Old school bucket of soap and cotton or FoamBlaster

Joined
Dec 19, 2012
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Location
Carolinas
Before FoamBlasters became all the vogue, most detailers used a bucket of soap with a dust trap at the bottom. Used to be, pressure washers were frowned upon because of how it gets water under paint chips etc.
Are newer pressure washers and FoamBlaster attachments better now at not sending a massive stream of PSI charged soap? Or is it still best to try sticking to the bucket and rags way?
 
Foam cannons LOOK impressive but they seem to conflate bubbles with lubricity/dirt lift action.

My understanding is that the two are not the same. I'd rather do a bucket wash with a soap that has extreme lubricity and no suds, although I know psychologically this doesn't appeal to some sense of ours.
 
For the average consumer the two bucket method with Grit Guards will be sufficient. Instead of rags use quality microfiber for anything that touches the surface. Using good quality shampoo that has high lubricity is another key step.
 
I wonder if all the famous YouTube detailers have skewed detailing best practices? After all they have to make videos that capture an audience, and a foam cannon will certainly have this effect over some guy just doing a grit guard 2 bucket wash.
 
no grit guard, 99 cent sponge, old tshirt to dry. Good coat of a quality wax and she is looking good again.

I did use a clay bar this summer and it was pretty neat to see how much stuff it pulled out of the paint.
 
I wonder if all the famous YouTube detailers have skewed detailing best practices? After all they have to make videos that capture an audience, and a foam cannon will certainly have this effect over some guy just doing a grit guard 2 bucket wash.
I don't even use two buckets. One bucket, a grit-guard and frequently dipping the mitting while keeping the surface saturated with soap has delivered the same results for me.
 
I agree that 1 bucket with a grit guard is fine, and I use two micro-fiber wash mitts and clean them after each use. I also have my microfiber towels separated in a very OCD way by use type and age. I have some towels (single-softs) that are used for interior gloss black, others that are used on interior surfaces, some large towels for drying the vehicles, and older towels that are only used on exterior windows and wheels. I've never had issues with scratches or swirls.
 
I use one bucket, no grit guard. I wonder how much that matters since my “Wookie” wool wash mit floats on top when put in the bucket. I do use high quality car wash soap, deionized rinse water and a Water Sprite chamois to finish dry. Leaf blower starts the drying process mostly to get the water out of the crevices.
 
I am one bucket, but the thing that makes the difference for me is that I use a grout sponge. I can flush the dirt out easily in bucket or with the hose. And I like being able to use to sponge to carry soapy water onto the car.
 
Did my last foam wash for the year with old man winter coming on. ;)
 

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