How to... wash your car

An updated wash guide for 2011

Washing a car incorrectly and with poor products is the primary cause of paintwork damage. In this guide I hope to explain the theory behind how damage is caused, and help you choose which products are suitable and the two bucket washing technique.

So, how does washing cause damage then?
Ok, so that is what you're wondering if you're reading this guide (or hopefully it is!). Well, the main thing that 95% of the population do wrong is buy a sponge. Sponges are used at almost every cheap valeting station, and traditionally your dad has probably used one to clean his cars for as long as you can remember. Sponges are nothing short of useless in reality, because their surface is flat. Imagine paintwork with your typical dirt and grit particles stuck on the top of the paint, that you want to wash off. Some of these dirt particles are sharp;

http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/7...onpaint7sf.jpg

Now imagine trying to wipe away the dirt with a sponge;

http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/4...rapgrit2zs.jpg

As you can see by the diagram, you trap the dirt particles between the dirt and the sponge, this is then dragged across the bodywork, and hey-presto, swirl city when the sun is shining!!! They're almost invisible to the eye in the early stages of damage, but wash after wash they get worse, this is then how you end up with dull paintwork - light is no longer reflecting off the surface as it should, severly hampering the gloss level of the paintwork as seen below;

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...t/DSCN1405.jpg

Ok, I geddit, so what do I use then if sponges are as bad as you say?!
Right, what you should use is a washmitt, specifically a Lambswool mitt. This is because their surface isn't flat, it's a long pile hair. What this means is, the dirt particles are drawn into and absorbed by the long hairs, taking them away from the surface and thus reducing the chance of damaging the paint;

http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/8...orbgrit9nk.jpg

Ok then clever d!ck, how do I use my new fandangled mitt??
Now you know why sponges are the work of Satan, and that Lambs have more uses than just making a good roast dinner.. it's time to take a look at this "two bucket method" wash technique you hear being banded about all over the place these days.

In short it's proven to be about the safest method of washing your car. It's quite simple in theory and unsurprisingly you use two buckets!!! One bucket is for your wash solution as you traditionally would (more on which shampoo to use in a minute), and the other is for your rinse water. Firstly, you soak your mitt in the wash solution and begin washing the car (as described below). Then, before dunking the wash mitt back into the wash solution, you rinse it out in the second bucket of fresh water - this rinses out the dirt and grit particles from this mitt so that they cannot come into contact with your paint, reducing the number of swirls inflicted.

A grit-guard is also a worthwhile investment and that sits at the bottom of the bucket. When dunking you mitt into the rinse water bucket, rub it across the grit guard to increase the amount of grit particles which are removed from the mitt. Also, it keeps them trapped at the bottom of the bucket so even less chance of the mitt picking them back up and them reaching your paintwork to inflict scratches. 8-)

Ok, I get all that, so what about the shampoo then?
So now you're familiar with the concept of the two bucket method, lets take a look at shampoo's and their importance. The key thing to look for in a good shampoo, and there's lots of shampoo's out there, is lubricity. You want a shampoo that has plenty of lube, to help the dirt particles absorb into the wash mitt, and allow any stray particles to glide off the paintwork when you rinse. The second most important characteristic to look for is that the shampoo doesn't contain any harsh detergents. Such detergents strip wax, leaving your paintwork unprotected and looking flat.

A few to take a look at that I have used and rate highly;

Insta-Finish Maxi Suds
Insta-Finish Purple Wash n Wax
Meguiars Gold Class

Do I need anything else to wash my car then, or is that it?
Last thing you're going to need if you're serious about preventing as much damage to your paintwork as possible, is a couple of decent drying towels. Drying your car after you've washed it is important, as it will prevent water spots ruining the look of your nice and clean paintwork.

At this stage, there is still a risk of inflicting damage if there's any rogue dirt particles still sat on the bodywork, theoretically, with the correct wash method and decent products, there shouldn't be, but we are talking about microscopic particles that are doing the damage in the first place! To dry your car, you should first use a thicker pile drying towel, which can be swept across the paintwork to absorb as much water as possible - similar to the washmitt theory, the longer pile will collect any remaining microscopic particles of dirt. After then, to remove streaks of water, you can use a short pile waffle towel and "pat dry" (more on this later) the rest of the car.

Right, got all my new washing gear now, so what order do I do stuff?
Great work if you've got this far and I've convinced you there's more to washing a car than just getting rid of the dirt on it by any means neccessary.

Start with the wheels and arches - these are the most heavily soiled areas of the car, always. You don't want to clean the bodywork, and then move onto the wheels, as it's highly likely you'll either end up with wheel cleaner splashing onto the body, or when you rinse the wheels dirt will splash up onto clean paint, meaning you'll have to clean that area again..

Pre-rinse the bodywork once you finished with the wheels - this will loosen up dirt and prep the paint for washing.

Wash phase - you're ready to begin washing using the two bucket method as already described. Do one panel at a time. As a rule of thumb I will do one panel with one side of the mitt, turn it over, and do a second panel, then rinse the mitt off in the rinse bucket before repeating the process. At the end of washing, your two buckets should look like this;

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...h/IMG_0439.jpg

The washing solution is still pink, whereas my once clear rinse water is now filthy. Now imagine if all this was in one bucket? All that dirt would be going back onto your paintwork as fast as it came off..

Rinse - after the whole car has been washed, you can then rinse the suds off. It's up to you how you do this, some prefer an open ended hose so the water sheets off the paintwork taking as much of the leftover suds with it as possible, and others prefer to rinse it off with a pressure washer.

Drying - the last step is always to dry the vehicle, and as already explained, the best way to do this is to have a couple of towels in your wash kit. Use the first, deep pile drying towel, and wipe it across the paintwork in one direction only (not backwards and forwards or in a buffing motion);

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...r/DSCN1451.jpg

From there, use the waffle weave towel to "pat" the remaining water dry. Dab dab dab is all that is required;

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...R/IMG_0669.jpg

Also note how both towels are folded. Always keep them folded like that, and when the side you're working with is sodden and will no longer absorb more water, you can unfold to reveal a dry section ;-)

And that, ladies and gents, is pretty much how to safely wash your car and reduce the chances of inflicting damage. Please note that it is not a 100% sure way of not inflicting damage to your paintwork, but it will help keep swirl marks reduced to a minimum.

Thanks for reading.
Matt.