# 10 Steps to a Perfect Hand Wash



## Holden_C04 (Sep 27, 2007)

This entry is from my blog: http://detailingmanual.blogspot.com

10 Steps to a Perfect Hand Wash

By Tyler Norwood

If you have experience with detailing, you know important it is to wash your vehicle correctly. For those who are new to detailing or who are just discovering my blog for the first time, we will be covering the basic steps.

Before we begin, you will need:

Two Large Buckets (preferably new)
Car Wash Soap (for now, use a name brand)
Microfibre Wash Mitt or Sponge
Microfibre Drying Towel
Vinyl Protectant/Cleaner
pH neutral Wheel Cleaner Gel

1) Pour a small quantity of car wash soap (about 2-3 capfuls) into one bucket and fill both buckets with lukewarm water.

2) Begin by pre-rinsing the vehicle. Move around the vehicle at a gentle pace, making certain to soak the paint as much as possible with your hose. Try to remove or dislodge as much dirt as possible while still being gentle to the paint. Do not use a pressure washer.

3) Once the car is pre-rinsed, you may dip the wash mitt into the soapy bucket and begin washing the car. Use gentle, even strokes in a uniform direction - do not use a circular pattern. This is to prevent a common occurrence called "swirls," effectively millions of tiny scratches caused by small particles of dirt in your wash media. Use of the former method should virtually eliminate the recurrence of swirls.

4) Once you have completed the top half of the vehicle (hood, roof, windows, and trunk), you may rinse the soap off. For this step, remove the nozzle of the hose. This will allow you to "sheet" the water off the car, reducing the amount of time spent drying afterward.

5) Now that the top half of the car has been rinsed, you may begin washing the lower half. Insert the wash mitt into the bucket of clean water. This will remove some of the dirt particulates that have accumulated in it. Resume washing the lower half.

6) With the lower half completely covered in suds, it is now time to rinse for the final time. Use the "sheeting" method as described earlier.

7) Dry the vehicle with a microfibre drying towel. Be certain to remove every drop of water as the minerals that form from a drop of water may etch the paint.

8) Apply a quality protectant to all rubber and vinyl trim. After the trim has been restored and protected you may continue with the same process on all chrome and aluminum surfaces. Use a chrome polish for this application.

9) Wash all of your wheels in the same manner described above. You may use either car wash soap or a dedicated wheel cleaner. Be careful of over the counter products as they contain acids that may harm alloy wheels.

If you are using plain 'ol soap, employ an old rag or wash mitt. Never use the same mitt for the wheels as you do for the paint. Simply cover all four wheels with suds. By the time the last wheel is covered, you may return to rinse each wheel in turn. Dry the wheel with a microfibre towel.

Employ the same methods with wheel cleaner gels, allowing them time to eat away at brake dust, grime and dirt before rinsing away.

10) Dress your tires and wheel wells in the same manner as door and window trim. Now, you may sit back and enjoy the view.

This is the manner which I have used successfully in my business. It may work for you or you may have to adapt this process to suit your schedule and needs.


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## honda-r (Mar 20, 2007)

Holden_C04 said:


> 2) Begin by pre-rinsing the vehicle. Move around the vehicle at a gentle pace, making certain to soak the paint as much as possible with your hose. Try to remove or dislodge as much dirt as possible while still being gentle to the paint. Do not use a pressure washer.


Hi. I do agree with the above method appart from "Do not use a pressure washer" bit. Can you tell us why not to use pressure washer? Imo If the car is really dirty and hasn't been washed in a while, pressure washer will help to remove most of the dust/crap which will be stuck to the car. Without removing the majority of the dust/crap from the car panels there is a chance of swirling the car, even if using 2 bucket method.

Also there is a foaming process that can be used prior to washing the car,which helps even more to get rid of the dust and road crap from the car.

Just my opinion

Good write up :thumb:


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## DE 1981 (Aug 17, 2007)

hmm agree with some of that but i prefer to do the wheels first and i wouldn't use an 'ol rag', also no mention of a pre foam in that guide and a pressure washer used correctly poses no problems at all just my opinion.


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## Richard (Feb 1, 2006)

having just washed mine, having forgotten to do the wheels wiith a mitt first after having dried the car off is better than last


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## Silva1 (Sep 16, 2007)

if this is a guide for " prefect hand wash " where does dressing the tyres and trim come under 
what ever happened to polishing and waxing the car and doing shuts etc 
i do my wheels before i touch the paint work

rant over :lol:


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## ashg (Feb 25, 2008)

Most folks say you should wash the wheels first to stop dirt going on the clean bodywork, But I have to admit I like washing wheels last.


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## westie (Mar 28, 2007)

I allways wash the wheels and arches first as that were all the crud is.
As to filling the wash bucket, I always fill with water first then add the wash, saves getting the wash wasted by millions of bubbles.


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## Holden_C04 (Sep 27, 2007)

westie said:


> I allways wash the wheels and arches first as that were all the crud is.
> As to filling the wash bucket, I always fill with water first then add the wash, saves getting the wash wasted by millions of bubbles.


I have a trick. I overfill the bucket, letting the foamy stuff vacate the bucket. When complete, the soapy solution should be extremely sudsy with absolutely extreme lubricity.


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## Holden_C04 (Sep 27, 2007)

Silva1 said:


> if this is a guide for " prefect hand wash " where does dressing the tyres and trim come under
> what ever happened to polishing and waxing the car and doing shuts etc
> i do my wheels before i touch the paint work
> 
> rant over :lol:


Um, I'm having trouble with this one. I don't know if you're serious or not. In any case, this article is about washing rather than detailing. Basically, once you have your shine on, this is the article to have your customers read.


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## Holden_C04 (Sep 27, 2007)

ashg said:


> Most folks say you should wash the wheels first to stop dirt going on the clean bodywork, But I have to admit I like washing wheels last.


Me, too. It's just habit. :detailer:


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## Holden_C04 (Sep 27, 2007)

honda-r said:


> Hi. I do agree with the above method appart from "Do not use a pressure washer" bit. Can you tell us why not to use pressure washer? Imo If the car is really dirty and hasn't been washed in a while, pressure washer will help to remove most of the dust/crap which will be stuck to the car. Without removing the majority of the dust/crap from the car panels there is a chance of swirling the car, even if using 2 bucket method.
> 
> Also there is a foaming process that can be used prior to washing the car,which helps even more to get rid of the dust and road crap from the car.
> 
> ...


Foam would work best for dirty/construction vehicles. Thanks. :wave:


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## Trune (Jun 19, 2007)

id remove the comment about 2-3 capfuls. its kind of how longs a piece of string, you'd be better of refering them to manufacturers recomendations.


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## dominic84 (Jan 27, 2007)

Pre-washing with just water won't remove bug splatter, traffic film etc and will make the actual bucket wash more laborious, so I am curious as to why you don't recommend using any chemicals as part of the pre-wash?


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## Holden_C04 (Sep 27, 2007)

dominic84 said:


> Pre-washing with just water won't remove bug splatter, traffic film etc and will make the actual bucket wash more laborious, so I am curious as to why you don't recommend using any chemicals as part of the pre-wash?


If you read through it once again, you'll understand that it is designed not for the professional, but for the average car owner will little or no knowledge of detailing.


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## Jakedoodles (Jan 16, 2006)

This is just my thoughts - nothing else - not to be taken as a disagreement or otherwise! Just how I do it for contrast. 


Two Large Buckets (preferably new) - 

ANy buckets are fine as long as they are clean. Not sure why they have to be new?

Car Wash Soap (for now, use a name brand)

There are some shocking name brands. I'd say safely, you can't go wrong with Megs though. Although I'm not a fan of gold class, but that's just me. Some people love it! 

Microfibre Wash Mitt or Sponge

Or lambswool washmitt, as preferred by most!

Microfibre Drying Towel

Vinyl Protectant/Cleaner

?

pH neutral Wheel Cleaner Gel



1) Pour a small quantity of car wash soap (about 2-3 capfuls) into one bucket and fill both buckets with lukewarm water.

I would say hot water if you're not doing cold. Not sure how lukewarm would benefit?

2) Begin by pre-rinsing the vehicle. Move around the vehicle at a gentle pace, making certain to soak the paint as much as possible with your hose. Try to remove or dislodge as much dirt as possible while still being gentle to the paint. Do not use a pressure washer.

I would always favour the chemical pre-wash. P21s (r222) is very very good at this, if a little expensive. If you're in the UK, then Valet Pro pre-wash, or the popular snow foam routine. This enables the chemical cleaner to 'grab' the dirt, and take it away from the surface gently. Much more effective than water alone.

3) Once the car is pre-rinsed, you may dip the wash mitt into the soapy bucket and begin washing the car. Use gentle, even strokes in a uniform direction - do not use a circular pattern. This is to prevent a common occurrence called "swirls," effectively millions of tiny scratches caused by small particles of dirt in your wash media. Use of the former method should virtually eliminate the recurrence of swirls.

Swirls are not circular scratches. They are completely random. The only reason you 'see' it as a swirl is the way the light source identifies the scratches. Washing in straight lines or circular is exactly the same.

4) Once you have completed the top half of the vehicle (hood, roof, windows, and trunk), you may rinse the soap off. For this step, remove the nozzle of the hose. This will allow you to "sheet" the water off the car, reducing the amount of time spent drying afterward.

5) Now that the top half of the car has been rinsed, you may begin washing the lower half. Insert the wash mitt into the bucket of clean water. This will remove some of the dirt particulates that have accumulated in it. Resume washing the lower half.

I would insert a step before 5, and that would be to dip the mitt in the rinse bucket regularly, not just after washing the top of the car. The boot especially can house most of the dirt, so not rinsing your mit after doing just this panel will very likely lead you to swirls.

6) With the lower half completely covered in suds, it is now time to rinse for the final time. Use the "sheeting" method as described earlier.

7) Dry the vehicle with a microfibre drying towel. Be certain to remove every drop of water as the minerals that form from a drop of water may etch the paint.

8) Apply a quality protectant to all rubber and vinyl trim. After the trim has been restored and protected you may continue with the same process on all chrome and aluminum surfaces. Use a chrome polish for this application.

9) Wash all of your wheels in the same manner described above. You may use either car wash soap or a dedicated wheel cleaner. Be careful of over the counter products as they contain acids that may harm alloy wheels.

As stated, always do the wheels first. It's senseless washing a car down, drying it, then starting a wash stage again. 

If you are using plain 'ol soap, employ an old rag or wash mitt. Never use the same mitt for the wheels as you do for the paint. Simply cover all four wheels with suds. By the time the last wheel is covered, you may return to rinse each wheel in turn. Dry the wheel with a microfibre towel.

An old rag is going to scratch any polished surface on wheels, so I wouldn't have endorsed using such. 

Employ the same methods with wheel cleaner gels, allowing them time to eat away at brake dust, grime and dirt before rinsing away.

10) Dress your tires and wheel wells in the same manner as door and window trim. Now, you may sit back and enjoy the view.


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## Adnoh (May 26, 2008)

Im not a pro detailer or enthusiast. Im just a normal guy wanting to clean my car well.

I wash wheels last as I still have some wash solution in my bucket. Im not going to throw away excess wash solution and make up some more especially for the wheels. Also if i did them first I would have to thoroughly wash my bucket during my car clean - when I do wheels last I can clean my bucket when i've finished with my car.

*ducks as hardcore veterans prepare to take a go at me*
________
Yamaha XV535


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## ashg (Feb 25, 2008)

Adnoh said:


> Im not a pro detailer or enthusiast. Im just a normal guy wanting to clean my car well.
> 
> I wash wheels last as I still have some wash solution in my bucket. Im not going to throw away excess wash solution and make up some more especially for the wheels. Also if i did them first I would have to thoroughly wash my bucket during my car clean - when I do wheels last I can clean my bucket when i've finished with my car.
> 
> *ducks as hardcore veterans prepare to take a go at me*


I do the same but with one difference, I always pre-wash the car & wheels first with a super spray & hose; so the dirt on the wheels is soaking while I wash the car.:detailer:


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## Chris_4536 (Sep 20, 2006)

I use a seperate bucket for wheels :thumb:


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## Silva1 (Sep 16, 2007)

Holden_C04 said:


> Um, I'm having trouble with this one. I don't know if you're serious or not. In any case, this article is about washing rather than detailing. Basically, once you have your shine on, this is the article to have your customers read.


hold on here
as your thread clearly states - "10 steps to a perfect hand wash"

i dont think dressing vinyls,rubber and trim comes under the perfect hand wash

either does dressing the tyres


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## Chris_4536 (Sep 20, 2006)

No but it adds the finishing touch to a freshly cleaned car.

And in my experience, plastic trims need to be treated regularly in order to maintain their appearance.
So why not add this as a final step to the weekly wash?

I know what you are saying in the fact that it's not techically linked to washing, but it is in the bigger picture


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

Holden_C04 said:


> Foam would work best for dirty/construction vehicles. Thanks. :wave:


how??..


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