The new 3 bucket system for safe washing.

I am very proud to announce the latest addition to our safe washing system: a set of new, purpose made washing buckets.  As many of you would know,  the act of washing is where we found most of the damage was happening to the cars paint, with micro scratches and swirl marks occurring from bad wash tools and techniques, which is why we have been working hard on developing a complete system to help prevent them from ever happening. These buckets are the last thing we needed to finish our safe wash system. 

Why 3 buckets? 

These very identifiable buckets are for a two-bucket wash technique, plus a separate bucket for the real fanatics who want safe cleaning of their wheels as well. For washing, you use one bucket for your Wash suds water and a separate Rinse bucket with clean water, for rinsing out your dirty Muffy Sponge, Shagtastic Wash Pad, Wash Pillow, Shagamittastic Wash Mitt, or Love Glove mitt as it comes off the car, removing all the dirt and grime, before going back into your wash suds water. This simple system keeps both your washing tools and the suds water clean, reducing the chance of any potentially damaging grit from ever scratching your cars paint. For your wheels, depending on your level of fanaticism, you can use the Wheels bucket by itself, or if you're like us, you can use the Rinse bucket in conjunction with it as well, which we will tell you more about shortly.  

Yes, we have Grit Guards

Another great, new addition, is the popular Great Barrier Thingys, that perfectly fit into the bottom of each of these buckets. They are there to let any potentially scratching​ heavier grit and grime fall through them, so it settles on the bottom, under the Great Barrier Thingy and preventing it from getting back into your washing tools. We've found them to be a very important addition. 

Great water capacity

The buckets are an ideal 15 litres in size, so they hold the perfect amount of water and mix great with our very concentrated wash formulas. We know there are bigger buckets out there, but we found that when full of water, they are just too heavy. Bigger buckets mean more weight and more work; 15 litres is bang on as big as you will need.  

You won't miss them 

The big visual names and different colourful race livery are on them so you can easily identify them, which we found on our Facebook group whenever the prototypes were in the background of shots while we were detailing. This visual element becomes very important with the two-bucket wash technique, because as we found, when you wash, the suds build up in the rinse bucket, making it difficult to separate which bucket is which. This simple visual cue of the big WASH, RINSE, and WHEELS names, as well as different race livery colours stops that from ever being an issue anymore.

Aussie made buckets and a lid  

We are very proud that these buckets are all Aussie developed and made, and you can get a lid for them as well. The lid is so you can seal the bucket, making it ideal for storing your dried-out wash gear in, so it won't get dusty in the shed. We have also found it's a safe place to put your washing or drying tools on when you wash, well away from the ground. With the lid on the bucket, it can become a handy seat, good for when wheel cleaning. With the lid on the bucket it allows for neat stacking of the other buckets on top of each other - something anyone with OCD will appreciate (without a lid the buckets all fit within each other too, for more neat storage). The lid also serves as a great, man sized frisbee, a super big dinner plate for when doing late nights in the shed, or a protective shield when the minister of finance sees how much you have spent on car care this month... 

How we use them - Wheels first

First job we like to do is the wheels, and here you have two options; either a one or a two-bucket method. The two-bucket method is for dirtier wheels, for this we use the dedicated black Wheels bucket and the white Rinse bucket, putting Great Barrier Thingys in both. Fill the Rinse bucket up first and then fill the Wheels bucket 1/2 way with water. Add a double solution (two capfuls) of any of our car washes and then continue filling it to the top. Get the buckets situated next to the first wheel you're going to clean. 

Grab a bottle of Wheely Clean if it's a badly brake dust affected wheel, or the pH balanced Orange Agent all-purpose cleaner if it's mostly just grime, or if the Wheely Clean smell annoys you. Spray 5-8 sprays all around the surface of the wheel. Using your desired wheel brushes (like our Nuts and Guts or Little Chubby), dip them into the Wheels bucket suds mixture and wash the wheel face and dish thoroughly. Then rinse the dirty brushes out in the Rinse bucket to clean off the grime and dirt, and then go back to the Wheels bucket and continue cleaning. This will keep your wash water cleaner and much more effective. You can use a longer handled brush (like our Big Black One) with this same technique to get into the wheel well too. Once you're happy the wheel and wheel well is all done, rinse it clean with your pressure washer or hose and move onto the next wheel.

When you've completed all the wheels, quickly wash out the Rinse bucket and Great Barrier Thingy wiping them dry with a clean microfibre cloth like our Dirty Deeds cloth. This is so they are clean and ready to be used for washing the rest of the car. The one bucket method doesn't involve the Rinse bucket, and can be ideal if your wheels are not that dirty, but it's up to you on deciding how dirty your wheels are and what will work best for you.

Two Bucket Wash Technique

Place your Great Barrier Thingys into the bottom of both buckets. We prefer two in the Rinse bucket to help further stop the grit and grime swirling back up and getting into your wash tool; it is optional, but one is still better than none. You want to fill the Rinse bucket with water. This bucket will be used to rinse your microfibre wash mitt, glove or pad and helps tremendously with minimising wash induced swirls and scratches. In the second bucket, fill to half to 2/3rds of the bucket, then put in 30ml of Nanolicious Wash, 50ml of Auto Body Gel, or 50ml of Wax Wash using some pressure from the hose to get the desired, thick sudsiness. 

Wash the car from top to bottom, rinsing your wash tool out by giving it a good thrash and wring out in the clean water Rinse bucket after each section (one section could be a panel, or half a panel depending on how dirty the car is).

And that's it! This is the last big addition to our Safe Wash System and one I hope many of you use and get to love, as much as we now do! 

You can order these great new buckets and Great Barrier Thingys through many of our fantastic supporting resellers now. If you have any questions, please email info@bowdensown.com.au or FREECALL our office on 1800 351 308.

Love your car,

Dan Bowden