Originally Posted by slowebp

I get a lot of PM’s from time to time from people who ask how to wash correctly without getting marring. I figured it would be easier to do a write up here and let everyone talk about what works for them and why. I will try my best to explain what methods and tools work best for me.

If you think about it, anyone can wash a car. A five year old can go out with a rag and some dish soap and get a car “clean.” One of the things that really separate the men from the boys in the detailing world is the ability to wash/dry a car without inducing marring and swirls.

So first we must define what marring is and how it is induced. Marring can be induced ANYTIME the paint is touched. Washing/drying tools and techniques are the most common culprits as they are done the most. Marring is basically a fine scratch that is induced into the clear coat; they also look like “spider webs” in direct light. Marring shows up the most in direct sunlight because the tiny micro-scratches refract light and catch the eye.

Here are some pics of washing/drying induced swirls.




Not to be confused with buffer swirls or holograms. These are whole other article.






^ These are about as bad as it gets. Some of this is actually clearcoat burn. The idea is to see the difference between washing/drying marring and buffer holograms.


I know people who “think” they keep their paint “clean” and they do, but it is marred up and looks like garbage in full sun. Next time you see someone you think takes good care of their paint give it a check in direct sun.

This is what I mean by direct sun:


Make sure you focus the sun on one area of the paint and move back and forth to examine the paint. Trust me on 99% of cars on the road it will not be hard to see.

So now that we know what these swirls, spider webs, marring look like, we can talk about how to avoid them.

NOTE: This is the method that works for me and on the cars that I take care of. If you have a method that works for you, use it. There is no real right or wrong, it is just what works for you and your paint.

You will need:
1) A sheepskin mitt for PAINT ONLY
2) A sheep skin mitt for lower panels
3) A mitt for WHEELS ONLY (I like to use microfiber for this)
4) A waffle weave microfiber drying towel

Here you see from left to right, lower panel mitt, paint only mitt, and wheel only mitt. NOte that the cuff of the paint only mitt is green and the wheel only cuff is black. You can also mark them on the inside with a sharpie, "paint" or "wheels."


Here you see the inside of the mitt. It sould look and feel like leather. These mitts are a natural product and vary from mitt to mitt. I like to pick them like fruit, only the softest one pass the pass test and get to touch paint.



Here is one of the buckets I use. You can get them at Home depot for a few bucks.


Here is a pic of the waffleweave microfiber drying towel.




*This method works best if the car is in the shade*

Using sheepskin mitts allows the debris that is on the paint to be whisked away from the paint and into the mitt. With a sponge there is nowhere for the debris to go and it ends up getting grinded into your paint causing swirls and marring. You can buy genuine sheepskin mitts from Wal-mart for about $5.



The first thing that I do is rinse the car THOROUGHLY, the more dirt you get off in this stage the better. I then get 3 five gallon buckets. I fill one bucket with a car wash solution. Don’t get too hung up on buying expensive shampoos, just make sure it is formulated for cars, NOT DISHES!!!! The other two buckets are filled with ONLY water.