More towels less mitts

[Osok]

I'm about to try out a new wash approach to try to accomplish two things:

 

1)  Less water - for those in water conservation areas

2)  Avoid stuck on dirt/bugs that I miss in the wash mitt

 

Let me preface all of this with the fact that I've been an Adam addict for a lot of years now and have always been a two bucket, two grit guard, two wash mitt guy.

 

With the fairly recent release of Adam's rinseless wash (which I love for the lightly dusted car wipe down) and the technique there for having  a bucket of the rinseless wash and water, using multiple double softs soaked in the water to do a section of the car at a time with constant folding/turning to a clean side...it dawned on me a hybrid of this approach might be good for my full washes.

One thing I've always struggled with be it the merlino mitt or the regular Adams wash mitts even though I use the grit guard in both buckets when I go to clean the mitt in the rinse water rubbing it on the grit guard and all I still often can't seem to get all of the bugs, dirt out of the fibers.   And I think this has led to light marring I always see at the end of summer fall when I do my bi annual polish.

So anyways my thought is to use one bucket..filled with soapy Adams car shampoo and instead of using the two wash mitts I'll just use 4-5 double soft/single softs as if I was using the rinseless wash method.

This way I get the soapy goodness of the shampoo and avoid any missed contamination in the mitt by only ever wiping with a clean spot on the double softs.  Once a spot is used i fold and turn until that towel is used up.  Once used up I pull out the next towel already soaking in the sudsy shampoo water.

 

And in the end it's one less 5 gallons of water I'm using since I don't need a rinse bucket.

Anyone use this approach?  Does it work well?

 

We'll see how it goes.

[Ricky Bobby]

That's the GDWM, Garry Dean Wash Method.

 

That is how most of us "pros" do rinseless washing, and is the absolutely safe way to do traditional wash.  I still wish that Adam's would change the directions on Rinseless instead of saying to use a Double soft and buckets with grit guards, I wish they would recommend multiple Borderless Blues and/or Single Softs and just one bucket and to flip a towel until it is soiled, and then set to the side and launder.

 

The key benefit is that you are never introducing old dirt to new dirt on the paint, and its safer than even a 2 bucket method with 2 mitts and 2 grit guards.

 

Here is his video of the GDWM in action on a traditional wash with soap, he pre-foams the car which only uses about 2 gallons of water, then soaks his towels in a gallon of sudsy water, and gives a final rinse.  I think he said a total of 7 gallons is used approximately.  If you do a pre-soak with foam, its an even better way to wash.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evFTeRxtEEo

Edited October 1, 2014 by Ricky Bobby

[Osok]

Well look at that.  I guess I self discovered the GDWM.    After my first attempt at this method it does save water.  I'm a little on the fence about how well each towel can retain enough water during the wash to be effective after a couple of flips.  This means just using more towels really, or doing like Gary did in his video, take your and and put more suds on the towel.

I'm wondreing how it holds up over time with cars that are pretty dirty.  I tend to think the wash mitts do a better job getting the tougher stuck on dirt to free up and they definitely hold more suds/water while using them.

I'm going to do this method for awhile and see what I think after 4-6 times.    In the end I'm not sure it was really faster or used less product.  I still had two buckets.  The second bucket was just empty and used to hold my used towels until I was done so I'm still lugging the same stuff out it seemed.

Time will tell.

RickyB..thanks for sharing the GD video.

[HydroBlueJK]

i too think that the white wash pads tend to swirl up my vehicles....it seems as if once theyre used they go downhill from there, i like the way the pads feel/wash but maybe its just me..

[Ricky Bobby]

***It's funny you posted this thread  because I literally was sitting home the other day thinking to myself, I LOVE doing the GDWM because of the time factor, and the fact that it is safe as can be, but I also LOVE using Car Shampoo and traditional wash, because inside after years of traditional hose/bucket washes it makes me "feel safer", so I sort of came to the conclusion that Garry's perfect wash video is a good way to go about getting best of both worlds.***

 

Anyways, the wash pads are OK but I definitely replace them with a fresh set every 6 months, even after being cleaned out with APC they still can retain dirt. 

 

As far as the GDWM with soapy towels, this would work great if you had one of those hose end foam guns, from Gilmour or Griots.  Pre-soak soapy towels in a gallon of water, get the hose end foam gun going, spray down a panel.  Pick up a towel, and wipe down the panel switching to a fresh side often.  You can probably get 2 panels done with 1 towel.  Then discard, fresh towel, fresh foam on the next panel, and complete till car is done.

 

When all done, remove foam gun and rinse as normal.  Should be quick and fast for sure that way, and probably still save water!

 

Its just as safe doing this method as a traditional 2BM, the only way its not safe is if you are cleaning up a nasty, grimy car with mud and dirt caked on it (offroad etc), but even then a traditional 2BM isn't safe, you'd still have to knock down the heavy stuff with a pressure washer and a pre-soak anyway.

 

 

So in all I'd say using soapy towels in a modified GDWM with Car Shampoo is as safe or safer than a 2BM with Grit Guards and 2 wash pads.  It's all about prep, technique, and lubrication.*

 

*If doing this method I also recommend just like in a traditional wash, to add 1 oz of Rinseless Wash to the soap bucket, either when using wash pads or the GDWM method with many towels.  The Rinseless acts as a water softener and keeps the solution extra lubricated in addition to soap.

[Osok]

I had actually read a thread about folks putting some rinseless wash into the wash bucket with shampoo right before I headed out to do my wash and I agree..it did seem a bit less sudsy but more slick.

I'm a bit handcuffed here.  We recently left the awful state of NY and moved to Tennessee.  But for now we're in an apartment complex so I don't have all of my stuff with me and only have a supplied hose here.  I will give them props here though as they actually have a designated car wash bay for everyone to use.  It's covered, has an over head hose, drain, and spigot.  Sure beats having to wash in the parking lot.

[Ricky Bobby]

I had actually read a thread about folks putting some rinseless wash into the wash bucket with shampoo right before I headed out to do my wash and I agree..it did seem a bit less sudsy but more slick.

I'm a bit handcuffed here.  We recently left the awful state of NY and moved to Tennessee.  But for now we're in an apartment complex so I don't have all of my stuff with me and only have a supplied hose here.  I will give them props here though as they actually have a designated car wash bay for everyone to use.  It's covered, has an over head hose, drain, and spigot.  Sure beats having to wash in the parking lot.

 

Rinseless sounds good for that kinda use then.  Either way, the great thing about the South is that theres always self serves around as well, you could always give a high pressure rinse and just GDWM with Rinseless as normal.