Well, with the fine car washing “How To” that Dwayne has on Premium Auto Care’s site, this one is almost redundant. However, I thought it might be a good idea to have one here in the forums. Here we go…
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One of the most overlooked areas of paint care is washing. Improper washing/drying is probably the biggest cause of swirls/spider webs… one of the enemies of that sought after "perfect finish".
Keep in mind that these are only my recommendations, and work well for me. There are variations of the tools/products and process that work well for others.
Tools & products:
Car wash shampoo.
At least two mitts. (Trim off the labels before using)
2 - 5 gallon wash buckets.
Wheel brush and wheel cleaner if necessary.
Tire Brush and tire cleaner if necessary.
1 or 2 Waffle Weave drying towels (Trim off any labels before using)
QD spray or QD spray mix.
Buy the best car wash you can get... NO, they are not all the same. Some have more lubrication, clean safer and better, some contain water softeners, and some even add gloss instead of removing it... etc. Same thing goes for the towels... some just work better, some will scratch, and some won`t. Don`t scrimp on the quality of ANYTHING that touches your vehicle... PERIOD!
Get yourself several (not just one) high quality wash mitts. Good old made in the USA 100% cotton mitts are great, as are high quality lambs wool/sheepskin mitts. Don`t "overuse" your mitts either. With the cotton mitts, once you have used them several times on the paint, consider relegating them to a dirtier chore like the wheels. Then, a few times on the wheels or other grungy areas, and then get rid of them. The sheepskin mitts seem to hold up a little longer and the fibers don’t seem to get as coarse after frequent usage. Again, don`t forget to trim any "labels" off them before using.
Process Notes:
Use a "light touch" with all your washing process. Don`t scrub or use too much pressure with the mitt. If you are using the right car wash and mitt, the mitt should "glide" over the surface and remove the dirt with little effort. However, ensure that you get all the dirt off the vehicle. Don’t miss a spot! If, when you are drying, you see some dirt on you drying towel… you know you “missed” some dirt, or your are using a weak car wash soap. This is a surefire way to put swirls into your paint… get “ALL” the dirt off the paint, but be gentle in doing so. Same thing goes for you drying process… be gentle. Besides, if you are rinsing properly, you will not need to do a lot of wiping with the towels.
Use the "two bucket" method to wash............. one bucket with the suds, and one bucket to rinse the mitt thoroughly after EVERY panel. Some type of grit guard in the rinse bucket is a plus. This keeps much of the dirt in the bottom of the rinse bucket, and not on the mitt, or in the suds bucket. A grit guard in the suds bucket doesn’t hurt either.
Even when using the two-bucket method, you should check the mitt after you have rinsed it out in the rinse bucket. If you still see dirt on the mitt… rinse it with the hose. Holding it by the cuff and rinsing from the inside out and then down the mitt at an angle will really get the mitt clean before you dip it in the suds bucket. Even if you don’t see dirt on the mitt, this extra rinse is a good habit.
Always try to wash cool surfaces (paint, wheels and anything else) whenever possible. Work in the shade, or at least work when the sun is at a low angle. (early morning/late evening)
If you use a tire cleaner, or wheel cleaner, be sure to read the directions and cautions on the label. Some of these products are pretty darn nasty. Wearing good eye protection and a pair of heavy-duty gloves is a good habit to get into. Clean tires and wheels are not worth personal injury!
Car Washing Process:
Start by mixing the "proper" mix of car wash in a clean and rinsed bucket. PROPER is a key word here. Follow the manufacturer`s mix ratio. Don`t just dump in a big "glob" of car wash in the bucket. Using too much car wash can strip the existing protective wax from the finish, and can leave soap residue on the paint even after a thorough rinsing. Using to little car wash can leave the solution weak and may not provide the lubrication needed. Put around half the water you intend to use in the bucket, add the car wash concentrate and hit it with the hose to put in the remaining water and generate some suds.
Now, start by washing and rinsing your tires, wheels, wheel wells, and "grungy" areas with a separate mitt(s) and/or proper brushes. Never use the same mitt that you use on those areas... on the paint! If you do, you will almost "guarantee" yourself some very nice swirl marks and scratches! Once you start using a mitt on these areas… dedicate it to those areas. Don’t try washing it out to use on the paint next time. Also, never use the same brush on the wheels and tires… get the right type brush for each job.
After doing your wheels, tires, wheel wells and possibly some grungy areas, empty and rinse your wash and rinse buckets and refill.
Next, start on the paint by thoroughly rinsing the vehicle well to remove as much loose dirt as possible. I like to angle my spray, so as not to drive the dirt into the paint.
When washing the vehicle`s paint, start from the top of the vehicle and work your way down. This helps to continuously float the dirt and suds down and off the paint. Dip your mitt into the bucket and get plenty of the mix of water and car wash solution… you can always mix up more. The mixture of solution provides the cleaning power and lubrication you need… use plenty of it!
Try washing a maximum of one small panel at a time. For large panels, you may want to wash only half of the panel. Adjust this process depending on how dirty the mitt gets as you are washing, or how much water/suds your mitt holds. Check the mitt frequently and rinse it out in the rinse bucket and with the hose when necessary. It doesn’t hurt to switch to another clean mitt somewhere in the process. If you vehicle is really dirty, switching to a clean mitt is highly recommended.
Keep the vehicle “fresh wet” with occasional light rinsing over the washed areas until you have washed the entire vehicle. Then, remove the nozzle from the hose and use a light, steady stream (flood rinse) of water to rinse the entire vehicle. This will minimize the standing water and allow for easier drying and less water spotting. This is a very important step. The less wiping of the paint you need to do, the better off you are, as the less you touch the paint, the less likely you are to create swirls/spider web marks.
Use high quality towels to dry your vehicle. The new Waffle Weave towels are great for this. Blot most of the water up, and then "lightly" wipe any remaining water. Again, the less you touch the paint, and the lighter you touch it, the less likely you are to induce swirls in the paint.
A great variation of the above drying procedure is to lightly mist some QD or QD mix on the section that you are about to dry. Then, very lightly spread the QD and water on paint with your WW towel and flip the WW (or use another WW) to finish drying that section. The QD or QD mix adds lubrication, some light cleaning and maybe even a little “POP” to the drying process.
When you are finished washing and drying the vehicle, thoroughly wash, rinse, and dry your wash mitts and towels. Using dirty mitts and towels the next time you wash defeats the whole purpose of even trying to do it right! A good cleaning of any brushes you used doesn’t hurt either.
Anyhow, if you follow these steps, you will spend a lot more time admiring that near "perfect finish", instead of polishing out swirls to get the finish back.
While not a complete car washing/drying “how to”, this should help a lot of folks… hope it helps you.
Happy Washing!
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