Do you spill out the clean bucket after each wash?

[Coderedpl]

So after my most recent wash, it got me thinking about something. I started adding more soap into my clean bucket to have a bit more 'lube' during my washes and have it glide better but this also means more product spent, faster depletion, more money spent, good for Adams, bad for me. 

I have a VW Golf R hatchback and Audi SQ5 SUV, and it's not often that I wash both at the same time, and it's also not that often that they are very dirty, so my clean bucket doesn't exactly get that dirty. After I would finish washing both, I would always spill out both buckets, and the next wash that would come, days or weeks later, I would just start fresh. 

What I'm wondering is how many of you actually simply close the bucket until next time you wash the car? Say the next weekend? 

 

Is there an actual downside?
Would the soap not be as effective after sitting for the week? 

Edited October 30, 2018 by Coderedpl

[RayS]

Since I almost always wash two vehicles on the same day, I do not clean the buckets between washes.  If I know I am doing more than two vehicles in the weekend, I'll use the same buckets the entire weekend unless I get a very dirty one.  The buckets are always emptied and cleaned at the end of the weekend. 

[ObsessedDetailer]

If you are washing both cars at once there’s no hard using the same bucket without dumping the first cars water. I have done two cars at once before, but after the first car there was hardly any water left in both buckets. I just refilled them both and added one squirt of soap and made it sudsy again. 

[Coderedpl]

2 hours ago, RayS said:

Since I almost always wash two vehicles on the same day, I do not clean the buckets between washes.  If I know I am doing more than two vehicles in the weekend, I'll use the same buckets the entire weekend unless I get a very dirty one.  The buckets are always emptied and cleaned at the end of the weekend. 

 

1 hour ago, ObsessedDetailer said:

If you are washing both cars at once there’s no hard using the same bucket without dumping the first cars water. I have done two cars at once before, but after the first car there was hardly any water left in both buckets. I just refilled them both and added one squirt of soap and made it sudsy again. 

I wrote that thread while I was doing a million things at once away from the house so I think i might of made it seem like I spill out after each wash. I definitely do NOT do that. 

What I meant was, if say you finished washing all your cars throughout the weekend or day. If clean water bucket is not too dirty, do you simply spill it out, or keep it until the next weekend wash? 

[GXPaycheck]

Depends on how clean the water is.

[ObsessedDetailer]

@Coderedpl I guess it would depend on the cleanliness of the water. Is there a reason you don't/won't just refill it? Are you limited on water?

[Rich]

Never.  Meaning I never reuse water in a bucket.  

[Coderedpl]

31 minutes ago, ObsessedDetailer said:

@Coderedpl I guess it would depend on the cleanliness of the water. Is there a reason you don't/won't just refill it? Are you limited on water?

Not really, it's more of a curiosity thing really. I do it anyway. but I noticed after my last wash the water was barely dirty and it just got me thinking lol

[imatt27]

I always dump my buckets after I’m done washing. I will do 2 or even 3 cars with the same 2 buckets. But after I’m done for the day I always dump them. 

[mc2hill]

I will sometimes wash the car and truck with the same wash solution, (I do change out the rinse water in between) but I always clean out the buckets after each 'session'.  The only time I would leave the wash water in the bucket is if I was using the 'bucket of towels' Rinseless wash method.

[Coderedpl]

I guess i can put my thoughts to rest about even trying it haha I had this feeling that this wouldn't be a preferred action. 

[birel101]

Would love to see your golf r after a detail

[ObsessedDetailer]

4 hours ago, birel101 said:

Would love to see your golf r after a detail

Agreed! One of my favorite cars for sure

[Methodical]

Nope.  Fresh start for me. I put too much time into getting it shiny and swirl free.  I have a Toyota Sequoia and this is a little bit more work than those little sporty cars, but that wouldn't matter either way - fresh water and soap every time.

[Adam Tarbox]

What I do is dump the bucket between each wash. I look at it from the standpoint of micro Grime that may contaminate and then get place on vehicle that I am washing. Such contaminants May intern harm or scratch the paint. Even with the guard at the bottom it can still bring up some small fine bits of grime into the mit that you're then placing back on the car. I have always had the philosophy of starting clean each time. When I wash my wheels after finishing I dumped the buckets refill with new water and start on the body. What I do to save product is use the foam gun. I pour a little bit of the solution on my mit but have clean water in both buckets. That will eventually transfer into a soapy bucket in the middle to the end of the wash. This saves material and time.

[BrianT]

Every vehicle brings new water and new soap.  I foam the vehicles, so there isn't much soap in the bucket to begin with.

[MAYHEM]

Always change out water and soap buckets. 

[Dkhazlett]

I change the rinse water between vehicles and wash both out thoroughly after washing both. 

[tlbullet]

Def change water in both buckets.  How else am i going to empty out my WNW gallon before summer??? I NEED the new wash n coat😜

[tmccoy2236]

On 11/25/2018 at 4:52 PM, BrianT said:

Every vehicle brings new water and new soap.  I foam the vehicles, so there isn't much soap in the bucket to begin with.

 

+ 1 on this approach.  I clean out the buckets as well prior to refilling with clean water and fresh soap.  It does use more water but the runoff just ends up running into a couple of tree beds at the end of the driveway which generally have to be watered anyway, so I don't see it being wasteful

[shane@detailedreflections]

On 11/25/2018 at 4:52 PM, BrianT said:

Every vehicle brings new water and new soap.  I foam the vehicles, so there isn't much soap in the bucket to begin with.

 

Agreed. Every client gets fresh product. It’s what they are paying us for to start with. And I don’t want to cross contaminate anything. It’s piece of mind that every client got what they should have...first appointment or last appointment. 

 

The same applies to towels and pads as well. Fresh, clean for every vehicle. 

[Chris@Adams]

Yes, better safe than sorry.