Your essential car washing guide

The 3 bucket wash system

Get the right stuff

Before you start washing, it's worth getting the right gear together. You don't need a huge collection of products and tools to safely wash your car, but having a few essentials will make the job easier and, most importantly, help reduce the chance of adding unwanted swirls and wash marks to your paint.

For a good basic wash setup, you'll want a good quality car wash, separate Wash and Rinse buckets, Great Barrier Thingys, a good quality wash tool, dedicated wheel and tyre cleaning gear, and some quality microfibre drying towels. A pressure washer is great if you have one, but a regular garden hose will still get the job done.

For the buckets, we recommend using separate Wash and Rinse buckets, each fitted with one of our Great Barrier Thingys. Our BOB (Bowden's Own Bucket) holds around 15 litres and comes in dedicated Wash, Rinse and Wheels versions, making it easy to keep everything separate. There's even a separate Microfibre bucket if you're a hardcore fanatic, and a bunch of different coloured lids to choose from too.

The Great Barrier Thingy sits securely in the bottom of the bucket and helps keep the dirt and grit you remove from the car away from your wash tools. Heavier contamination settles underneath the barrier, reducing the chance of picking it back up and rubbing it over your paint, potentially scratching your pride and joy.

A separate Wheels bucket is also something we strongly recommend. Wheels and tyres can be some of the dirtiest parts of the car, collecting brake dust, road grime and all sorts of nasty contamination that you don't want anywhere near the tools you're using on your paint.

Don't stress if you're new to all of this. We'll go through each product and tool, and exactly how to use them, as we work our way through the wash.

Important washing tools

The tool you actually touch your paint with is one of the most important parts of a safe wash. Dirt and grit are being removed every time you pass your wash tool over the surface, so you want something soft, highly absorbent and able to pull that contamination away from the paint. Also importantly, the wash tool should release dirt easily from its weave when it's rinsed, and all of ours do this with their unique shag pile and the shorter pile of the Muffy Sponge.

This is why we're not fans of traditional foam sponges. Their relatively flat surface can keep dirt trapped between the sponge and your paint, where it can cause scratches and swirl marks. A good quality microfibre wash tool gives that contamination somewhere to move into and away from the surface until you rinse it out.

We've got a few different options depending on how you like to wash:

Shagtastic Wash Pad - Our most popular wash tool and a great all rounder for pretty much any car. Its plush, deep pile 3 yarn microfibre holds plenty of wash solution and gives dirt somewhere to move into and away from the paint. It's also a great size that's easy to control as you work your way around the car.

The Wash Pillow - The one we personally love to use, particularly on larger cars, 4WDs, caravans etc. It's essentially a big, plush pillow of our 3 yarn microfibre with a huge surface area that holds a heap of suds, making it quick and easy to cover larger panels.

Shagamittastic Wash Mitt - If you prefer wearing your wash tool, this gives you the plushness of our 3 yarn microfibre with the extra control of a mitt. It's easy to manoeuvre around mirrors, grilles and tighter areas, with an internal finger divider to help keep it secure and comfortable in your hand.

Muffy Sponge - For anyone who still prefers the shape and feel of a traditional sponge, Muffy gives you that familiar feel with soft microfibre surfaces instead. Its bright material also makes it easy to see any dirt or contamination before putting it back onto your paint.

Love Glove Wash Mitt - A smaller, short-pile microfibre mitt that's particularly handy for getting into grilles, around mirrors and all those tighter areas that a larger wash pad can't easily reach.

Whichever one you choose, keep it clean and check it regularly while you're washing. If you drop your wash tool on the ground, don't put it straight back onto the car. Thoroughly rinse and inspect it first, or grab another clean wash tool before continuing.

Choose your wash

A good quality, lubricating car wash is a critical part of a safe wash. You want enough cleaning power to remove the dirt and grime, but also plenty of lubrication between your wash tool and the paint to help minimise swirls, scratches and other wash marks.

We have four different washes and, while they're all safe for regular use, each has been designed with a slightly different job in mind.

Nanolicious Wash - For most cars and regular maintenance washing, this is the one we'd recommend. It's our most advanced everyday wash, with great cleaning power, loads of thick suds and plenty of lubrication to help safely remove dirt and grime. It's really well suited to ceramic coated cars and modern paint protection, helping maintain that slick and hydrophobic surface. If you're wondering which wash to grab, Nanolicious is a great place to start.

Auto Body Gel - The original Bowden's Own product and still a great all round wash. It has excellent lubrication, is gentle on your hands and leaves a lovely clean finish. Its big advantage is how forgiving it is when washing in direct sunlight, rinsing away cleanly without ever leaving streaks or residue. This makes it a great choice if you regularly have to wash outside or in hotter conditions.

Wax Wash - The one to choose when you want to add some extra shine and protection while you wash. It contains genuine T1 grade carnauba wax, along with ingredients designed to help look after exterior plastics and rubber trims. It's really well suited for older and classic cars, where its protective and anti rust properties make a lot of sense. It's also pH neutral, so it won't strip existing waxes or sealants when used as directed.

Dirty Times Wash - Our strongest wash and the one to reach for when your car is properly dirty. It's extremely well suited to 4WDs, off road vehicles and anything that's been exposed to mud, red dirt, salt or beach driving. Its lower pH formula gives it extra cleaning power against grime, salt and fresh mineral deposits, while built in rust inhibitors help protect against corrosion as you wash. Despite the extra cleaning power, it's still highly lubricating and safe for ceramic coatings, PPF, wraps and our super hydrophobic and ceramic sealants.

All four washes are salt free and have been developed to give you plenty of lubrication while being safe for the exterior surfaces and protection already on your car. Which one you choose really just comes down to the car, how dirty it is and the job you're tackling.

Get your wheel cleaning gear

Wheels and tyres need their own dedicated cleaning gear. Brake dust, road grime and other contamination can be quite abrasive and difficult to completely remove from your tools, so anything you use on your wheels should stay well away from your paint.

Start with a dedicated Wheels bucket and a selection of brushes to suit your wheels. The Flat Head Brush is designed for cleaning the inner barrels, Nuts & Guts gets into wheel nuts, valve stems and other tight areas, while The Chubby brush is our go to for most wheel faces. For delicate or high gloss finishes, the super soft Palmy Brush or Octobrush are better choices.

For the tyres, grab The Little Stiffy, and if you're going to clean the inner wheel guards, the Big Black One makes that job much easier.

You'll also want the right products for cleaning your wheels. Wheely Clean is our choice for brake dust, while Down & Dirty tackles heavier road grime and is also great for cleaning tyres and removing old tyre dressings.

We'll show you how to put all of this together when we get to Step 1 – Cleaning your wheels and tyres.

Choose your drying towel

Once the washing is done, you'll need a good quality drying towel. This is another important part of a safe wash, as you're still making contact with the paint, so you want something that's soft, highly absorbent and able to dry the car with as little unnecessary wiping as possible.

We have three dedicated microfibre drying towels, with each offering something a little different.

Twisted Pro Sucker - Our go to drying towel and the one we'd recommend for most cars. Its thick, dual sided twist loop microfibre absorbs a huge amount of water, making drying incredibly quick and easy. At 70cm x 50cm, it's big enough to dry multiple cars, while still being easy to handle as you work your way around.

Twisted Mother Sucker - Got a bigger 4WD, van, caravan or boat? This is the one for you! At a massive 90cm x 60cm, its single sided twist loop design gives you loads of drying capacity while keeping the towel manageable. Corner hand pockets make it easier to control around larger vehicles and tighter areas, and unlike our thicker drying towels, it can be wrung out when saturated if you're tackling something really big.

The Big Green Sucker - The towel that started it all for us and still a favourite after all these years. Rather than twisted loop microfibre, it uses an incredibly soft and plush flagged tip microfibre that holds a huge amount of water. At 70cm x 40cm, it's easy to manage and is a great choice for delicate paintwork, older classics, or anyone who simply prefers the feel of a traditional plush drying towel.

Whichever one you choose, keep your drying towels clean and only use them for drying. Machine wash them after each use with Microfibre Wash, without fabric softener, then tumble dry on a cool setting so they're clean, soft and ready for the next wash.

Step 1 - Clean the wheels and tyres

We like to clean the wheels and tyres first, as they're generally the dirtiest part of the car. Getting them done before you start on the paint also means you're not spraying brake dust and grime back over a freshly washed car.

Fill your dedicated Wheels bucket with water and add some Dirty Times Wash. Its stronger cleaning and anti rust properties make it extremely well suited for use around wheels and brake components.

For wheels with plenty of brake dust, spray on Wheely Clean. For heavier road grime, use Down & Dirty, which is also our choice for cleaning tyres and removing old tyre dressings. Scrub the tyres with The Little Stiffy brush.

Now give the wheel and tyre a thorough rinse. This is an important step, as you're removing as much loose brake dust and grime as possible before you start using brushes on the wheel, helping reduce the chance of scratching or marking the finish. Always work on one wheel at a time and never allow the products to dry on the surface.

Now use the appropriate brushes with the suds from your Wheels bucket to thoroughly clean the wheel. Use The Flat Head Brush for the inner barrels, Nuts & Guts for wheel nuts, valve stems and tight areas, and The Chubby brush for most wheel faces. For delicate or high gloss finishes, use the super soft Palmy Brush or Octobrush instead.

Once everything is clean, rinse thoroughly and you're done. Or, while the wheel is still wet, spray on some Wet Dreams and immediately rinse it off to add some ceramic protection that'll help make the wheels easier to clean next time.

Then move onto the next wheel and repeat.

Step 2 - Pre wash and snow foam

If you have a pressure washer and Snow Blow Cannon, a snow foam pre wash is a great way to remove a lot of dirt and grime before you physically touch the paint. The less dirt and grit left on the surface when it comes time to hand wash, the less chance there is of creating swirls, scratches and other marks.

For a regular maintenance wash, fill the Snow Blow Cannon with 900mL of water and 100mL of Snow Job or Mega Snow Job, adding the wash last so it doesn't foam up while you're filling the bottle.

Starting on the dirtier lower sections and rear of the car, cover the vehicle in a thick layer of foam before working your way upwards. This gives the foam a little more time to work on the areas that generally need the most cleaning.

Allow the foam to dwell for around 4 to 5 minutes, giving it time to loosen and break down the dirt and grime. Don't allow the foam to dry on the surface.

Now remove the Snow Blow Cannon and thoroughly pressure wash the car from top to bottom, leaving the dirtier rear sections until last. Keep the pressure washer nozzle around 30 to 50cm away from the surface and take extra care around delicate trims, seals, emblems and fabric roofs.

Once rinsed, you'll have removed a significant amount of dirt, grime and other contamination without physically touching the paint, leaving a much safer surface for the hand wash that follows.

Don't have a pressure washer or Snow Blow Cannon? No problem. Give the car a thorough rinse with your hose instead, concentrating on the lower and dirtier areas to remove as much loose contamination as possible before moving onto the hand wash.

Step 3

From the top 

Your Shagtastic Wash Pad/Love Glove/Muffy/Wash Pillow/Shagamittastic Mitt wash tool is now immersed in the bucket. Squeeze it while immersed in the suds, so she sucks up as much of the good wash water as possible. You start at the top of the car, commonly known as the roof, going from panel to panel working your way down. Once you have finished the panel, submerge and squeeze the wash tool into the Rinse bucket and rinse it by shaking it vigorously or gently dragging it across the Great Barrier Thingy, before placing it back into the wash suds bucket.

This method of rinsing the wash tool means you only have clean water going onto the car. (Check the rinse bucket water colour out after the wash is done to get an idea of this, you'll never wash with one bucket ever again!) Gather as much water and suds as your mitt can carry, then re-apply to the next panel. Repeat this process, washing every panel on the car. Doing it this way means you are never putting dirty water onto your car.

The reason you start at the top is to minimise contamination of the Rinse bucket. The lower the panel is on the car, the more it collects road grime. So always wash the lower and rear panels last. Its also good practise to use twice the amount of suds as you would on the top sections when you're doing them, as well as turning the wash tool over often for each pass or wipe of these areas. Again this is all done to minimise the chance of ever micro scratching your paint.

Once you're done, empty the buckets and give them a good rinse out. You don't want to be storing any wash water for use later!

Step 4

Rinse with a stream of water 

A great tip for rinsing the car, is to let a gentle stream of water cover the car; It catches all of the water beads and lessens the amount of water that sits on the cars' surface, allowing you to dry the car faster. It also acts as a good final deep rinse. Make sure you get in around the mirrors and boot areas that can hold any of the suds. 

Step 5

Drying time 

A good tip to save you some headaches of water appearing later, get a little portable 18v cordless blower, (the type that use a soft rubber tip, so you won't ever damage your paint if you touch it by mistake) and blow the water out from your grill, side mirrors, wheels, trims and any other area that can hold hidden water. Make real sure you don't point it at the ground and blow any dirt of dust back onto the car. 

For the fastest drying: grab The Big Green Sucker and mist each side of the cloth with 3-4 sprays of our Boss Gloss detailing spray. We use Boss Gloss, as its formula is amazing for this job. It adds more lubrication for the towel to make it glide over the surface, it also helps draw more water into the cloth as well as helping the light trailing water spots evaporate faster and cleaner too. It also leaves a pretty stunning finish!

Do the glass first. (Refer to The Big Sucker article at the bottom of this page for some pro drying tips and hacks). This way you get no streaks on your glass. After the glass is done, start at the top of the car and work your way down. On the side, vertical panels (doors, front and rear) fold The Big Green Sucker in half, . Turn the cloth as needed, always using the same method.

If you're using a Chamois, again do the glass first while the material is totally dry. Hold the chamois like you would to throw a blanket across a large bed. Throw it out and then pull it gently back towards you. This minimises time, nothing else, so if you are comfortable with how you already use a chamois, do with this advice as you wish. Wring it out often, or you'll get smears when its full. On the side parts of the car, hold the top and lower part of the chamois when doing the sides, to stop it from ever touching the ground.

After Glow drying

One of the best ways we have to dry your car in with the After Glow drying aid. Now this is not as fast to do as the Twisted Pro Sucker or Big Green Sucker, but it does leave a perfect spot free finish that the more hardcore enthusiasts will really appreciate. One thing everyone will like is the amazing shine and level of protection this adds in one simple step. Have a watch of the short video below to learn more about this drying process. 

Step 7

The fun part 

You’re done!! Does your baby gleam? Don’t you feel better now? To make you and your precious machine feel even better why not take him/her for a drive, at least five to ten minutes long. This will help get rid of any water left in cracks or recesses most cars seem to have. Please don't ever put your car away straight after washing it, as leaving water sitting around in the cars inaccessible areas is a huge no-no. This only invites every car’s biggest enemy to take hold, that of course, is rust. 

When you get back just go around with the drying towel, After Glow or chamois, to again clean up the last bits of water.

Also be sure to wash/ wipe out all your wash tools and buckets with fresh water once done. We'd recommend machine washing with our Microfibre Wash and machine drying the Big Green Sucker and / or Big Softie cloths you use with After Glow straight after washing each and every time, (don't let them dry) as the After Glow or Boss Gloss in these cloths can make the cloth less absorbent if you don't wash it out. Likewise, use a machine dryer after washing to bring them back nice and fluffy like new! Your Shagtastic Wash Pad/Muffy/Love Glove/Wash Pillow/Shagamittastic Mitt can be machine washed as you see fit, we do ours every few washes, or if we use them on a really dirty car. You do not machine dry them though, just air dry indoors.  

Now look back at your car and note that glowing shine, it's a now famous attribute of all our products and how they are working together. It's something that will just get better with the long term use of these and all of our other quality products.

In case you didn't know

YES, WE ARE CAR FREAKS! 

And that is how we wash our cars at the Bowden household. All of these methods and tips have been pooled together by 3 generations of car freaks.

As every motoring enthusiast has different needs for their different cars and locations around our large continent, none of this should be taken as pure gospel. If any of what has been written goes against your regular methods, then think about it, weigh up both of the options and go with the one that is best for your car.

All the products in this article can be found in our stockists throughout Australia. Find a link at the very bottom of the webpage to them.

If you have any questions, please email info@bowdensown.com.au or call our office on 1800 351 308.

Love your car,

Dan Bowden