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Wolfgang 3 Ways to Wash Your Car
The ritual of washing your car is the oldest form of car detailing. It started as a pretty simple concept but has evolved over the years as new technologies and cars have been developed. Not only has the average car's paint changed drastically since the first automobile, but the formulas of the shampoos have evolved over time. With these evolutions come more flexibility in the way you can clean off the miles and renew the smiles.
There are 3 major different types of car washing strategies and routines, each with a different advantage and appropriate use. As you develop your car washing routine, you may find yourself using two or even all three of these methods in different situations. No matter which one of these suits your situation better, we here at Wolfgang will make sure you are armed with the products and knowledge you need to get it done right!
Traditional Car Wash:
This is the car washing method that many of us think of when you talk about washing your car. It takes the longest out of the three methods we will be covering, but it will get you the best clean with the least risk to your paint. It will also require quite a bit of water as well, so you better have a hose handy!
Average time it takes: 1-2 hours
What you need: Hose & hose hook-up: This method requires A LOT of water, so you need to make sure you have as much as you need at the ready.
2 Buckets: One bucket will have your car shampoo solution, so that you can easily keep your sponge/mitt/brush plenty sudsy. The other will be to rinse off your sponge/mitt/brush in between panels. Ideally you will have Grit Guards in them to keep dirt out of your sponge/mitt/brush.
Washing Sponge/Mitt/Brush: Whichever agitation apparatus" you plan to use will do just fine. Which one that is optimal is an entirely separate article on its own. Car Shampoo: You can use whichever car shampoo you like, but we strongly suggest Wolfgang Auto Bathe! (Yes, we are aware that we are quite bias ) Drying Towels: You don't want to leave your car wet, so you will need to get all that water off quickly.
Getting started:
This one probably seems pretty obvious, but seeing as the consequences are quite severe, we'll mention it anyway. CLOSE YOUR DOORS AND WINDOWS! There is nothing more devastating than getting finished with your car only to see that your driver-side window is cracked and that your interior is now a soggy and eventually a moldy mess!
Add the appropriate amount of your car shampoo to your wash" bucket (consult the label to find measurement ratios for your shampoo). Our Wolfgang Auto Bathe only needs 1-2 ounces of shampoo for every 5 gallons of water. Once we have added our shampoo, we are going to use a strong jet of water to fill the bucket up. Using a strong jet of water will simultaneously fill the bucket and mix the solution.
Fill your rinse" bucket up with just plain old water.
Soak your sponge/mitt/brush in your wash" bucket for about 5-10 minutes before washing to ensure that it is adequately saturated with water and product before you start washing.
Start washing:
You will want to work one panel at a time to ensure that the shampoo does not dry on the surface before you are able to rinse it off. It is also important to start at the top of your vehicle and work your way down. If you work from the bottom to the top, run-off from the top panels will deposit contaminants onto your already cleaned lower panels.
You will start by using your hose to completely wet the surface of the panel. This will make doubly sure that you are not dry rubbing the surface, which could potentially cause washing-induced swirls".
Now, grab your saturated sponge/mitt/brush and gently agitate the surface of the panel. The shampoo's cleaner agents will break up the grime and film on the car's surface. The cells/fibers/bristles of your sponge/mitt/brush will mechanically agitate the surface and loosen the dirt and other contamination that has collected there.
As it does so, the shampoo will keep the surface lubricated, so the dirt and contaminants are not just digging scratches into the surface. These particles will be absorbed by the sponge/mitt/brush rather than just being replanted onto a different area of the panel.
Once you have finished scrubbing the surface, rinse all the shampoo and remaining loosened contamination from the surface using a strong jet of water from your hose.
Before moving onto the next panel, you will want to get most of the lingering suds and collected contamination from the sponge/mitt/brush. Dunk it into your rinse" bucket and wring it out under the water. If you have a Grit Guard in your bucket, scrape it across the grating to loosen the trapped contamination even more so.
Repeat this process until you have washed the entire car.
If you are washing your car in direct sunlight, make sure to re-wet all the panels every time you rinse a panel. This will prevent the water from evaporating too quickly and leaving water spots.
Soak it all up:
Much like if you were to leave your dishes to air dry, you will get water spots if you don't dry the water off your car. In fact, the water spots will be even worse because the sun will bake the water onto the car!
Our go to drying towels are the Cobra Guzzler Towels. They absorb water quickly and won't leave streaks, marring, or lint behind them. You will want to have at least two handy.
The first drying towel will be used to glide over the large panels of the car to absorb the majority of the water. Work panel by panel and always pass over the whole panel before going back to do another pass. Start at the top and push the water off the panel rather than across the panel if possible.
Now that you have most of the water dried off, grab your second drying towel. You are going to go around the whole car and spot dry. Make sure to get into all the nooks, crannies, and cracks!
Enjoy your pristine clean!
Rinseless Car Wash:
If you are particularly conscious of your water usage or if you just want to spend less time washing your car every week, then a rinseless wash might be a better fit for you. A rinseless wash is a little less effective at cleaning your car but can be done in much less time. If your car is especially dirty, you will have to step it up to a traditional wash at first. However, if you are consistent with your weekly washing, then a rinseless wash will be more than effective at cleaning off the contamination that has collected over the week in between.
In fact, if you are doing a traditional car wash every week, you are really just wasting your own time. Keep more of your weekends, try a rinseless wash!
Average time it takes: 30-45 minutes
What you need:
A Bucket: You will need something in which to mix your rinseless wash and hold it while you are washing.
Wash Sponge/Mitt: For a rinseless wash, you'll want an agitation apparatus" that is much more absorbent than a washing brush.
Rinseless Wash: Our Wolfgang Uber Rinseless Wash is an extremely popular and versatile product that will provide plenty of lubrication for the washing process. Drying Towels: Even with a rinseless wash, you don't want to just let the product and water sit on the surface to dry. Otherwise, you'll get water spots.
Getting Started:
For this kind of wash, there will be no free-flowing water, but it is better to be safe and shut your car windows and doors anyway.
Add your rinseless wash concentrate to the bucket. Wolfgang Uber Rinseless Wash only takes an ounce for every 3 gallons of water. Fill your bucket up the rest of the way with water. Leave your wash mitt/sponge to soak in your rinseless wash solution for about 5-10 minutes. Once again, your mitt/sponge will need to be saturated with product prior to your washing.
Start Washing:
Again, you will want to start from the top of the car and work your way down to the lower panels. Doing so will ensure that dirty run-off doesn't get onto the panels you have already cleaned. You will also work one panel at a time for a rinseless wash as well.
You will not need to worry about wetting the surface of the car before you begin washing. The rinseless wash is more than enough lubrication on its own to prevent washing-induced swirls. Using your saturated mitt/sponge, agitate the surface of the panel to loosen the road film and pull any contaminants off the surface and into your sponge.
Once you have cleaned the whole panel, immediately use your drying towel to dry and wipe off any product and contamination that remains on the panel's surface.
Between each panel, you will want to soak your mitt/sponge in your bucket of solution to re-saturate it.
Repeat this process until you have washed the entire car.
Enjoy your pristine clean!
Waterless Car Wash:
If you are the type of person that practically obsesses over their car's finish and want to keep it flawless, then you probably would like to clean it every time you see so much as a finger print. If that is the case, then busting out a bucket every couple of days to wash it will eat away all of your free time. Thankfully, waterless washes are a much faster alternative that you can use to spot-clean your paint or just as a quick maintenance wash between traditional washes!
Average time it takes: 15-30 minutes
What you need:
Waterless Wash: If you're looking for a suggestion, our Wolfgang SiO2 Waterless Wash not only does a wonderful job of lubricating the surface so you can clean it effectively but will also apply a layer of hydrophobic protection!
A LOT of Towels: You'll need to get some that are very absorbent and very soft. We prefer the Cobra Supreme 530 Microfiber Towels. You will typically need anywhere from 9-15 towels to do your whole vehicle.
Getting Started:
Actually, one of the greatest parts about this washing method is that there is zero prep work needed besides gathering your supplies!
Start Washing:
You are going to again work panel by panel starting from the top and working to the bottom. Working top to bottom is less important with this method as there is drastically less run-off. However, best practices are always best.
You will start by spraying a generous amount of a waterless wash product (like our Wolfgang SiO2 Waterless Wash) directly onto the panel. You want to make sure that everywhere you will be wiping is well saturated.
You will then take your microfiber towel and slowly wipe the product off the panel. You are wiping in one direction the entire time, do not wipe back and forth or left to right. You will also want to wipe as if you are pulling the product off the paint as you do so. Essentially, as you wipe, act as if you are peeling the towel off the surface.
Once you have used a side of you towel to wipe, you do NOT want to use that section of the towel again. All the contaminants and dirt are sitting on that side and it is best to not replant those on your paint. To ensure that you are getting the most out of each towel, we recommend you fold the towel into quarters.
Just continue spraying and wiping, panel by panel, until the entirety of your car is contaminant-free.
Enjoy your pristine clean!
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