In another life, I owned and operated a detail/modification shop which was traded for a law degree. I still clean my own cars as well as some cars for friends and family (it is my "therapy") and the third bay of my garage at home is set up like a detail bay. My $0.02 FWIW:
It is ok to use a "speed shine" product on a car to remove a smudge of fingerprints, a water spot, a little dust, a fresh bird dropping and the like from a clean car but do not use waterless car wash in place of a real car wash. If the car is that dirty, wash the car.
Brief overview of what I do/use when washing the car:
To Wash With:
Two buckets; one with just water, the other with soap and water. I use the water only bucket to rinse off the wash brush after it comes of the car, then it goes into the soap and water bucket before going back on the car. This takes all the crap out of the brush and does not introduce it into the bucket of soap and water that you are going to slather all over your car.
In/on the buckets: cross hatch grating (thank you Home Depot - it is the white plastic hatching used in recessed commercial flourescent light fixtures) suspended several inches over the bottom of the bucket so that the brush does not accidentally touch bottom, pick up some crap that already came off the brush and then makes its way into the soap and water bucket and potentially onto my car. This was not my idea - when I saw it in Griot's Garage, I copied it for myself. He used to sell the bucket for some elevated price (now much cheaper). My buckets are on casters - rolling buckets (I feel like the high school janitor)
The Brush: I have had it for 15+ years. It cost me $200.00. It is a hand laid, all natural hair brush. Very soft and durable - it has only ever been used on my babied cars (couple of Corvettes, a Supra, a couple of IASCA show cars I used to compete with). I have a synthetic
brush for the daily drivers that are almost as soft yet don't scratch the finish. It is on a broom handle so I can reach the tops of SUVs or the bottoms of sports cars without bending over. ( I am getting lazy).
The soap: Something very foamy, sudzy and made for cars. Don't waste money on $40.00 per gallon soap.
Hose and nozzle of your choice. I have some great nozzles (with foamy applicators if you wanted to do a bucketless wash - why bucketless is beyond me but you could if you wanted to). I have installed quick disconnects on all nozzles and hoses for speed. (Even have them on my sprinklers for the lawn, the wife loves it).
To Dry With:
Towels: Waffle Wave Microfibers and smaller microfibers (like the ones used for wax removal)
Jelly blade
Speed Shine
Additional accessories:
Cigar of your choice - I prefer either Padron Anniversarios or Bolivar (country of origin re: Bolivar not to be discussed here)
Throat lubricant - Coffee, beer, or bourbon. Your choice. My motto - it is 5 pm somewhere............
-----------------------------------
Wash from top to bottom, front to back and hose the car off the same way. This uses the benefits of the drip/wind rails engineered into the car for removing rain water.
I dry the car from top to bottom, front to back as well, doing only one section at a time. I take one pass with the big towel to remove almost all of the water (except for streaks), then I use the speed shine and the smaller towels for a streak free finish. The jelly blade I use on the windows (to save the towel). On my daily drivers, I use the jelly blade on the entire car before I take a pass with the towel - it has yet to scratch a car. Even knowing this, I have yet to use it on a black Corvette (I think that would be tempting fate).
I do use my car duster between drives on the vette because it has yet to see any inclement weather. Worst thing that happens is dust and fingerprints. Occassionally bird crap. Thankfully, there is speed shine............
Corvette Store
Waterless Car wash
