What is the "Two-Bucket" method?

For the people who believe swirl marks are the work of Bin Laden, or the people who have original coats on their ageing cars, you will want to use the "Two-Bucket" method. There is no real gimmick, you just minimise the chances of washing your car with contaminated water/wash.

.  You get two 9 litre (roughly) buckets, one is ¾ full of water with car shampoo mixed in, the other is ¾ full of pure water (warm water is good!).

.  Start washing the car in the prescribed manner on the page you just came from. Once you have finished a panel, submerge the sponge/mitt into the pure water bucket and rinse it by shaking it vigorously, before placing it back into the wash bucket. Gather as much water and suds as your applicator can carry, then reapply to the next panel. Repeat this process, washing every panel on the car.

That's the mysterious two-bucket method!! It does make good practice; we use it on certain cars as a rule. It dramatically minimises your chances of accidentally picking up some debris from one part of the car and rubbing it all over the rest, causing unsightly swirl marks.

Why do you insist a car should remain wet at all times during the washing process?

Allowing your car to dry naturally, rather than with a chamois, increases the likelihood of water spots from 'hard water' and streaking.

If you are washing your car in direct sunlight (Naughty, but nice!) Imagine the droplets as little magnifying glass's, they get hot real quick, damage your paint, then evaporate, leaving behind the tiny metals and debris it couldn't take up to the clouds with it. Leaving stubborn waterspots, and on more fragile coats of paint, etchings where the water has, for lack of a better term,"boiled" on the surface causing discolouration.

Keeping the car very wet, then getting it very dry is the smart and safe way to wash your car.

Why can't I wash my wheels and tyres first?

If you really want to you can. BUT, and that is a very BIG BUT, make sure you use a separate bucket and sponge, to what you will use on the rest of your car.

The wheels and tyres get the worst of it; they are constantly covered in brake dust (AKA metal shavings) and they are the first to pick up road grime and dust. Then to top it off, the tyre gel you are using most likely has at least 75% silicone in it, something that is fine on rubber, but you don't want to be rubbing it all over your car.

Between the silicone, road grime and nasty brake dust, you have a very hazardous combination of paint fouling goop. This concoction must be avoided at all costs!!

Why shouldn't I use dish washing fluid?

Dish washing detergent is a very effective cleaning agent and some of the formulations used in the better detergents are quite clever.

However, the brief that the chemists would have been given by their employers would have been something along the lines of "Clean at all costs, as long as your skin doesn't burn, we don't mind...".

Dish washing detergents are formulated to remove fatty food substances and make the treated surface a sanitised area, ready for food again. To achieve this outcome effectively, salts and acids are utilised along with high ph detergents. Great stuff for dishes and cutlery, but real average when it comes to car care.

Car wax (or more specifically, Carnauba) in its basic form is a fat, the very thing that dishwashing detergent is formulated to remove. It does this with ruthless efficiency, leaving the cars panels looking nice and clean, but completely exposed.

Our Auto Body Gel is specifically designed to remove dirt and contaminants but leave your protective wax on the car. I would like to say so are all the other auto specific car washes, but just like dish washing detergents, some are great, and some leave you scratching your head wondering why they bother...