The OP did say he knows he didn't use this correctly but there are two things that stand out to me. It sounds like you needed two buckets and not just one. You were probably just pulling the dirt off the vehicle, putting it in your wash bucket, and then putting it right back on your vehicle (thus the haze). Definitely need to invest in two bigger buckets both with grit guards. Also, I'm not sure which silver towels you're using but either the metal polishing towels or the utility towels probably aren't the best for this.