A grit guard bucket is a wash bucket with a grate on the bottom that holds sand and grit down, so your wash mitt does not pick it up again. Use two of them (one for suds, one for clean rinse water) and you are doing the two-bucket method. It is one of the easiest ways to protect your paint when you wash by hand.
What does a grit guard do in your wash bucket?
A grit guard is a grate that sits on the bottom of the bucket. Sand and grit from the car sink through it to the bottom and stay put. Rub your mitt across the grate and the particles release from the fibres and drop away, far from your mitt and your paint. Without a grate that grit floats around freely and you pick it up on the next dip.
Why two buckets? With one bucket you keep dunking a dirty mitt back into clean suds. With two, you have a wash bucket with shampoo and a rinse bucket with clean water. After each panel you rinse the mitt in the rinse water first, and only then reload with suds.
A third bucket is useful for the wheels. They are full of brake dust and road grime, and you do not want that in the buckets you use for paint. Give the wheels their own bucket and tools. The whole approach is also in our guide how to wash your car without scratches. For the shampoo that goes in your suds, read which car shampoo to choose.
How to do it
Set up the buckets. Fill one bucket with water and shampoo, the other with clean water only, and put a grit guard in both. Follow the dilution on the bottle and keep the buckets in the shade, close to the car.
Rinse first. Spray the car down so the coarse grit is gone before your mitt touches the paint. Pitfall: skipping this. You then drag everything loose across the panel.
Start at the top. Wash the roof, glass, bonnet and boot lid first, then the sides, and the lower sections last. The lower part is the dirtiest, so it comes at the end.
Wash panel by panel. Load up with suds, wash one panel in straight lines, and do not move on to the next one yet. Tip: use light pressure. The mitt and the suds do the work, you do not have to push.
Rinse the mitt. Rub it over the grit guard in the rinse bucket, wring it out, and only then reload with suds. Pitfall: putting a dirty mitt back in the suds bucket. That defeats the point of the second bucket.
Rinse and dry. Rinse the whole car with clean water and dry it before the water evaporates. That prevents water spots. Afterwards, empty the buckets and rinse the grit off the bottom.
Situation | What you use | Why |
|---|---|---|
Suds for the paint | Wash bucket with shampoo and grit guard | Grit sinks through the grate and stays on the bottom |
Rinsing the mitt | Second bucket with clean water and grit guard | Dirt from the mitt stays out of your shampoo |
Wheels | Own bucket and own tools | Brake dust and road grime stay out of the paint buckets |
The wash itself | Mitt with long fibres | Dirt goes into the strands instead of between mitt and paint |
A wash mitt instead of a sponge
A flat sponge pushes dirt between the sponge and the paint. A mitt with long fibres takes dirt up into the strands instead. That is why we wash with a mitt, for example the D-CON Chenille Microfibre Wash Mitt Blue: the chenille microfibres trap dirt and grit deep in the fibre structure, away from the paint surface. You will find more choice under wash mitts and sponges.
Which grit guard bucket suits you
A good wash bucket is sturdy, fits a grit guard and holds enough water to rinse your mitt properly. This is what we use:
Grit Guard Original Detailing Bucket 5 Gallon 19L: Heavy Duty ABS in five colours, handy for telling suds from rinse water. Pair it with the Grit Guard insert.
Liquid Elements Shadow Bucket: a transparent 20 litre bucket with grit guard and lid in the set. You see at once how dirty the water is. For the two-bucket method, take two.
Koch Chemie Detailing Bucket Set: bucket, lid and built-in dirt strainer in one set, for anyone who prefers to stay with one brand.
D-CON Cyclone Dirt Trap Grit Guard Blue: around 300 cyclone funnels that keep dirt beneath the grate. A different design from the classic grate, also available in red and black.
Grit Guard Washboard Insert for Wash Bucket (Black): a ribbed insert you rub the mitt against. It works together with the Grit Guard insert in your bucket.
Everything for your set-up is under buckets, bottles and sprayers. Already have one bucket with a grit guard and want the full two-bucket method? Add a second one, and suds and rinse water stay separate.