..using 3 mitts with one bucket is pointless. You are still taking a clean mitt and putting it in the dirty water...That is what the second bucket was for...the rinse bucket...What purpose does putting a clean mitt in dirty water server? Just not understanding I guess....

 

Go to showcargarage.com and click on play on the How to use the 2-bucket method to wash your car. It's on the main page so you can't miss it.

 

because I won't put the dirty mitts back in .. I will cycle clean mitts..

i.e. grab a clean mitt .. wash, then grab the next clean mitt, wash .. etc ..

 

so you are saying you wash your full truck with only 3 mitts, rims included?

 

no .. kinda sounded that way though .. eh ? trying to answer quickly at work is not always the best idea ..


when I am using a single bucket .. I will use the following process, speaking generically..

always working from top to bottom .. I will work a top section , then rinse the mitt with the hose . .then into the wash bucket again .. work another area , rinse etc .. I will usually use one mitt on the roof, one on the hood, one on the upper sides, then one on the lower sides .. I don't use a mitt on my rims .. I use my Meg's versa angle wheel brush and ultra safe spoke brush..

It is not a perfect substitute for the two bucket method .. but it is better than simply using a single mitt and a single bucket for the entire process, in my opinion.

if the car/truck is more than just "dusty", I will almost always use the two bucket method ..

 

now it all makes sense...was scratching my head there for a while...thanks