2 Bucket Rinseless Wash

[DetailZeus]

Anyone here do a 2 bucket rinseless wash?

 

I'm very familiar with the popular "bucket of towels" method but that method was starting to become tedious so I gave the 2-bucket a shot.

 

My setup was 2 buckets with grit guards, 3 gallons of warm rinseless mix in the wash bucket, warm water in the rinse bucket, and 2 inexpensive microfiber mitts.

 

I first presoaked the whole car with wash-strength rinseless out of a garden sprayer. I prefer to run through the pay and spray in these Midwest winters but a thorough soak down with the garden sprayer works surprisingly well. I'm of the school of thought that you want to remove as many contaminates before touching the paint regardless of what wash method you use.

 

I then washed from roof down, using a short, rolling swipe with one side of the wash mitt, going back over the same area with the other side of the mitt. Then a quick agitate and squeeze out of the rinse bucket, dip in the wash bucket, and repeat. I did a couple of panels before wiping up the residual liquid with a damp microfiber towel and final buff with a waffle weave. The second mitt was used for the side skirts of the car.

 

I thought this method worked great. Adam's Rinseless released dirt very well into the rinse bucket, and the wash mitts were grit free the couple times I inspected them. There was very minimal dirt at the bottom of my wash bucket when I was done, no more than what I see with a normal 2 bucket soap wash. I think this method lends itself to washing more panels before drying; I may try to wash the whole car next time before mopping up with the damp microfiber.

 

After doing this, I feel your wash technique is far, far more important than the chance of "cross contamination" from using the 2 bucket method. How much dirt you can remove before touching the paint, how much pressure you're wiping with, and how far you wipe before rinsing your mitt (2 bucket) or switching to a new side of your towel (one bucket) will really determine if you are going to put in swirls.

 

All that being said, both methods are great and anyone on the fence about trying rinseless because they like washing with 2 buckets and a mitt should give this a shot.

 

 

 

[mc2hill]

I use this method as well.  I wash with a chenille MF mitt, damp wipe with a MF towel, and dry with a Waterless Wash Towel.  For a regular wash , I will spray the panel with DS after the damp wipe, but before the WW towel dry.  If I am applying H2O G&G, I will spray the panel after the wash, and spread G&G with the damp towel, when dry with the WW towel.  

[DetailZeus]

I use this method as well.  I wash with a chenille MF mitt, damp wipe with a MF towel, and dry with a Waterless Wash Towel.  For a regular wash , I will spray the panel with DS after the damp wipe, but before the WW towel dry.  If I am applying H2O G&G, I will spray the panel after the wash, and spread G&G with the damp towel, when dry with the WW towel.  

 

I like this. I've also been incorporating the damp microfiber drying step with my regular soap washes too, even without Guard and Gloss. I just like the control the smaller towel gives me and the damp microfiber seems to pick up water very well. I know there's another detailer who swears by this method.

 

One trick I found for applying H2O G&G during a rinseless wash is to use the "dry method" and spray the G&G onto the damp towel instead of the car. I always land up with some overspray on a part that's already been dried when i spray the car. If I don't notice it and it starts to dry, it's hard to rub in. Spraying the towel avoids this problem. 

[SJC96GT]

I don't use the 2 bucket because of being in fear of still there's that risk I wouldn't catch a speck of dirt and then end up scratching the paint. I do pre-soak the car also. I stick with 1 bucket and use multiple towels. On my daily I use between 4-5 towels and on my show car I use anywhere from 8-10 towels. On my daily, I cut the number of towels down by using 2 swipe method. I fold towel into 4's then each side is used twice. Meaning the first swipe all the dirt is on the leading edge of the towel. Then i fold (roll) that quarter back and use that "leading" (more like middle of towel) edge. Getting twice the number of swipes compared to when I do my show car, where as I wipe the dirt/dust off car I roll the towel at the same time and only use each side of the towel once.

Edited January 26, 2016 by SJC96GT

[Ricky Bobby]

I use less water when I use a bucket of towels, and I am 100% certain I am not reintroducing dirt in any way into clean solution - so I will stick with using GDWM - If you want to fill 2 buckets and take more time being your your wash media is clean that is fine.

 

Different strokes for different folks, if it works for you and you like it then go for it, many people do rinseless washes the "traditional" way.  But you are correct it really is all about how much is removed in the pre-soaking step, and proper technique no matter which way you choose to do a rinseless wash.  But the only way to be 100% certain you aren't bringing any dirt back into the wash bucket is to do a GDWM.

[butters]

I cut the number of towels down by using 2 swipe method. I fold towel into 4's then each side is used twice. Meaning the first swipe all the dirt is on the leading edge of the towel. Then i fold (roll) that quarter back and use that "leading" (more like middle of towel) edge. Getting twice the number of swipes compared to when I do my show car, where as I wipe the dirt/dust off car I roll the towel at the same time and only use each side of the towel once.

 

I do this as well, but it can be tedious so I bought a handful more towels to be more relaxed about it. My daily is black so I won't be doing a 2-bucket type rinseless either. I can complete it with less than a gallon of distilled/rinseless wash solution, plus whatever I use for pre-soak.

[NG13]

I've done both...I can totally see why people use the bucket-o-towels method to be certain you are not contaminating your wash solution. This would be particularly beneficial if you planed to keep the leftover solution to use again. On the other hand what is the difference between a two bucket RW and a two bucket traditional wash? If you trust your rinse bucket to get the dirt out of your wash pad why not to get it out of your RW towels?

[stripesace]

On the other hand what is the difference between a two bucket RW and a two bucket traditional wash? If you trust your rinse bucket to get the dirt out of your wash pad why not to get it out of your RW towels?

 

truth!

[DetailZeus]

I've done both...I can totally see why people use the bucket-o-towels method to be certain you are not contaminating your wash solution. This would be particularly beneficial if you planed to keep the leftover solution to use again. On the other hand what is the difference between a two bucket RW and a two bucket traditional wash? If you trust your rinse bucket to get the dirt out of your wash pad why not to get it out of your RW towels?

 

I like to rub my wash media against the grit guard. With a mitt on my hand this is no problem, but I find it clumsy to do with towels. Also my microfiber mitts *might* be a different construction of microfiber then my towels, which lets them release dirt easier.

 

My washing machine right now has a 2+ hour "power wash" setting. Using that plus Microfiber Revitalizer will annihilate dirt from my rinseless towels. If I move and have to start using a laundromat again I doubt i'll want to take my car wash towels there every week, and I doubt even more that I'll want to wash them by hand. 

[DetailZeus]

I use less water when I use a bucket of towels, and I am 100% certain I am not reintroducing dirt in any way into clean solution - so I will stick with using GDWM - If you want to fill 2 buckets and take more time being your your wash media is clean that is fine.

 

Different strokes for different folks, if it works for you and you like it then go for it, many people do rinseless washes the "traditional" way.  But you are correct it really is all about how much is removed in the pre-soaking step, and proper technique no matter which way you choose to do a rinseless wash.  But the only way to be 100% certain you aren't bringing any dirt back into the wash bucket is to do a GDWM.

 

Oddly enough my rinseless washes have little to do with saving water. In the winter I like to wash inside the garage out of the cold. In the middle of summer I do the same, because our water is very hard and spots will show in an instant. 9 times out of 10 that I do a rinseless wash, I will do wheels traditionally with soap and a hose, rinse the whole car off, then pull it inside for the rinseless.

 

I still like the GDWM and I have plenty of towels to do so. I just wanted to try something new and was pleased with the results.

 

I will advise if you're going to use 2 buckets and a mitt for a rinseless wash, dunk the mitt in your rinse bucket more frequently than you would using soap. For example, if you normally rinse your mitt after a single panel, rinse it after a half panel instead. I do believe rinseless is made to transfer dirt onto your wash media more so than soap. Soap I feel just releases dirt from the car under agitation, and much of it sits there until it is rinsed away. Whether this is more of an attribute of the wool mitt I use with soap vs the microfiber mitt I used with rinseless, I'm not sure. But I do know I'm more comfortable blasting through a couple of panels before rinsing the mit using soap, especially if I'm spraying the panel with my foam gun while I wash.

[SJC96GT]

I do this as well, but it can be tedious so I bought a handful more towels to be more relaxed about it. My daily is black so I won't be doing a 2-bucket type rinseless either. I can complete it with less than a gallon of distilled/rinseless wash solution, plus whatever I use for pre-soak.

I probably have over 30 microfiber towels for rinseless washing for the exact reason you mentioned, being more relaxed about it. Agreed, one gallon usual does the trick for rinseless washing and that's including pre-soak. I will also reuse the solution for the next wash if I have plans on washing it again within 7 days or less.

[DetailZeus]

What's the current consensus on foaming as a first step before rinsing? I've tried it with adam's red soap (foam, dwell, rinse, then rinseless wash) and didn't really see an improvement over just rinsing. Is the blue stuff the same in that it works best with some agitation?

[Ricky Bobby]

If you are foaming and rinsing the car down prior to a rinseless wash (in lieu of a pre soak with diluted product I believe??) I highly recommend a foam cannon and a pressure washer. Either red or blue soap would work.

 

If you just use a foam gun garden hose you are just wasting product and water and time. Water alone may get some surface dirt off but probably the same amount as a heavy pre soak of diluted Rinseless with the garden sprayer and the dirt is being encapsulated.

 

Yes when cars are hammered I tend to just rinse down with foam cannon and PW then pull in the garage and go to town with rinseless washing.

[oldfordisbetter]

Jason, you rinse down with Patriot Wax or pressure washer?

[LT1xL82]

Jason, you rinse down with Patriot Wax or pressure washer?

Jason has some serious coin! I bet the Patriot is kept in a limited edition billet container. 

[DetailZeus]

If you are foaming and rinsing the car down prior to a rinseless wash (in lieu of a pre soak with diluted product I believe??) I highly recommend a foam cannon and a pressure washer. Either red or blue soap would work.

 

If you just use a foam gun garden hose you are just wasting product and water and time. Water alone may get some surface dirt off but probably the same amount as a heavy pre soak of diluted Rinseless with the garden sprayer and the dirt is being encapsulated.

 

Yes when cars are hammered I tend to just rinse down with foam cannon and PW then pull in the garage and go to town with rinseless washing.

Thanks Ricky

 

My old foam gun is on its last leg and I was thinking about picking up a pressure washer this spring instead. If it's not freezing outside I prefer just to bring out the hose because I do wheels with soap and water anyways.

 

If the hose isn't an option I presoak with the garden sprayer. I ALWAYS try to presoak with something when doing a rinseless, whether that be a hose, garden sprayer, or even saturate the panel with qd strength rinseless.

 

I'm trying to consolidate all my products and techniques; I've just got way too much stuff. I'm finding between a Liquid Paint Sealant base and regular touch ups with h2o g&g, the paint rarely reaches the point where I wouldn't be comfortable doing a rinseless wash, especially with a hose down first.

[Ricky Bobby]

Jason has some serious coin! I bet the Patriot is kept in a limited edition billet container.

LOL damn auto correct I meant pressure washer. That would be one shiny rinse! Haha

[Jayco76]

Any suggestions on a rinceless - strip wash ?

 

Or am I better of doing a standard rinceless wash with an alcohol wipe down ?

[mc2hill]

Any suggestions on a rinceless - strip wash ?

 

Or am I better of doing a standard rinceless wash with an alcohol wipe down ?

 

Sure, add 2 - 3 oz. of APC to the Rinseless wash bucket and you are all set.  I don't do this often but it works fine!

[SSilver07]

So how exactly is the 2 bucket method riskier? I tried it today for the first time using the 2 bucket method. Folded a double soft into fourths and went end to end with light pressure. First swipe was pretty nasty. So I ended up spraying the panels down with WW first then going over with the rinseless. After it was somewhat dry I used the WW with the blue waffle weave for final dry and it was pretty clean. It came out good, but I was scared to use detail spray afterwards. I was thinking I could pre soak it with a pressurized bottle and rinseless next time and maybe single soft towels. How exactly do you do the single bucket? do you just use the towel once?

[Beemer]

Yep. Use the towel once, toss it in the hamper and get a fresh one. When I rinseless wash the Rocket I use 6 wash towels and 6 drying towels.

[Jayco76]

Single bucket method = multiple towels .. Often referred to as the GDWM. I typically use 12 to 13 single soft's on my 2015 GMC Canyon and one plush waffle we've per panel ( granted I'm a little excessive when it comes to using my MF Towels )

[Ricky Bobby]

Yes multiple towels using all 8 sides and once the 8 sides are used then wring it out and toss into laundry bin.

 

I normally need 5-7 towels total including wheel towels depending on how dirty the vehicle is.

 

After the pre soak, actual cleaning and drying of the panel it should be spotless, you can spritz some DS on the panel for a final wipe.

[SSilver07]

Thanks for the replies. I will be ordering more towels.