How To: Washing 101

[Dylan06SS]

For all the polishing, all the waxing, all the buffing, dressing, scrubbing, and wiping... theres one key element to a good looking finish on your car/truck/suv... thats THE WASH. What most people don't realize about washing their vehicle is that often times its their process thats causing the most damage to their painted surfaces. In this HOW TO the correct process will be discussed as I attempt to help you all better understand what to do when you cleaning your vehicle. I will only be touching on the basic principles of the between detail washes. This thread will also be refined a bit more over the next few weeks as I add video and pictures... HAPPY WASHING!

 

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

Process is more important than product, but one area you cannot skimp on is your 'durable' supplies. These are the things that will be used on every wash, over and over again. If they're properly taken care of you may never need to replace them. There are a lot of areas you can cut corners to save a buck, but this is not one of them.

 

BUCKETS - At least 2 buckets. In order to execute the "2 bucket method" you'll need 2 buckets... thats pretty much a given. These should be good sized buckets that are either brand new or completely clean. Don't go grab your paster mixing bucket and start using it as a car wash bucket.

 

GRIT GUARDS - Minimum of 1, but ideally 1 per bucket if you can. These handy little items are cheap ($10 at most detail supply stores/websites) and you'll never need to replace them. These guys keep the grit off of your mit.

 

WASH MITS - Very important to go with a material that WILL NOT introduce new scratches to your surface. I am a firm believer that either sheep skin or microfiber are the only safe materials to use, but that is my opinion. Stay away from cotton terry mits, sponges, and any kind of brushes.

 

ASSORTED BRUSHES - This area can get pricey if you go all out, but you can get selective and get just the ones you need to get the job done. Also select brushes that have ergonomically comfortable handles and give you multiple options for cleaning... if a brush can be safely used for multiple surfaces go for it. OXO makes a great assortment of automotive brushes that can be found online a number of place and at stores like Target.

Suggested brushes to have:

• Tire brush - good for the tires, inner fenders, undercarriage, and any other durable surfaces. Typically a synthetic fiber and semi-coarse... look for one with a good handle that will allow you to reach the inside of the fenders and scrub easily.
  
• Stiff bristle brush - harder and stiffer than your tire brush, its always good to have a low profile stiff brush to scrub out the stuff that gets caked into the fenders. Guys who do burnouts will need one of these b/c a regular tire brush usually won't get the job done.
  
• Boars hair brush - a MUST HAVE if you are serious about detailing. BH is completely safe to use on every delicate surface of your vehicle. Its a natural fiber and when wet it WILL NOT SCRATCH. This is the best/easiest way to clean your wheels and even the painted areas of the inner fender.
  
• Bottle brush - find one with a flexible shaft. These are great for cleaning the inside hoop of wheels as you can bend them to fit into small crevices, between spokes, behind calipers, between coils of springs, etc.
  

WAFFLE WEAVE MF DRYING TOWELS - Preferably you want undyed white WWMF towels but if undyed ones are not available just sure that you select a WAFFLE WEAVE drying towel, regular MF polishing towels are not effective for drying a car... you can easily tell them apart by looking at the surface... the WW towel will have a waffle pattern to it, a polishing cloth will not.

 

ADJUSTABLE NOZZLE - To do the job right being able to control the flow of water is important. Ideally you want a nozzle that will do a hard stream, a shower, a mist, and a soaker. There are tons of quality nozzles out there. Check hardware stores, target, or even detail supply places for your options.

 

SPRAY BOTTLES - Some products you'll learn to use will require you to "cut them" or dilute their strength with water. Having a couple of generic all purpose bottles w/ sprayers is a good idea. Either buy new ones or use empty bottles from other products, but if you decide to use these at least run them thru the dishwasher prior to using for other products.

 

 

PRODUCTS:

 

CAR WASH SOAP - This is all about personal preference. You want a car wash specific soap, dish soap is not intended for cars!! It strips any protection you may have previously applied and it dries out the paint over time causing additional damage. There are many many MANY good car soaps on the market... choose one that offers a lot of sudsing/foaming, high lubricity, and is a neutral pH. Its also usually a good idea to use a concentrate as you can adjust the strength by using more or less. On occasions where your vehicle is REALLY dirty or you've gone a long time between washes you can use slightly more to get more cleaning power out of it. Concentrates also can stretch your dollar a bit farther getting you more washes out of a single bottle than non concentrated formulas.

 

ALL PURPOSE CLEANER - Again, personal preference. I stick with Simple Green as it is a cheap, readily available, highly concentrated, biodegradable product. You will be going thru A LOT of your APC so ideally you want something you can get easily at a local store or buy it in bulk if ordering thru an online dealer. Concentrated APC's also give you more for your money... you can dilute for mild cleaning or add more for heavier cleaning.

 

QUICK DETAIL SPRAY - QD sprays aren't just for between wash cleaning... they can help prevent water spots while drying, be used as a clay lube, be used to prime applicators and buffing pads, etc. Having a good QD spray is essential. There are tons of sprays on the market, and this is another area of personal preference.

 

 

PREP:

Always have your stuff laid out and ready to go. Theres nothing worse than getting to a step in the process and realizing you don't have the right tools or product ready. Before you begin make sure you have these items ready:

 

Rinse bucket - Filled with clean water... if you only have one grit guard this is the bucket you'll be placing it in

 

Soap bucket - With the grit guard at the bottom place your mit in the bucket. Do not add soap or water at this point b/c you won't be using it right away, if the foam sits it begins to go flat, losing its effectiveness. Have your soap nearby and possible measure out how much you'll be using in advance.

 

Drying towels - These should be freshly washed (liquid detergent only) and dried (no fabric softners)

 

APC Solutions - In your assorted bottles w/ sprayers you should premix your APC to the strengths you'll need it. I typically cut my simple green into 2 bottles - 50/50 mix and 30/70 mix... the amount of cleaning you'll be doing and the severity of the grime are things to consider, as well as the type of surface you'll be cleaning. Untreated/raw billet for example is very sensitive to cleaners like this, a very mild mixture is suggested for this type of wheel.

 

START WITH THE WHEELS:

Most people just start a wash by hosing down the whole vehicle, but think about this... why introduce water, and potentially water spots to your paint before you need to?? Before water touches your paint START WITH THE WHEELS!! This is especially important for anyone who doesn't have a shady area to work in or if you work in direct sunlight.

 

Starting with one wheel at a time use a heavy stream of water to hose as much of the loose brake dust and road grime from the wheels as possible. Also take a moment to spray inside the fenders completely to get any loose dirt and debris out.

 

Once you are satisfied that you've gotten as much off with the hose as you can spray the tires and the inside of your fenders with your APC solution. Be generous, but try to let as little as possible run onto the rims. Also avoid getting any on your painted surfaces while spraying the inner fenders. Allow the solution to dwell on the surface for a moment. If you watch closely you'll see the cleaner actually start to break the dirt down.

 

At this time you can also spray down the inside of the wheel hoop, any exposed suspension parts you want to clean (as long as they're not delicate) brake calipers, etc. Use the bottle brush to get into hard to reach places.

 

Using your wheel brush scrub the tires and inside the fenders. Be careful not to drag the brush on your rims or any painted panels as you do this. If you have stubborn road grime or bits of burnout rubber in the fenders use the stiff bristle brush and more APC to get it all off. Once you are satisfied that you've gotten them clean rinse completely.

 

Now taking your APC lightly mist it onto the rim and immediately agitate with your boars hair brush (OPTION - if you don't have a bhb a SEPERATE MF mit is a good substitute) rinse completely with a heavy stream of water. Be especially careful not to let any of the product settle and remain on the rims surface.

 

Repeat this process for each wheel.

 

THE WASH:

Before you start on the paint get your soap bucket ready. Dump your soap directly onto the mit as it sits at the bottom of the bucket. Use a heavy stream of water to create a thick lather, the mit will help with this. Reach into the bucket and squeeze the mit to make sure all the soap is getting mixed. Keep in mind you want a thick, rich, lather... not a lot of big bubbles.

 

PRE RINSE - Let the water do as much of the work as possible. Start from the top and work you way down to the lower rocker panels. Use a heavy stream of water to get any caked on dirt loose, also try spraying from multiple angles to make sure you've completely soaked the contaminants that are on the paint.

 

SOAPING - Start at the top of the vehicle and work your way 1/3rd of the way down, 1 panel at a time. Be sure to rinse your mit in the rinse bucket between each panel and re-soap in the soap bucket. Use the grit guard in each bucket as a washboard. Drag the mit against it to loosen any particles that may have been picked up from the previous panel. DO NOT RINSE BETWEEN PANELS!!

 

After the upper 3rd of the vehicle has been soaped move to the lower panels following the same one panel at a time process. For those washing a SSS a good 1/3rd reference point is the top of the body cladding... wash from the top to that line first, all the way around, the come back around to get the lower sections.

 

RINSE - The first pass your goal is to get the vehicle completely wet, get as much of the soap off as possible and work top to bottom. Take your time and make sure to get soap out of any body lines, the mirrors, the cowl, or any other place soap may have collected.

 

FINAL RINSE - Either turn your nozzle to the soaker setting or remove the nozzle from the hose. Using the stream of water pass the hose close to all surfaces to sheet the water off of the vehicle. Be careful the hose doesn't touch your paint, but use the water to PUSH as much of the beads off of the paint as possible. This will save you time in drying and also is a final step to make sure you've completely rinsed any soap or contaminants from the surface. Immediately pull the vehicle into shade or a garage if available.

 

 

DRYING:

 

Start by misting the entire vehicle with your quick detail spray. Be generous on horizontal surfaces. This step helps to eliminate spotting as well as helps lubricate the surface as you pull the towel over it, thus reducing the chance of swirls or scratches.

 

Fold your WWMF towel into 4ths and dry your glass first... its easier to get spots off of paint than it is off of glass. Once the glass is done just work your way around one panel at a time and be thorough. If at any point the towel becomes contaminated or if you notice its picked up debris discontinue use and switch to a new towel.

 

Try to work the towel in straight lines, circular motions can introduce minor swirls. So work in a straight line as much as possible. Also, be sure to use a separate towel for wheels and tires. WWMF drying towels are expensive and wasted on wheels and tires. Cotton terry towels are fine for your wheels and will help ensure your expensive WW towels stay usable for longer.

 

TIP - If you have a compressor or a leaf blower they cut down drying time... use them to blow loose water off and out of crevices before drying.

[KJT13]

nice!

 

thanks Dylan!

[12'SROCK]

good write up dylan

[Rausche]

I hope to see more of this material!! This is great stuff to have on the site, thanks a ton Dylan!!!

[misterp]

Agree totally, you must use both a wash & rinse bucket.

 

Drying - my own personal method is to wipe with a California Water Blade (silicone paint-safe squeegee), that gets about 80% of the water off and does not scratch provided you got all the dirt off originally. Then I will follow with compressed air to blow the water from areas that always drip (mirrors, windows, cladding edges, grille) while tidying-up with a high-quality MF towell.

 

Another hint - take any air or water hose and tape the ends with either duct tape or electrical tape to protect your paint, if you accidentally bump the vehicle with the end of the hose you will not gouge a deep scratch into your finish.

 

Mr. P.

[fox_forma]

How does the grit guard work? I googled it and saw some pics but dont really understand it. Do you need to run the mitt over it ever time you dunk in the bucket?

[TheGunny]

great write up!!

[KJT13]

How does the grit guard work? I googled it and saw some pics but dont really understand it. Do you need to run the mitt over it ever time you dunk in the bucket?

 

 

yup

[drako]

EDIT:

I cant read good

Edited September 10, 2007 by Drako (see edit history)

[Dylan06SS]

Something that was left out, the importance of water sheeting.

When you finished rinising the car, remove the nozzel (sp?) and let the water flow off and it will sheet off.

Then you can just dab the remaining water off and hit the cracks with compressed air.

 

FINAL RINSE - Either turn your nozzle to the soaker setting or remove the nozzle from the hose. Using the stream of water pass the hose close to all surfaces to sheet the water off of the vehicle. Be careful the hose doesn't touch your paint, but use the water to PUSH as much of the beads off of the paint as possible. This will save you time in drying and also is a final step to make sure you've completely rinsed any soap or contaminants from the surface. Immediately pull the vehicle into shade or a garage if available.

 

Its in there.

[brobradh77]

Grit gaurd is a polastic circular pice that sits off the bottom of the bucket a couple of inches and acts like a screen that keeps debris at bottom of the bucket and not in the soap you wash your truck with.

 

Great write up all though i dont understand the "Dont wash between panels" statement. Does that mean wash the entire top half of the truck before you rinse?

[BOB47]

Great write-up Dylan. Wish you lived in Michigan. Just printed that out. It will be my new washing bible. Learned a couple things I've been doing wrong. Probably accounts for the swirls. Wish I could find a place to hand wash it in the winter. Now I just spray the worst off with rinse water at the local quarter car wash and live with an ugly truck til spring.

 

While we're on the subject---Dylan, what's a good buffer/polisher for a beginner? Been wanting to try one but I don't know anything about them and don't want to mess up my finish.

Edited September 11, 2007 by BOB47 (see edit history)

[JF-03-SS]

Thanks DVK Great write up, now I can't wait for the big detailing write-up. With all the detailing post lately it has inspired me want to keep my SSS and our other cars cleaner. I zaino'ed my wifes 66MG Midget a few weeks ago (black cherry pearl) and my SSS two weeks ago. I have been starting to buy more detailing stuff. Spent $60.00 last week on more Zaino stuff and another $130.00 this week on stuff from http://www.adamspolishes.com/. Check them out and the dvd is worth watching.

[JF-03-SS]

BOB47

 

[quote While we're on the subject---Dylan, what's a good buffer/polisher for a beginner? Been wanting to try one but I don't know anything about them and don't want to mess up my finish.

 

I believe Dylan will say that this is what you are looking for http://www.adamspolishes.com/c-14-machine-polishing.aspx

Edited September 11, 2007 by JF-03-SS (see edit history)

[hugobossvp]

I have a leaf blower and i actually thought about using it to dry the truck the other day but im a little worried that if imy roomates/neighbors see me drying my truck with it, they'll think im nuts.

 

Screw it, at least ill know im not the only one.