Wouldn't the two-bucket method be inferior compared to this?

J

JPW

New member
This seems sort of obvious to me but I thought I should ask in case I'm missing something. I've read quite a few articles around the benefit of the two-bucket method when washing a car. The second bucket is used to rinse out your wash mitt. It seems reasonable to me that this is certainly better than using only one bucket for washing and rinsing.



However, what about just using the hose to rinse off your mitt completely rather than using a rinse bucket? In a rinse bucket I would think there is still some potential for loose particles to get back in to the mitt and then on to your car. By rinsing off the wash mitt each time it seems to me that you have a better chance of evacuating all the loose grit and as a result greatly diminish your chances for swirl marks or a scratched surface.



Does anyone use this method? Is there any reason why it wouldn't be better than the two-bucket method? It seems weird to me that I've never heard anyone mention this before as a process.



Addendum: Grit Guards would be used in the buckets as well.
 
I suppose that would work. I haven't hear that mentioned either.



The only negative I can think of is that you will use a lot of extra water for each wash. For some people that may not matter, but for others it does.
 
I do this when the vehicle is really nasty and has a lot of debris that just using the rinse bucket won't get rid of. But I always use the rinse bucket no matter what.
 
Thanks for the replies. I should have mentioned that I would be using a grit guard in both buckets.
 
tssdetailing said:
with a grit guard on the bottom of the 2nd bucket, you'd do more to remove the debris as well as save time.
Click to expand...



Really? Can you elaborate how? It just seems to me that completely expelling any loose grit from the mitt is better than leaving it more contained in the same bucket (the rinse bucket). If I could actually understand why the two-bucket method is superior to rinsing I would certainly start doing it.
 
I'm not sure that its fair to assume that rinsing with a hose rinses a mitt more thoroughly that dipping in a bucket filled with water, particularly if you spend the same amount of time at each. Dunking your head in a tub of water, particularly with agitation, for a few seconds is going to rinse the shampoo off of your head better than a few seconds under the shower.



I'm not sure how that applies to the world of wash mitts, admittedly.



In any event, I find that using the hose is a pain in the ***, such that I'm keeping the second bucket no matter what.
 
Furd said:
I'm not sure that its fair to assume that rinsing with a hose rinses a mitt more thoroughly that dipping in a bucket filled with water, particularly if you spend the same amount of time at each. Dunking your head in a tub of water, particularly with agitation, for a few seconds is going to rinse the shampoo off of your head better than a few seconds under the shower.



I'm not sure how that applies to the world of wash mitts, admittedly.



In any event, I find that using the hose is a pain in the ***, such that I'm keeping the second bucket no matter what.
Click to expand...



That is a great analogy but I almost think it is a better argument for rinsing. A good example might be comparing a shower to taking a bath. The shower clearly gets you cleaner since you are expelling all the grime down the drain whereas with the bath you sort are in it all over.



Grit guard needs to get with the program and offer a bath tub sized option :chuckle:
 
I've never done the two bucket method. I just use JET on my hose and blast it. I doubt that I use 5 gallons to rinse it.
 
why not do both and use the rinse bucket with the GG and blast of the wash media as well? When i was the lower half that's very contaminated, i'll blast off the GS with the hose and then dip it in the rinse bucket, and then blast it off again (if necessary) if i see it's still dirty...
 
I don't use 2 buckets when I wash my cars. Clients want it and like it so I do with their cars. With a microfiber mitt or mitts with a bunch of little stringy things coming off of it I find debri and dirt gets caught in there wheather you have 2 buckets or not. I use a schmitt and if anything is on there I either flick it off or it comes off in my one bucket with grit guard. I have tried different mitts and I keep going back to it. It basically eliminates having 2 buckets. I bought my car in march and haven't induced any marring washing this way, but some clients don't trust it. Now if I was using a microfiber mitt or one with stringy things coming off it to wash, then yes I would use two buckets but like I said earlier, I still have things caught in it every once in a while and I have to pull it out with my fingers cause the second bucket didn't get it clean.
 
I use a Grit Guard in each bucket.

There's also the point of diminishing returns concept for you to think about.

And if using two buckets with grit guards is working flawlessly for me, what incentive do I have to use the hose method? And doesn't that use more water?



And I'm sure there are guys who use just one bucket and have the same thing to say about me, a person who uses two buckets.



The point is, "perception is reality", and "find something you like and do it often".

Both related concepts that pertains to almost any thread/question/argument in the realm of detailing. Do what you think works for you :up.
 
Just because the majority of autopia does it doesn't mean it's required. I find that the grit guard is better at removing the large particles that hitting it with a hose just seems to move. It's up to you what you do.
 
I too prefer full submersion + agitiation, but if a mitt gets very soiled I *will* first flush/rinse it out with the hose. But I usually put the hose *inside* the mitt for this, and I still squeeze/etc. it. When I rinse with the hose, it seems easy to somehow miss some area of the mitt if I'm not really careful.



BUT...IMO it's *really* best to employ a dislodge-and-flush wash method that minimizes the amount of contamination sticking to the wash media in the first place. That same stuff might mar the paint before it gets rinsed off.



That's the primary reason why I use the foamguns and, especially, the BHB/foamgun prewash.



I judge my washes in part by how clean/dirty my rinse water is at the end of the wash. When I wash a winter-nasty vehicle and still have relatively clean rinse water at the end of the job, I feel I did things properly.
 
I've been using the four bucket method with great results! Soap solution, diluted soap solution, rinse and final rinse. Two carts, two buckets each. :chuckle:
 
I came across the Mr. Clean AutoDry car wash at Walmart for less than $10. It attaches to the hose, has on/off, 3 nozzles and selecting tabs on the gun (rinse/soap&water/distilled water). I never used the soap that came with it and just poured in my Megs. Gold Class. The distillation filter in the gun worked well for about 3 washes, but I use my backpack blower to dry anyways. Has a nice concentrated/full stream that cleans my mitt nicely. No need for buckets on this end :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top