Single Bucket Wash Method ?

Hello everyone. Whats the best way to use the single bucket with grit guard? I'm referring to the actual putting the wash mitt in the bucket and scrubbing the grit guard aspect of the method. Is that it, or is there more to it? I Searched single bucket method in search and came out with 3 threads. Maybe there are some links you can give me. Is the dual bucket better? I'm just trying to find the best way of doing it without putting swirl marks and scratches back on the paint.
P.S. this would be for a weekly or every other week maintenance wash.

Thanks everyone.

 

Two bucket method is the way to go. One rinse and one soap/wash bucket.
This way your soap bucket stays clean throughout the whole wash so you're not taking dirt off your car from one place and potentially putting it back on.

 

I use the single bucket w/ grit guard on my personal car as it is well kept and never really dirty, but I do use two buckets for customer's cars as they are usually much dirtier. I also wash my car every week.

 

I get paranoid and use like 4-5 wash mitts on my car and once I do a panel or two switch to another. Probably not the most cost effective way, which is odd because I have everything for a two bucket method. Oh well, it works me so I guess I'll keep it. Gotta admit two bucket is always better than one though.

 

it all depends on the user if that makes any sense. I know some reputable people that use the 1 bucket method with no problems at all. Before i had my gritt guards i use to use the one bucket method all the time but i always made sure to rinse my mitt after every panel and that worked fine.

So if you do use the 1 bucket method just give your mitt a rinse prior to sticking it back in your washing solution bucket and you will reduce your chances of wash induce marring etc . . .

hope that helps.

 

If you must use a single bucket keep the hose handy to rinse your washing media before dipping back into your soap bucket.

 

I only use a single bucket if the car is not to dirty,95% of the time i use 2 buckets!:afro:

 

I know this may be a shock but I hardly ever, almost never, use 2 bucket method. I always use one bucket when I do traditional or ONR washes. Put the wash sponge/mitt in the bucket and scrape it against the GG.

When doing regular washes, or if car has lot of dirt, I pre-wash it with foam gun and rinse with strong jet of water. If I am at my apartment I just drive down to local bay wash and power wash the car and come back to ONR. This gets rid of most if not all the large junk and most of the smaller stuff. Then I just wash away and have not had issues.

Some people swear by the 2bm some say 1bm, use what you like and go from there. I like the 1bm as I am lazy and dont want to fill up 2 buckets and move them around and clean them after.

 

you can get away with using one bucket if your cars not that dirty. i just did it yesterday on my car and it was fine, granted i presoaked with citrus first, rinsed, then foamed it, rinsed, then washed. as far as doing an ONR wash, i personally find it too risky to only use one bucket, unless the cars already hammered. usually when i ONR wash, my rinse bucket water ends up being pretty damn dirty, so based on that, im not really willing to only use one bucket for ONR. considering ONR pulls the dirt right off into your wash media, i think its too risky to be dumping all that grit and dirty back into the wash bucket.

 

Even two-three weeks of driving after I do a ONR wash my bucket is never dirty, water still blue tinted and some junk on the bottom but not anything I would call dirty.

When I did do two bucket ONR, I mixed both buckets with same dilution of ONR, so I would not lower dilution of the wash bucket.

 

I almost always use one bucket and one grit guard. During ONR washes, I only use one bucket w/Grit Guard. If my wash media becomes too dirty to continue, then I just switch to a fresh wash mitt/sponge.

Regular car washes are easy....my protection is always strong and I always do a thorough pre-foam and rinse which removes most of the dirt from the vehicle. I only break out the second (rinse) bucket if my car actually has real mud all over the place.

 

If I use a single bucket method, I will make at least 3 gallons soap solution since the single bucket can get nasty. With a two bucket method, you can get away with less except on larger vehicles.

 

I too have moved to using a single bucket method for ONR washes but I use two buckets if I feel the car is particularly dirt or want a bit of extra peace of mind and security against marring. If I use a single bucket, I make sure there is at least 4 gallons of ONR solution since you can always see a nice layer of dirt particles at the bottom and want to avoid the wash media coming into contact with them.

 

Thanks everyone. Your replies are very helpful. I will take all your advice into consideration. Now, if i do a pre-foam, is the chemical guys citrus wash "clear" or daily, i don't know what they call it, good? I have read that one wont strip the wax. Or is there another pre-foam wash you would recommend for a weekly maintenance wash?
Thanks again

 

Citrus Wash & Clear is a really nice shampoo. It won't strip wax if you only use an ounce for 3 to 5 gallons of water but you may find it best to use a regular wash soap for maintenance washings.

There are plenty of maintenance wash soaps that clean well and additionally leave a glossing agent and/or some wax protection to enhance beading and extend durability for not much $$$.

I usually use a one of the CG paintwork cleansers for washing my wheels, and a regular wash soap for washing my car.

 

I just learned about the 2 bucket method and how to clay. Now people are still using 1 bucket? BTW Is there a list of products on this site? Like recommended?

 

There are plenty of lists on recommended products for someone starting out. search and if you still cant find it im sure someone will post

 

You will learn that many people have different techniques and some may lecture about what is right or right. Some best practices may reduce the risk of swirls but the actual technique is what matters.

You can follow advice but over time you will likely find things you like and do not like despite glowing opinions from fellow detailers. Good advice can come from those that post many words or few words. Given the numerous thoughts you need to decide for yourself based upon your experiences.

Enjoy!