I just can’t get my head around this `Two Bucket Method` business.

Let me explain:

The equipment I would use:

1. A pressure washer.
   
2. A snow foam lance.
   
3. Snow foam.
   
4. A lambs wool wash mitt.
   
5. A bucket of shampoo/conditioner diluted as per instructions on the bottle. (I wont tell you which one coz you’ll only tell me you know a better one!).
   
6. A bucket of clean water.
   
7. A couple of good drying towels.
   

The method I would use:

1. Pressure wash the car to remove as much dirt and grit as possible.
   
2. Snow foam the car.
   
3. Pressure rinse the car.
   
4. Put on the mitt and dunk it in the soapy water.
   
5. Wash a panel.
   
6. Dunk the mitt into the clean water and swish it around a bit.
   
7. Squeeze out the mitt.
   
8. Dunk back into the soapy water and wash a panel.
   
9. etc etc etc until whole car washed.
   
10. Pressure rinse the car.
    
11. Dry the car as quickly as possible.
    

Result:

Clean car with lots of water marks…(but that’s a separate issue)

Now, the thing is…and this is what I can’t get my head around:

1. After the first panel is washed, the mitt, being nice and thick, is supposed to magically suck up any dirt and grit.
   
2. Then, when I dunk it into the clean water, the idea is that the dirt and grit are left in the water.
   
3. So now when I go back into the soapy water the mitt is clean. Right?
   

Well…if the dirt and grit IS in the clean water, why isn’t it picked up again the next time the mitt goes in?

Ah, I hear you say…it sinks to the bottom.

Well…if it does, it will also sink to the bottom of the soapy water, so what is the point of the second bucket?

Also…these mitts are designed to hold loads of water, so each time it goes from the `clean` water into the soapy water it will dilute it somewhat!

I’ve never done this and I really am genuinely interested in hearing your responses.

Regards.

Mike.

Simply do it and look how dirty the rinse water is compared to the wash water, you will then hopefully be converted into the 2BM.

You are removing any grit into the plain water bucket

Always dunk in that after wiping over a panel before dunking in the shampoo bucket

I also recommend using grit guards:

http://www.shinearama.co.uk/search.php?fsearch=Gritguard

You surprised me aswell

I'm no detailer or perfectionist, but I'm a convert to 2BM, as it also means the shampoo bucket goes further making it easier to clean car.

Personally, I gave up with snow foam. I think snow foam is ok if you wash your car regularly and it's not too dirty in the first place. For me I found it not worthwhile and so a waste of time and money.

My cars just get a good rinse with pressure washer, I then use two wash mits. One for lower part of car and wheels.

I then refill buckets and do rest of car top down with other wash mit. I rinse as I go round the car and while rinsing keep rest of the car wet to stop it drying out as we have heavy water here too.

I tend to dry glass and vertical panels first and then roof, bonnet, front and rear. Again this helps to stop water marks.

Edited 21 September, 201213 yr by stevehg

Thanks for this, Steve.

I'm still not convinced.

No one has yet explained away my contention that if the grit falls to the bottom of the second bucket (clean water) it will do the same in the soapy water bucket.

Also...I don't really understand you saying that the shampoo bucket goes further?

Regards.

Mike.

Your mitt will be full of grit by the time you swill it in the bucket. The bigger bits will fall to the bottom and the smaller bits will suspend in the water making it look dirty. As your mitt will be saturated the pieces of dirt will naturally go where there is less of it, in the water. There will still be some left in your mitt unfortunately, by the time youve swilled it around in your soapy water there will be a drastically reduced amount of grit and dirt in your mitt, but not completely grit and dirt free. Remember, the 2BM reduces swirling and scratches, it doesnt iradicate it. Swirls are always going to occur when cleaning eventually. Its a necessary evil.

Hope this answers your question buddy

...and buy some grit guards and you reduce the chances of swirls even more!!

I don't believe there is a need to use the 2bm if you snow foam or have a pressure washer , I stopped about 4 years ago and I guess I'm a pro detailer seeing as I do detail cars for money although its not my main income.

I have no issues with swirls or marring on my own cars which are washed around 20 times a year each

There's still a need to do it Rich, even after foaming and pressure rinsing. Otherwise after these steps, if the paint was clean then you'd have no need to even go any further with cleaning!

Fact is, there's still debris and dirt clinging to the paint. This needs to be removed via washmitt; this is the first step you've introduced contact onto the paint. The foam is a 'clinging' stage that will help to break down stubborn dirt and the worst will fall away as the foam dwells and falls to the floor.

I can appreciate the OP's questioning, it's a valid point to make. My response would be that you're trying to keep the dirt/debris/grime/grit you've removed with the washmitt as far away as possible from the clean shampoo solution. True, it's not 100% perfect - nothing ever will be, but that's where grit guards help further as you agitate the mitt against this once you've cleaned a panel, to force debris to the part of the bucket below the guard, so it's then inaccessible. Yes, it's true that there will still be a % of dirt suspended in the rinse bucket. But it's an awful lot better than simply using one bucket.

It wouldn't all fall to the bottom using a 1-bucket method as some of the debris would get caught on its way down in the shampoo solution and suds.

Result:

Clean car with lots of water marks…(but that’s a separate issue)

Just rinse the car off then dilute some of this

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/detailing-sprays/meguiars-last-touch/prod_225.html?cycUser=&page=1

spray all over car and dry off using a drying towel.......no water marks

Good call - Last Touch or similar QD spray will help with water marks.

All depends on the water hardness/softness in your area really, as to how much is required. Thankfully round here it's not actually required, but an application of QD after rinsing down does help the drying process, so that's what I use it for. Also helps maintain a decent standard of paint finish, on top of wax layers.

It can also be diluted down, but again that will depend on the area. And use distilled water for dilution... (for obvious reasons )

Thank you so much, Octygone and Wardy for these suggestions.

Water marks really do bother me.

Do you think Autoglym Rapid Detailer or Autoglym Aqua Wax (both of which I already have) would do the same job, that is, spray on while the car is still wet and then dry ASAP?

Regards.

Mike.

No worries - hopefully that'll help.

Haven't used the products you've got but Rapid Detailer should do the job.

Also - now and again I might use the Detailer, dry off, then apply Aqua Wax especially it's in spray form, and then rub that off. Should get you a good finish that way.

Thanks again, Wardy.

I'm curious as to the best way to tackle this.

Do you wash the whole car > rinse the whole car > spray the whole car with QD > dry the whole car?

Or do you do the spraying and drying panel by panel?

The reason I ask is coz I'm always concerned that if I do it panel by panel, I'll mess up the panel I've just done with rinse water or spray.

Personally I wash the whole car, rise it all then QD and dry each panel separately..

Personally I wash the whole car, rise it all then QD and dry each panel separately..

Thanks, Gizmo. I'll do it that way next time...hopefully by the time I get to the last panel there wont be any water marks!

Regards.

Mike.

Also...I don't really understand you saying that the shampoo bucket goes further?

Regards.

Mike.

Hi Mike

For me it goes further as I tend to rinse out a dirty wash mitt, and when I rinse I do it out of the bucket so the dirty water doesn't go back in to the bucket.

So with two buckets the rinse bucket gets more water used for rinsing leaving more in shampoo bucket, hence it last longer. Just the way I do it though.

Cheers

Steve

Hi Mike

For me it goes further as I tend to rinse out a dirty wash mitt, and when I rinse I do it out of the bucket so the dirty water doesn't go back in to the bucket.

So with two buckets the rinse bucket gets more water used for rinsing leaving more in shampoo bucket, hence it last longer. Just the way I do it though.

Cheers

Steve

Thanks Steve. Gotit now!

Just to add, for the cost a bucket you can try it. If its not for you, it's not a big loss.

Edited 23 September, 201213 yr by stevehg

Oh I've got plenty of buckets, Steve...I got em in a while back when we were threatened with standpipes due to the drought!

I did try the TBM once but it was so damn slow that after the first dunk into the rinse water...well the first was the last and I continues just using the soapy water. I suppose I'm just trying to convince myself that the second bucket isn't necessary...time will tell!

At the end of the day its just a second bucket of water, no extra effort required or real cost so why not do it? Its just that extra measure!

With regards to how it works.... I wash my car top to bottom in lines to stop swirling. Even if it s a deep mitt if you go in a circle fashion you are likely to re bring up the dirt you captured where as in a straight line it should go in to the pile and out of the way.

Once I have finished one panel I will go to the clean water bucket vigorously rub my hand into the pile to remove the dirt because just dunking it in water isn't going to work! Now, you have to imagine if I had done that in the soapy water those bits of grit will still be floating for a moment until they fall. So by doing it in a "clean bucket" I am not likely to recapture that dirt as I re-soap the mitt.

Oh I've got plenty of buckets, Steve...I got em in a while back when we were threatened with standpipes due to the drought!

I did try the TBM once but it was so damn slow that after the first dunk into the rinse water...well the first was the last and I continues just using the soapy water. I suppose I'm just trying to convince myself that the second bucket isn't necessary...time will tell!

Ah ok then, if you tried it and it didn't work for you then I'd say don't bother. Personally, I only go with what suits me. Might not be 'right' but its ok for me.

Cheers

Steve

Edited 23 September, 201213 yr by stevehg

The second bucket of water should be cold water, dirt/grit sinks in cold water, but would float about in your bucket of warm soapy water

Its worth giving it a try mandp