How much Wash Solution needed?

Well I'm sitting here on a rainy day, still no car and I'm miles away from all of my car wash stuff. I was looking at different soaps etc and got to thinking... How much wash solution do we really need? I keep reading things like add X amount of capfuls to five gallons of water, and I'm thinking to myself there's no way we need 5 gallons of solution to wash a car. I feel at 5 gallons we're wasting product. 5 gallons of rinse is a different story, as the more water the less concentrated the dirt is per gallon, always a good thing. I know that using different wash medians, such as a Grout sponge, hold different amounts of solution. Obviously you'll need more solution per size of the vehicle as well. I think you could cut it 2.5 gallons of solution and it'll still suffice with enough to go around. How much do you guys wind up mixing? :sheadhmm intriguing)

 

I am in the 3-4 gallon range in my wash bucket. Rinse bucket is always 4+ gallons. but I've found that after REALLY prewashing well with the hose, and not having a terribly dirty surface to begin with, even my rinse bucket does not get too dirty.

Oh, and I use a LOT of wash solution when washing. I'm almost down to the grit guard by the time I'm done. I figure it's better to have as much solution possible there for lubrication.

 

You run a grit guard in the wash bucket too? I was thinking about doing this soon but I have a 3.5 gallon clear (blue tint) bucket that I use for wash so I can see if anything is in there and monitor if that is getting dirty too. I might do some custom fabrication on one to fit it into the 3.5 gallon.

 

Yeah, I've heard it's not necessary, but it safeguards me from dipping all the way to the bottom of the bucket, where any dirt would be accumulating. I had one to start with in my rinse bucket, then Phil ran a bogo. I kept one for my wash bucket, and gave the other to my dad for christmas. Well, that was part of his gift. He got 10 Shag Rags, Lusso Oro, Lusso paint cleanser, black wow, 32 oz ONR, and the grit guard.

 

Nice, I think I remember you telling me about it. How does he like all of his stuff?

 

He hasn't even used it yet. Wants me to go over and help him out.

 

Oh boy, make sure you bring your sleeping bag.