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  1. #31
    Mike Phillips
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    Re: How to safely wash a ceramic coated car by Mike Phillips - Traditional Hose & Bucket Approach

    Quote Originally Posted by bob m View Post

    Just to wrap it up, would you separate out the MF towels used when washing the car from those that are used to apply detailers and/or wipe off sealants and waxes?

    Great question. I'm glad you asked. In post #10 I shared my STRONG recommendation as to how to deal with your towels.



    Last step - wash and dry your TOOLS.
    Remember I said that quality microfiber towels are like a Master Mechanic's tools? It's true. If you take care of your towels your towels will take care of you. Or more specifically, your towels will take care of your car's paint.

    When you're done drying off your car, and likely moving it into the garage, next put away the garden hose and all your tools and then take your dirty towel bucket with your lightly used microfiber towels and pour the entire bucket into your washing machine and wash the towels.





    At this point all of the towels have CAR WASH solution IN THEM so you really don't need too much microfiber detergent to get them clean. Follow the directions on the label for your favorite microfiber detergent and then wash and dry your towels.






    All dry and ready to fold and store...






    THEN - follow your new BEST PRACTICE


    Clean your work area




    Place your freshly washed and dried towels on your clean table top or workbench top.




    Inspect your towels and fold them...






    Store them in a clean place so they stay clean and thus stay SAFE for your ceramic coated vehicle.











    Quote Originally Posted by bob m View Post

    I'm thinking MF's used to wipe off coatings may be too far gone to bother washing - or am I wrong?

    I cover that here and remember - towels used to wash don't have the same things on them than towels used to wipe-off coatings.


    Microfiber towels for ceramic paint coatings - How to care for - by Mike Phillips


    Read the below words carefully. Learn them. Live them.


    It takes hours to buff out a car.... it takes seconds to put scratches in - Mike Phillips


    Anyone that's buffed out a car before knows this to be true. Part of the reason is that modern clearcoats, while generally speaking are much harder than traditioinal single stage car paints, they still scratch very easy. Then... because they are hard, it takes hours to methodically buff out the car, panel by panel to remove the scratches.

    So the wise thing to do is to NOT put scratches into the paint in the first place. I have a number of articles on this topic but this one has a twist as this one is focused on the towels you use to,


    • Prep paint for a ceramic paint coating.
    • Wipe off the high spots after installing a ceramic paint coating.




    All said and done, from the time you start in the morning washing a car to the time you stop after the final buff, depending upon the size of the vehicle and the condition of the paint, it can take you all day to wash, correct, polish, strip and coat a car. So the last thing you want to do is to look at the finish when you're done and see swirls and scratches. This is where having dedicated coating prep towels and dedicated coating wipe-off towels is like cheap insurance.


    Dedicated compound and polish towels
    The microfiber towels you use to remove compound and polish residue are important and will be the scope of another article, suffice to say, this article is focused specifically on the towels you use to chemically strip paint AFTER any paint correction or paint polishing work has been performed and the towels you will use to remove high spots and give each panel its final buff.


    Dedicated coating towels
    Chances are if you're reading this article, (on a car detailing discussion forum), then you already have a nice collection of quality microfiber towels. If not, and you're just getting into car detailing, then trust me... you soon will have a collection of quality microfiber towel. There are a zillion types, colors, weights, sizes, etc. of towels on the market but in this article we're going to take a look at a 16" x 16" microfiber towel from GYEON called Bald Wipe.


    GYEON Bald Wipes
    What's so great about GYEON's Bald Wipes? A couple of characteristics.


    1: Flat weave design.
    Instead of a fluffy weave like a lot of towels these towels have a flat, tight weave. This makes it a LOT more difficult for contaminants to bury in, or embed inside the fibers because simply put, there's no place to hide. Not only does this help prevent accidental contamination it makes inspecting your towels faster than inspecting fluffy style microfiber towels.


    2: They are somewhat stout.
    Now that can sound like a negative when working on scratch-sensitive clearcoats paints that are in pristine condition but remember - these are microfiber so they are soft to the touch, just stout in their girth or mass. It is this stoutness that makes them more manageable when wiping. It's easier for you to hold and push or pull the towel over the surface. Soft limp towels tend to roll over into themselves and then you're fighting yourself and the towel trying to use it.


    3: Low to no linting.
    The last thing you want to do wiping paint at any stage of the paint polishing, prepping or final wipe stages is to see your towel is leaving lint behind.

    Heck any clean soft towel can be used, I'm just trying to share a specific towel, with a specific design to help you do your work better, more effectively and faster. So take from this article what you will.


    What about ceramic paint coatings that harden and crystalize?
    Yeah that's a popular topic and it is true, some coatings, harden in your applicator cloth and if they are hardening in your applicator cloth it only makes sense that the coating is also hardening in your wipe-off towels. I read about some guys that after using a microfiber towel to wipe-off high spots and give the paint a final buff will then either throw the towel away or delicate it to things like checking your car's engine oil level. That is an option and if it's in your budget I say go for it. Or if you detail professionally, that is detail for money, then build in the cost of the towels you're going to throw away into what you charge your customer so you're not losing money each time you detail a car and throw your nice towels away.

    Another option is to immediately after you use your towel is to wash it and the hope and pray and even cross your fingers that the majority of whatever was on the towel loosens and washes and then rinses out. My experience is this works. The key to success with this step starts with the application of the coating.


    First - Don't waste product.
    Technically you're only supposed to put on small amounts of ceramic coating to panel or a section of a panel at a time and this is key --> work the coating over the surface until you see it disappear. Now THINK about it. If you work small amounts until it disappears into the paint and the solvents evaporate off, (called flash time), doesn't this mean there's NOTHING to wipe-off or remove? As in nothing to wipe off and get onto your wipe-off towel? Make sense to me. That said, of course you're going to have high spots as you always have these at the end of a pass where your lift your applicator off. Happens to me and I'm sure it happens to the best detailers in the world. But the BIG PICTURE is - if a ceramic paint coating is correctly applied there should be very little of the ceramic coating solids to be wiped-off and thus impacted onto your precious microfiber coating towels.


    Make sense?


    Second - Wash immediately
    Next - IMMEDIATLEY after you are done wiping down the car to remove high spots and give the painted panels their final buff, (the wipe that maximizes the gloss and shine), then IF you can, wash your towels. That is, if you have a fixed location, take your towels over to your washing machine and make a dedicated wash load washing only your microfiber towels for prepping paint and wiping off high spots and the final buff. Then dry them by themselves and then inspect them, fold them and store them for the next project.


    If you're mobile
    If you're mobile or if you don't think you can immediately wash your microfiber towels, your schedule doesn't permit (or the wife is washing her lingerie), then the next best thing you can do is to dunk your used microfiber towels into a mixture of water and microfiber detergent and then as soon as you can, wash and dry these towels.


    APC vs Microfiber Detergent?
    Most of the recommendations I read in the blogosphere for soaking microfiber towels used for ceramic coatings is the recommendation to soak your towels in a solution of water and All-Purpose-Cleaner. Kind of seems harsh to me for a soft plush microfiber towel you want to keep soft and plush, plus absorbent. So here's what I do and it makes more sense to me. I think PICTURE 11 will tell the story.



    Let's get busy...
    So lets take a look at an effective but simple way to wash, dry, inspect, fold and store some coating towels. If you keep your process simple you're more likely to do it and then it has real impact over time.


    Mix a solution of water and a quality microfiber detergent. Common sense tell you to make sure the bucket is clean to start with.




    I use the glug-glug method for a lot of things, this is no exception but do use prudence, pour in a few ounces.




    As you work through the project, take a used towel and place it into the bucket of wash solution.







    Make sure to dunk the towels so they are soaking and being penetrated by the detergent and whatever magical chemicals are inside of it. The bid idea here is to both saturate the towels with water and detergent so they can do their thing of breaking down substances but to ALSO seal the towels away from oxygen which of course causes drying. Part of the way this works is it prevents the coating substances from drying since you're removing oxygen from the equation.





    Normal protocol now days here at Autogeek is I use BLACKFIRE Microfiber Detergent. Choose a brand you trust.




    Soaking...




    Washing
    After you've completed the project so you're done creating new dirty towels, take the bucket of towels and microfiber solution to your washing machine.





    In this example I'm washing 8 towels, so this qualifies as a Small Dedicated Wash Load. I'll use the WARM setting on the washing machine. Everything cleans better with warm and hot water versus cold water. Don't believe me? Next time you replace the starter motor on a 25 year old Ford F150 try getting all the greasy, black grimy sludge out of the pores of the skin on your hands using only cold water. Warm water is good, it helps to the cleaning process. Hot water can damage delicate microfiber filaments so don't use the hot setting.




    Select the heavy option for a good full cycle of agitation.





    PICTURE 11

    Now dump the towels and the microfiber detergent solution directly into the wash basin. See why I prefer to use a microfiber detergent instead of an APC to soak my towels in?








    After they are washed, next dry the towels...





    Choose the appropriate drying time for the size of the load you just washed





    Choose a warm to cool heat setting to dry the towels. Don't use the high or hot setting as this can overheat the microfiber filaments and basically bake them.







    Inspection, folding and storing

    Before you inspect and fold your microfiber towels, be sure to clean the surface that you're going to place the towels on. I fold the towels here at Autogeek on our stainless steel countertop on the workbench and before doing so I wipe the countertop clean wit a glass cleaner and a basic microfiber towel.

    Think clean - Work clean

    If you take clean towels and place them on a dirty table or counter you just undid all your hard work and contaminated your towels. So think clean and work clean.







    Inspect your towels
    If you have not read my article on towel inspecting or watched the video, you can check it out here.






    First inspect visually

    I like to put some light on my inspection area and this is another great use for the SCANGRIP Sunmatch Swirl Finder Light





    The swivel base has a magnet in it to secure it to the steel overhead hutch, perfect for my inspection process. This is my method, everyone has to figure out their own method.




    Second inspect both sides of the towel with your sense of touch.

    Make sure to wash your hands first so you don't contaminate the towels while feeling them.





    Pick out and remove all contaminants







    After a towel passes your inspection, fold and store the towels in a clean container to keep them uncontaminated and ready for the next project.





    High quality towels are not cheap and you get what you pay for.

    Quality towels are TOOLS --> learn to take care of your tools and your tools will take care of you.





    Mark your towel container so no well-intentioned fool ruins your day.




    Just to note, the GYEON Bald Wipes do come in a re-sealable bag but this isn't a long term solution for proper storage.




    On Autogeek.com


    GYEON Bald Wipes - $6.99

    As I read the store page for the GYEON Bald Wipes at the writing of this article there's not a bulk option to buy by the dozen. I'd suggest getting a dozen so,

    A: You always have enough towels to do the job.

    B: You have enough towels to make a small dedicated wash load.



    BLACKFIRE Microfiber Cleaner & Restorer 128 oz.




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  3. #32
    Super Member bob m's Avatar
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    Re: How to safely wash a ceramic coated car by Mike Phillips - Traditional Hose & Bucket Approach

    Excellent info - as always Mike.


    Order placed for some items on AG - Thank you.

  4. #33
    Super Member bob m's Avatar
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    Re: How to safely wash a ceramic coated car by Mike Phillips - Traditional Hose & Bucket Approach

    Just thought of another question/clarification regarding using 1 towel per panel. If using a foam cannon or foam gun as a foam pre cleaner, would the 1 towel per panel recommendation still apply?

  5. #34
    Super Member PaulMys's Avatar
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    Re: How to safely wash a ceramic coated car by Mike Phillips - Traditional Hose & Bucket Approach

    Quote Originally Posted by bob m View Post
    Just thought of another question/clarification regarding using 1 towel per panel. If using a foam cannon or foam gun as a foam pre cleaner, would the 1 towel per panel recommendation still apply?
    Im my opinion, absolutely. The safer you are, the better.

    Just like using many pads in the machine polishing phase, you can never have enough mitts/towels for the multiple towel wash.
    It is no coincidence that man's best friend cannot talk.

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  7. #35
    Mike Phillips
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    Re: How to safely wash a ceramic coated car by Mike Phillips - Traditional Hose & Bucket Approach

    Quote Originally Posted by bob m View Post

    Just thought of another question/clarification regarding using 1 towel per panel.

    If using a foam cannon or foam gun as a foam pre cleaner, would the 1 towel per panel recommendation still apply?


    To be honest, I've never tried the method I've outlined using a foam gun. NORMALLY when I use a Foam Gun it's to wash the car BEFORE I'm going to detail it. This means the car has swirls and scratches and the entire reason I'm washing it is because I'm going to detail it.

    Detail it means buff out the paint.


    Once I've detailed someone else's car, I rarely see it again. One reason is because I write articles like this one and send the link to the owner and they wash it. If they wash it carefully - they don't scratch it all over again and thus I don't see it again.


    My own stuff - I do use a foam gun on my wife's car which is sporting Pinnacle Black Label Surface Coating, but my wife's car never gets very dirty and I really don't care that much about my airport car.


    Sometime in the future when I get something cool again - then I'll likely use the method showcased in this how-to article.



    Here's the BIG PICTURE - each person needs to find a way to clean their car to maintain it to their expectations. Each one of us has different expectations. For people with SIV cars or Special Interest Vehicles, (the kind of cars that spend most of their lives in a garage except on weekends), then preventing scratches is ideal.

    For daily drivers - figure out how much time you want to invest in keeping it perfect or keeping it good and then everything else will figure itself out.

    This how to article is targeted at people that do in fact care about preventing swirls and scratches from being re-inflicted into their car's finish and thus the one towel per panel approach. Whether you use a 5-gallon bucket filled with car wash soap or a foam gun is something each person will have to try for themselves and figure out what works best for them and their car and their "style" of wash a car.




  8. #36
    Mike Phillips
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    Re: How to safely wash a ceramic coated car by Mike Phillips - Traditional Hose & Bucket Approach



    Shared here,

    Coating Questions




  9. #37
    Junior Member mpulsiv's Avatar
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    Re: How to safely wash a ceramic coated car by Mike Phillips - Traditional Hose & Bucket Approach

    I'm drinking from a fire hose
    Please help me understand the importance of using BLACKFIRE Pro Ceramic Coating Wash. If I decide to coat a car with any ceramic coating, should I not use a foam gun with typical car wash solution (e.g. Meguiar's Deep Crystal) and Micro-Chenille Mitt? Will this combination exhibit shorter longevity of ceramic coating and introduce more swirls?

    Based on your extensive review, it's quite time-consuming to work with a dozen on Forrest Green Edgeless Microfiber Towels with very little suds. I totally understand the purpose behind it but I'd like to keep my car washes quick. In grey PNW, it rains lot, my cars are wet ~8 months out of the year. I guess my question is - can I get by with same car wash approach for sealed, waxed or ceramic coated cars? Rain is coming and I still haven't decided whether to stick to bubba proof wax and increase cadence to every ~6 weeks or step up to sealant or ceramic coating.

  10. #38
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    Re: How to safely wash a ceramic coated car by Mike Phillips - Traditional Hose & Bucket Approach

    I can’t comment if the coating side but in regards to washing with the 12 mf towels, I’ve found that I save around 5-10 min using this method instead of the traditional mf mitt.


    Sent from my iPhone using AGOnline

  11. #39
    Mike Phillips
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    Re: How to safely wash a ceramic coated car by Mike Phillips - Traditional Hose & Bucket Approach

    Quote Originally Posted by mpulsiv View Post
    I'm drinking from a fire hose

    Please help me understand the importance of using BLACKFIRE Pro Ceramic Coating Wash. If I decide to coat a car with any ceramic coating, should I not use a foam gun with typical car wash solution (e.g. Meguiar's Deep Crystal) and Micro-Chenille Mitt? Will this combination exhibit shorter longevity of ceramic coating and introduce more swirls?

    I need to re-read what I wrote because I must be leaving something out. Let me check.



  12. #40
    Mike Phillips
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    Re: How to safely wash a ceramic coated car by Mike Phillips - Traditional Hose & Bucket Approach

    Okay,

    I just scanned my own article and I must say, I write really in-depth articles with lots of pictures that for the most part show everything.

    BUT - I did leave something out of "this" article. I do have a REVIEW that has the information that answers your question below, which I will highlight and then include the REASON for the type of wash I show and a link to my review which is IN-DEPTH and also shares the reason for the type of wash to use.



    Quote Originally Posted by mpulsiv View Post

    If I decide to coat a car with any ceramic coating, should I not use a foam gun with typical car wash solution (e.g. Meguiar's Deep Crystal) and Micro-Chenille Mitt?

    Great question. Here's the answer.

    Most or at least many car washes on the market include ingredients that leave something behind, for example a Wash-N-Wax car wash supposedly cleans your car and leaves wax behind.

    This is great if you want a car wash that leaves wax behind. The problem with using this type of product with a coated car is you don't want anything ON the coating. You want the coating.

    If you use a car wash that leaves something behind, for example, carnauba wax, glossing agents, shine ingredients, etc., you car's finish how takes on the characteristics of the stuff left behind. You now LOOSE the characteristics of the coating and it is the characteristics of the coating that you want.

    Hydrophobic surface
    Self-cleaning effect
    Faster washing and drying
    Glassy appearance


    So when I wrote this article I shared a recent product introduced in the BLACKFIRE line that washes without leaving anything behind for those people that are understand everything I wrote above and are looking for a wash that is just pure wash, not extra ingredients.


    It's been 10 years as I type this reply in September of 2019, since I worked for Meguiar's, so I don't know or remember the specifics about the Meguiar's Deep Crystal Car Wash but a quick search using Skynet I found the below on Meguiars.com

    will safely brighten paint and leave a dazzling finish


    I don't know if the above means that besides safely cleaning the paint, there's something also in the car wash that as the text states,

    brightens the paint and leaves a dazzling finish


    I know this borderlines on being anal retentive and I for one don't like to go that DEEP into the world of car detailing but I'm telling you from years of experience and a whole lot of talking and typing to car enthusiasts, we car people GO THAT DEEP.


    So do your own research on car washes and think about if you want a car wash that leaves something behind or not and then go with it.

    Here's the link to my review for the car wash I show in this how-to article,



    And here's what I wrote about its characteristics.


    Review: Blackfire Pro-Ceramic Coating Wash





    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Phillips


    What is it?
    This is a pH balanced pure car wash soap. By the word pure, I mean there are no other ingredients included to add protection, shine or gloss or anything. It's solely for the purpose of safely washing a ceramic coated finish to remove any road film or dirt without leaving anything behind and this is what you want for a coated car. Pure and simple. Novel idea.

    And now the information I could have, (didn't have to), put in this article - is in this article.


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