Welcome back to the Proje’ blog! You know, auto detailing as a pursuit in itself can go as far as you want, really. From polishing to waxing to ceramics and all the micro-detailing in between those tiny cracks in your dash – you name it. The sky’s the limit! But we all know that there’s nothing so pleasing on the eye as a clean car. Not only does a clean car look and feel good, it’s also a standard starting point for any more involved stuff. You want to clay? Your car needs to be clean first. Ceramics? Only on a clean car. The list goes on.
But we’re all different people, and we all have different standards of what “clean” really means. Your clean might not be our clean, so how clean is clean enough?
The bottom line is that there are two great levellers here – product and technique. If you get both of those right, you’ve won the battle. So, here are our top 5 tips for getting your car really, super clean by anyone’s definition!
- Do the ho(s)e-down!
Before you get going, take two minutes to give the car a blast down with a hose. You’ll get rid of any large pieces of dirt that will slow the process down, and you’ll loosen a lot of what’s left. It’s such a quick job, but it has a massive effect on what’s to come.
- Clean means clean
Bottom line – if you aren’t using clean equipment, you won’t end up with a clean car, no matter how good your main product is. Wash those microfiber towels regularly, rinse and squeeze out that wash mitt, and check your empty buckets are free from residue before you get started. It doesn’t take long, but it makes a big difference!
- Two buckets
Remember the two-bucket method for best results! Take a look below:
Step 1: Fill a bucket with 2oz of Vital Car Wash Soap for every 4 gallons of water – this distribution ensures that the maximum amount of suds will be created. You shouldn’t need more than 3.5 gallons of liquid to wash all the dirt on your bodywork away – one of our 3.5-gallon pails will be perfect. Use the Proje’ Bucket Grit Guard in your bucket before starting the cleaning process, so that all excess dirt is trapped at the bottom of the bucket and isn’t reintroduced into the wash solution.
Step 2: Fill a separate bucket with only water and grit guard. Now, get a separate bucket with another grit guard and fill this just with water. It’s essential that you use the two-bucket wash method to get the cleanest possible result with no risk of scratching.
Step 3: Agitate the bucket with the soap using the Proje' Green Micro Fiber Wash Pad to create super suds. It’s the suds that will strip all the dirt away from your paintwork, so don’t worry about too many suds – it’s the sign of a good product!
Step 4: Now it’s time to wash the car using the two-bucket wash method. Rinse the car with fresh water first, then use the wash pad to wash the car from top to bottom. Wash in horizontal lines from top to bottom for even cleaning. Our Chenille wash pad is super-soft and its micro fibers will remove dirt without damaging any paintwork, waxes or sealants, so while you don’t need to worry about rubbing too hard, you’ll also find that you don’t really need to as the Vital Car Wash Soap is extremely effective.
Step 5: Each time you need to add more soap to your wash pad, first rinse it in the water bucket, so that there is no contamination of the soap bucket.
- Don’t forget to bring a towel!
The final part of any good wash is to dry with a towel. Air drying is fine, but it introduces the risk of swirls and water marks being embedded. You greatly reduce this by using a massive, absorbent towel. So, give your vehicle one more rinse and then use one of our 480gsm Big Giant Drying 25 x 36 Towels to thoroughly dry the paintwork. The high GSM of our drying towels protects against any swirl stains or scratches during the drying process.
- Treat with care
If you plan to wax your car or apply a ceramic coat, do it as soon as possible afterwards. The less time you leave, the less the chance of contaminants being reintroduced to the paintwork from the air. Time is of the essence!
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading this week’s blog – stay tuned for more tips and tricks next week. We’re going to feature more of our kits each month too, so keep an eye out for more great all-in-one deals and some incredible discounts!
If you have any questions about any of the techniques or products that I’ve mentioned in this post, just add a comment below and we’ll post a reply! Remember that we stock only the best auto detailing supplies, so why not click some of the links in this blog post, or visit our products page to find out more? From all of us at Proje’, Enjoy the Process!