Car Cleaning Newbie
Discussion
Always kept the insides of my cars clean but as they were sheds the outside didn't really matter however looking to buy something soon and also want to get into the habit/routine of keeping the outside clean so these are my thoughts so far but it would really be appreciated to get some tips and help on how to do it. I don't have a massive budget to buy lots of stuff at the moment but should be able to piece it together slowly.
- No pressure washer but a hose should be sufficient?
- Bucket and sponge (any types I should avoid/go for?)
- Any particular shampoo brand? Assuming snow foam is for pressure washer use only?
- Grit catcher - is this needed?
- microfibre cloth and leather chamois seem to be popular at the moment.
- which was is a good one and again will mostly be by hand until I can get a machine polisher
Also what is the process for a good clean
-wash off dirt
-shampoo
-wash
-wax?
The mancave isn't built yet so most of this will be outside on the driveway too.
- No pressure washer but a hose should be sufficient?
- Bucket and sponge (any types I should avoid/go for?)
- Any particular shampoo brand? Assuming snow foam is for pressure washer use only?
- Grit catcher - is this needed?
- microfibre cloth and leather chamois seem to be popular at the moment.
- which was is a good one and again will mostly be by hand until I can get a machine polisher
Also what is the process for a good clean
-wash off dirt
-shampoo
-wash
-wax?
The mancave isn't built yet so most of this will be outside on the driveway too.
For a good clean.
1) Wash down car with a hose to remove worst of the dirt.
2) Spray a degreaser / traffic remover on the really grubby bits.
3) Get two buckets . Cheap builders buckets are fine. Fill one with your choice of car shampoo and water, one with clean water.
3) Using a car wash mitt in the bucket with car shampoo start washing the car from top to bottom . After each pass clean/ rinse the mitt in the clean water . This stops you posing the dirt removed back into the paint and takes out the small particles which causes scratches.
4) Have a second mitt for the really grubby lower body and wheels. Do these last.
5) With your hose thoroughly rinse.
6) Get yourself a decent drying towel and dry .
Other tips:
Avoid sponges but even a cheap wash mitt is fine.
Avoid a chamois and get a soft towel or waffle type towel for drying.
I don’t bother with a grit guard, instead make sure the sponge doesn’t go to the bottom of the bucket where all the dirty sediment goes.
Water is cheap , use it liberally.
Pay attention to the surface of the mitt or towel. Make sure it is clean as you are otherwise just dragging across the paint.
When drying try to pat or lay drying towel rather than wiping to lessen the chance of fine scratches.
To get a decent shine and to maintain good water beading something like Sonax BSD is really easy to use.
Spray on lightly wipe on then wipe off a panel at a time.
Essential kit: Two buckets, a chenille wash mitt, drying towel, car shampoo, a pack of micro fibre cloths, Sonax BSD.
Try Halfords or Euro car parts for all of this.
1) Wash down car with a hose to remove worst of the dirt.
2) Spray a degreaser / traffic remover on the really grubby bits.
3) Get two buckets . Cheap builders buckets are fine. Fill one with your choice of car shampoo and water, one with clean water.
3) Using a car wash mitt in the bucket with car shampoo start washing the car from top to bottom . After each pass clean/ rinse the mitt in the clean water . This stops you posing the dirt removed back into the paint and takes out the small particles which causes scratches.
4) Have a second mitt for the really grubby lower body and wheels. Do these last.
5) With your hose thoroughly rinse.
6) Get yourself a decent drying towel and dry .
Other tips:
Avoid sponges but even a cheap wash mitt is fine.
Avoid a chamois and get a soft towel or waffle type towel for drying.
I don’t bother with a grit guard, instead make sure the sponge doesn’t go to the bottom of the bucket where all the dirty sediment goes.
Water is cheap , use it liberally.
Pay attention to the surface of the mitt or towel. Make sure it is clean as you are otherwise just dragging across the paint.
When drying try to pat or lay drying towel rather than wiping to lessen the chance of fine scratches.
To get a decent shine and to maintain good water beading something like Sonax BSD is really easy to use.
Spray on lightly wipe on then wipe off a panel at a time.
Essential kit: Two buckets, a chenille wash mitt, drying towel, car shampoo, a pack of micro fibre cloths, Sonax BSD.
Try Halfords or Euro car parts for all of this.
Just to make sure of my registration into the council thread, The Range has some excellent large microfibre cloths for drying. They soak up the most amazing amount of water. On the good side or downside depending how you look at it, they're big, so wringing them out gives your arms a good work out. After doing van, 4x4, and hatchback you really do need a nice cup of tea, couple of biscuits and a sit down.
Bilt Hamber is a very good car detailing brand and has a lot of recommendations from enthusiasts on detailing world. It's cheap compared to the bigger brands but that's because their marketing is considerably lower I guess. I can vouch for it too.
Shampoo, panel wipe fluid and their speed wax would be a very good start along with a mitt, drying towel and some clothes as already mentioned.
Wheel cleaner for brake dust would be the next best thing if the budget stretches.
Any cheap glass cleaner from a store is fine.
Shampoo, panel wipe fluid and their speed wax would be a very good start along with a mitt, drying towel and some clothes as already mentioned.
Wheel cleaner for brake dust would be the next best thing if the budget stretches.
Any cheap glass cleaner from a store is fine.
Prohibiting said:
Shampoo, panel wipe fluid and their speed wax would be a very good start along with a mitt, drying towel and some clothes as already mentioned.
Yep, you don't want to be cleaning your car in the buff, especially in winter 
ETA: Apologies, I'm not some grammar pedant, it's just one of those cases where 2 very similar words are mixed up, and conjure up very different images
Edited by Zetec-S on Thursday 2nd January 16:03
My dad got an entirely new car cleaning kit put together for exactly what he needed at The Piston Works, they built something to his budget and explained everything the products did. They're mega petrolheads too!
Give them a shout www.thepistonworks.com
Give them a shout www.thepistonworks.com
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