How to wash your car using the two-bucket method by Loafy of ukpassats

[Ben]

Ok, thought maybe I would do a wee how to guide with the two bucket method!

Simple to some, but may answer questions for others.

So no harm in teaching the others those are curious!

Before we start I will make a list of items we need to do this:

** 2 Buckets (Mark One Clean, Mark One Dirty) Tesco Value Buckets
** 2 Spraying Units
** Hose / Preferably A Pressure Washer
** 2 Mircofibre Mitts (Lambswool Mitts As An Aleternative)
** Chemical Guys Extreme Wash and Wax
** Chemical Guys Citrus Wash
** Some Microfibre Towels for Drying
** Meguiar's Wheel Brush Halfords and All Good Meguiar's Stockists
** Chemical Guys Blue Rim and Wheel Cleaner

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The Audi has just general road grime on it, nothing major or nothing light either, as you can see from the following pictures

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Ok so first things first, before we set up the pressure washer and the rest of the cleaning stuff, i take some Chemical Guys Blue Rim and Wheel Cleaner in its appropriate dilution in a spray unit and spray the alloys wheels. I do this to allow the cleaner to loose the brake dust and any other dirt particles on the wheel.

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I leave the Chemical Guys Blue Rim and Wheel Cleaner to soak on all four wheels.

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Whilst the Chemical Guys Blue Rim and Wheel Cleaner is doing its job i also like to take some of the Chemical Guys Citrus Wash again in its appropriate dilution in a spray unit and spray the lower half of the car, especially at this time of year where there is a salt content on the roads and the lower half of the car tends to pick this up alot more easily as can be seen below:

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So for best results i spray the on the lower half of the car prior to setting up the pressure washer and the likes

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Again leave the Chemical Guys Citrus Wash to soak whilst setting up the pressure washer

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Ii assume that it takes me around five minutes to set up the pressure washer at this stage, this give a good amount of time for the Chemical Guys Citrus Wash and the Chemical Guys Blue Rim and Wheel Cleaner to have soaked.

I wash the car down from top to bottom; this allows the dirt that’s on the car to loosen off, and to fall down the panels of the car to the ground. Obviously with a convertible you do not spray the roof with a high pressure machine or around any areas where the roof seals to the body to ensure no leaks occur. If you have a metal roofs then start with the roof and work down wards.

As you can see from the picture below once the alloys have been just washed with the pressure washer it comes up pretty clean!

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So now with the car washed down its time to go get the buckets and start the next process.

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Ok time to get the buckets and the mitts out and set up.

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I find useful to mark the buckets with some sort of indication to what one is the clean bucket and what one is the dirty bucket.

Also prior to starting ensure both buckets have been cleaned out since the last use so no dirt/grit etc is in the bucket.

The shampoo I will be using is the Extreme Body Wash and Wax for this cleaning session.

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Add two small cap fulls of Extreme Body Wash and Wax into the bucket

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I then fill the bucket to just over 1/2 full of luke warm water, normally stick both hot and cold taps on at same pace and duration to keep it luke warm, and as you can see it foam's up very nicely for such a small quantity of shampoo

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In bucket two the one marked dirty, again make sure its cleaned prior to filling up with luke warm water (just water nothing else). This bucket becomes the rinsing bucket.

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I like to use two mitts, one for the upper half of the body and one for the lower half, again just purely down to the lower half being dirtier than the upper half.

Take your upper mitt and soak it in the clean/shampoo bucket

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Leave it in the bucket for 10-15seconds to allow the mitt to soak up the shampoo.

I normally start with the windows first as this is part that need to be the cleanness part of the car.

Remember to use both sides of the mitt; it will spin easily on the hand!

When you feel the need to return the mitt to get more shampoo, first of all dip the mitt into the dirty bucket (as such), i.e the bucket with just the water.

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Once your mitt is in the dirty / clean water bucket, squeeze the mitt in the bucket to release most of the dirt and grime. The best way to describe the process is, would you continue using a dirty sponge to clean your face with? No you rinse it, so why should your car be the same?

Another trick prior to placing the mitt back in the clean bucket (shampoo) is to flick the mitt to release any more dirt and grime which is still on the mitt.

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The next part is the upper body of the car, then changing mitt to do the lower half of the car, usually bumper level.

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So that’s the car washed with Extreme Body Wash and Wax so now its time to think about rinsing the car off.

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I use the pressure washed again and like before i start at the top half of the car and work down the panels to wash off the shampoo.

Finished You Might Think? Nah

Back to the wheels, at this point I am going to use the Meguiar's Wheel Brush, which costs roughly five pounds from places such as Halfords.

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The wheels should clean quite quickly as we have already lost most of the brake dust and grime earlier on in the wash.

The reason i use the brush is to reach the hard to reach areas in the wheels, it also can be used to clean the arches too, saves trying to get your hand into awkward places. I dip the wheel brush into the shampoo bucket and then work the wheels.

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After i have done all four wheels i turn the high pressure machine off and use the lighter spray on it, to ensure no grime/dirt gets back on the body work of the car.

As you can see the wheels come up nice and clean!!!

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Ok the car has now been washed and is beginning to look nice and clean! Way Hey

So its now time to start drying the car, usually i put all the equipment away before returning to the car with the mirco fibre towels. I use two types of towels, but will explain below.

I start off with a thicker mirco fibre towels to take the larger amounts of water droplets still on the car

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Again you start at the top of the car and work down the body work pushing the water off the car.

After removing most of the water droplets i return to the car with a finer mirco fibre towel this is ensure all the smaller droplets of water is picked up.

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The end results of the car using the method as discussed above should surprise most people!

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When emptying the buckets have a look at the dirt bucket and see how much grime/dirt is in the bucket and think previously that was what you were dipping your sponge into and continuing to wash your prize possession!

Some people may doubt the products used may give the deep reflection look that i have achieved today, and that my car has been pc'd. Well the car has never been pc'd and the previous owner of the car prior to me never did the two bucket method! So it just shows what some time and effort can do!

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Originally created by Loafy and posted on www.ukpassats.co.uk.

[RickT]

no pics?

RickT