· By Cal Mercer · 1 min read
The two-bucket wash, done properly
Most swirls come from washing. Here is how we wash a car without adding any, with kit you can buy for under £50.
Every swirl mark we polish out was put there by something touching the paint while grit was on it. The two-bucket method keeps that grit away from your mitt.
What you need
- Two buckets, each with a grit guard in the bottom
- A pH-neutral car shampoo
- A deep-pile wash mitt (not a sponge)
- A hose or a pressure washer
How to do it
- Rinse the car top to bottom to take off loose dirt. With a pressure washer, a snow foam pre-wash is even better.
- Fill one bucket with shampoo and water, the other with plain water.
- Wash one panel at a time, top to bottom, in straight lines, not circles.
- Before every reload, rinse the mitt in the plain bucket and rub it on the grit guard.
- Leave the dirtiest parts, the sills and the lower bumpers, until last.
If you drop the mitt, it’s done for the day. Get a clean one.