So I was helping my g/f wash her car and we were using two buckets. 1 with the clean, soapy water and the other to rinse the dirt off the mitt before dipping it into the soapy container. The it occured to me that when we dip the mitt in the dirty bucket, it's still dirty when we dip it into the soapy bucket! Am I wrong in thinking that we are just putting a dirty mitt into the soapy water everytime?

Any alternative methods?

Thanks!

 

There is really no way to avoid getting dirt back on the car from the mitt. It might be good to use 2 mitts; 1 for the tough dirt with 1 bucket, then start fresh with another mitt and a new bucket. The only other thing I could think of is to use a bucketless car wash like that Armor all wash gel which you squirt directly on to the car (but I don't know how effective that is). I would just get the marjority of the dirt off, rinse the mitt real good, and then go over the car once more with soap before you rinse.

 

How about rinsing off? Is a hose ok or should a mitt be used with clean water to rinse? If a hose is ok, does the water pressure matter? Higher pressure = good, bad, or doesn't matter?

Thanks.

 

i say a hose is better than a pressure washer. why would you blast a wash mitt (sheep skin? chenille?) with a pressure washer? its like blasting your head (assuming you have hair) with one. yeahj its gona get it REAL clean but it probabaly take your hair off too! so yeah a hose is good for rinsing the mitt but because with the hose, you dont want it to hit the car! you did the right thing but just becareful next time not to dip the mitt into the clean water bucket to rinse. go to www.autopia.org for your questions.

 

Thanks for the reply. I actually meant to rinse the car. What is better, using a mitt or a hose, and what pressure of the hose?

 

ofcourse you rinse with water. never rinse with a mitt. a garden hose is perfect. pressurewashers tend to have so much pressure it could blast the dirt into the paint. so yeah a regular garden hose with any nozzel is good.

 

Yeah, rinse the car with the hose. The less rubbing-stuff-on-the-paint's-surface, the better.