Cleaning Equipment

[eugegall]

So, since buying my new car, I have an urge to give it a clean and I have not cleaned a car since doing the rounds at 15 years old!!

Can someone help me with a list of the basics for what I need please?

Some weekend I will have more time but 9/10 cleans will just be a quick 30 minute once over so don't want to over complicate things.

Thanks in advance.

 

[eugegall]

@Daniel

 

[_Tom]

You do realise there’s a whole section dedicated to this subject, right? ?

 

[Krarl]

Depends what you class as basics?

A simple maintenance wash for me includes about ~15 products and ~20 bits of equipment?

 

[eugegall]

Depends what you class as basics?

A simple maintenance wash for me includes about ~15 products and ~20 bits of equipment?

Basics like.

Type of cloth to clean
Shampoo.
What to dry the car with.
Wheel cleaners?
Tyre black.

That should be enough for a good clean no?

 

[JJ55]

That’s enough for a basic wash & dry.....

Autoglym shampoo is excellent
Microfibre cloth/ gloves for washing (wool mitt if you want to get into it more)
2 buckets with grit guards
Meguiars do a good cloth for drying (can’t think what it’s called)
Autoglym wheel cleaner is good but you should also consider using iron x as well as a wheel cleaner
Tyre gels are probably a much of a much

 

[JJ55]

If you want to take it further look into Bilt hambers range of products

 

[Krarl]

Basics like.

Type of cloth to clean
Shampoo.
What to dry the car with.
Wheel cleaners?
Tyre black.

That should be enough for a good clean no?

Shampoo- Valetpro concentrated shampoo
Snowfoam- Valetpro PH neutral snowfoam
Wash mitts - Meguiars lambswool for upper, microfiber for lower part of the car
Drying towel - autofinesse aqua deluxe, normal KENT microfiber for door jambs and sills
Wheel cleaner - korrosol/bilberry
Tyre black - Meguiars tyre gel
Sealant - Auto Finesse wetcoat
Glass cleaner - AG Fast Glass & RainX
Plastic trims - AG Bumper gel
Arch Cleaner- APC 5:1

Then theres the abundance of soft detail brushes, wheel brushes, wheel arch brushes, soft microfiber pads, applicator sponges etc

That's just my maintenance wash gear tbh

 

[eugegall]

That’s enough for a basic wash & dry.....

Autoglym shampoo is excellent
Microfibre cloth/ gloves for washing (wool mitt if you want to get into it more)
2 buckets with grit guards
Meguiars do a good cloth for drying (can’t think what it’s called)
Autoglym wheel cleaner is good but you should also consider using iron x as well as a wheel cleaner
Tyre gels are probably a much of a much

Shampoo- Valetpro concentrated shampoo
Snowfoam- Valetpro PH neutral snowfoam
Wash mitts - Meguiars lambswool for upper, microfiber for lower part of the car
Drying towel - autofinesse aqua deluxe, normal KENT microfiber for door jambs and sills
Wheel cleaner - korrosol/bilberry
Tyre black - Meguiars tyre gel
Sealant - Auto Finesse wetcoat
Glass cleaner - AG Fast Glass & RainX
Plastic trims - AG Bumper gel
Arch Cleaner- APC 5:1

Then theres the abundance of soft detail brushes, wheel brushes, wheel arch brushes, soft microfiber pads, applicator sponges etc

That's just my maintenance wash gear tbh

Thanks guys!!

I honestly have not cleaned a car for 15 years and even then it was a bucket, sponge and washing up liquid.

Got a decent car now and want to enjoy cleaning it.

For a relatively simple clean. Maybe 30/40 minutes.

Whats the step by step process... roughly.

Thanks again.

 

[Krarl]

Pre rinse with jetwash

APC in the arches and door jambs

Snow foam full car

Agitate around badges and awkward bits with a soft detail brush

Wheel cleaner on and clean the wheels one by one

Rinse

I snow foam again and then wash the car top to bottom with a lambswool mit and then microfiber for the lowers

Spray down the jambs on low pressure

Rinse full car

Spray aqua coat and rinse again

Dry car down with a spray of AG aqua wax on each panel

Clean glass in and out and stick a bit of RainX on the windscreen

Tyre gel and any bumper gel on black plastics

 

[eugegall]

Pre rinse with jetwash

APC in the arches and door jambs

Snow foam full car

Agitate around badges and awkward bits with a soft detail brush

Wheel cleaner on and clean the wheels one by one

Rinse

I snow foam again and then wash the car top to bottom with a lambswool mit and then microfiber for the lowers

Spray down the jambs on low pressure

Rinse full car

Spray aqua coat and rinse again

Dry car down with a spray of AG aqua wax on each panel

Clean glass in and out and stick a bit of RainX on the windscreen

Tyre gel and any bumper gel on black plastics

Thats a simple one? LOL

Cheers mate. I mean I don't know what Agitate or APC or Jambs are but I'm sure Google will help.

 

[Coby.]

Take it to a Pro, Get the works done then enjoy a simple Wash and wipe down for about 2 years.

 

[leeds2592]

If you wonna go mega mega basic.

Get a wheel cleaner.
Get a pre wash.
Wash with 2 buckets and a wash mitt.
Get something like Carbon Collective Hybrid to seal (look into it, its probably the easiest way to protect a car)
Get a drying towel.
Get some tyre shine.

Job jobbed.

 

[Rob]

Thats a simple one? LOL

Cheers mate. I mean I don't know what Agitate or APC or Jambs are but I'm sure Google will help.

Jesus these chaps are over complicating it Euge.

Right, simple (everything from Halfords):

Pressure washer needed, then:

Rapid dirt shifter
Any non acid Wheel cleaner
Decent soap (meguires gold class will do)
Wash mitt
2 large drying towels
Two 50p b and q buckets

- Spray the wheel cleaner on wheels and dirt shifter onto any manky areas of car
- Let soak for a couple of mins
- jet wash whole car
- wash car with two buckets (if you don’t know how to do this, one is the clean bucket, the other is the rinse bucket)
- do wheels last
- dry car with drying cloths
- sit back and have a cigarette whilst admiring your car work

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

All I've done for years is use Gyeon stuff..

Search results for: 'Gyeon'

www.cleanyourcar.co.uk

Maybe a snowfoam, if I've got the PW out.
Clean it properly once, de-tar etc if required
Bathe+ shampoo
Wetcoat
Pressure wash off

Next time, just the Bathe+ and rinse with an open hose and you're done in 10 mins.

Every 3-6 months another coat of Wetcoat and maybe clean the wheels

 

[eugegall]

Ok so I have a detail booked in for next week where he is going to protect the paint work!

But all of this arrived today ready for me to give it a clean every few weeks.

Also have Gold Class shampoo!

 

[JJ55]

Looking good

 

[rs 1an]

Hi, Don’t forget to do it all out of the sun, damp cloudy days are best and never let anything dry on your car, even water. After a quick dry off try some Sonax bsd on a soft microfibre ?

 

[Clio_fool]

What car is it?

 

[Flat Eric]

What car is it?

M4cs

 

[JamesBryan]

Another top tip which a lot tend to forget... Don't wash your cloths/towels with fabric softener, it ruins them.

 

[Adamm.]

Will it be polished and ceramic coated at the detail? Incredimit and Auto Finesse Aqua Deluxe are must have imo.

 

[eugegall]

Will it be polished and ceramic coated at the detail? Incredimit and Auto Finesse Aqua Deluxe are must have imo.

Yes mate. Full stage 1 polish and then ceramic coating afterwards.

 

[eugegall]

Another top tip which a lot tend to forget... Don't wash your cloths/towels with fabric softener, it ruins them.

Oh good one!

Just wash them in the washing machine with hot water and the usual tablet then?

 

[JamesBryan]

Oh good one!

Just wash them in the washing machine with hot water and the usual tablet then?

Yeah mate 40° wash will be fine.

Have to be careful with some powders, if they don't fully dissolve they can get trapped in the pile of the microfibre and potentially scratch the paint.

Tumble dry them on low heat too. High heat melts the fibres. Helps bring back their static properties too for picking up dust.

 

[eugegall]

Yeah mate 40° wash will be fine.

Have to be careful with some powders, if they don't fully dissolve they can get trapped in the pile of the microfibre and potentially scratch the paint.

Tumble dry them on low heat too. High heat melts the fibres. Helps bring back their static properties too for picking up dust.

Nice one, thanks mate.

 

[Eddie555]

Oh good one!

Just wash them in the washing machine with hot water and the usual tablet then?

No not with a tablet. The tablets also have fabric conditioners. Just use the wash liquid not powder.

 

[eugegall]

First clean done! Sun was shining so was much harder than I expected and I should buy a finishing cloth really but very happy with the outcome.

 

[Eddie555]

Very nice. My little bro has got the darker blue on his M3CP.

 

[cafcross]

Should have built the garage bigger

 

[imprezaworks]

Nice car.

 

[eugegall]

Should have built the garage bigger

STFU! X