# Cleaning equipment for a newbie



## Jem (Apr 15, 2011)

Evening all 

I am looking to put together a shopping list (from scratch) of cleaning equipment for my recently purchased Mk2 TT.

The car is in phantom black with magna leather.

I have made a start, but am a little lost on where to go as far as cleaning cloths/drying towels and cleaning agents so would be grateful for any advice. So far I have:

INSIDE
LL GT12 gentle cleaner 250ml
LL GT11 conditioner 250ml
Car vacuum
Soft nail brush

OUTSIDE
WHEELS
EZ Detail Brush
Virosol

This is not something I'm used to doing as I've always used a hand carwash. Having seen the pro's of 2 bucket method cleaning and the con's of fast acting harsh cleaning substances, I want to start doing it myself.

So not looking for anything overly complex - just the basic ingredients and possibly guidance links to make a start.

Many thanks.

Edit: also looking for something to remove bird poo as water and soap clearly isn't doing the trick.


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## davelincs (Jan 1, 2010)

Hi Jem, heres a list i would buy,you know you are going to get different answers from everybody
Wash mitt
do do juice, born to be mild shampoo
Micro fibre cloths, for drying car, and buffing 
A decent wax , what colour is your car?
A quick detailer, this is a spray to give your car a good shine after washing your car, dodo tropical mist is good,
obvoiusly 2 buckets, with grit guards
wheel sealant,
glass cleaner ,i use the 3m stuff
tyre dressing
i treat the rubber seals with 303 aerospace 
i am afraid the list could be endless, but the above should get you started, along with your list


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## Kanikuman (May 13, 2010)

Like dave said, everyone will have their own specific regime, and there's no real point in you buying the more expensive products until you've developed a technique that works for you (or you feel like burning through some cash!). Dodo Juice are a very good brand and have a great range of products that I swear by, and they do a selection called basics of bling, which would be a good place to start. A good method to start with would be as follows.

*1.* Rinse the car with a hosepipe or pressure washer on a low setting, to loosen the surface dirt. I'd also give the wheels a clean with some virosol or another cleaner. Bilberry do a lovely smelling, acid free cleaner that works wonders on brake dust. Just spray on, agitate, leave for 5 minutes and wash off.
*2. *Lather up the car with some Dodo Juice Born To Be Mild. Do the whole car then rinse off on a cool, cloudy day, or panel by panel on a hot day. 
*3.* Dry with a dedicated drying towel and microfibre cloth, making sure you catch all the extra drips around the bonnet lines, lights and wing mirrors. Dry the alloy wheels too, thus avoid unsightly water marks.
*4.* Give the glass a good clean with some Dodo Juice Clearly Menthol, using a waffle weave cloth, and again, it's much easier in the shade or when the Sun is in. 
*5.* Apply a layer of your chosen wax, and in this instance Dodo Juice Purple Haze would be a good starting point. Apply in small circular motions with a wax applicator, and use sparingly. Enough so that you can see it's applied but not so much that it looks caked on, or it will take ages to buff off, and could lead to smears and such. Leave the wax for 10-15 minutes to cure, until it goes a more opaque colour, then buff off with a clean microfibre towel, and after each panel use a clean side of the cloth for a final pass over.
*6.* Using a sponge, tyre dresser or cloth, apply the Zaino Z16 to your tyres, adding a second or third coat depending on how satin you want them to look. 
*7. *After 24 hours, give the car a coating of Dodo Juice Red Mist Tropical, which dries slower than Red Mist, making it easier to work with. You just spray on and buff off, simples! This is a quick detailer, and will add extra shine and protection to your paintwork, leaving it silky smooth. Don't use it straight after waxing or you'll strip off most of the protection the wax offers.

Now your car should look beautifully clean on the outside, what you do on the inside and engine bay is up to you. Once you gain your own style or feel more confident, have a go at claying, which will remove a lot of imperfections that washing alone will not shift.

As far as bird poo goes, Autoglym sell a handy pack of bird poo wipes, in individual sachets. I always keep some in the glovebox for such emergencies. They cost about £4.99 for 10. You can pick a packet up from Halfrauds. 

Here is a list of products you may like to try.

*Dodo Juice wash pad:*
http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/dodo ... h-pad.aspx

*Dodo Juice drying towel:*
http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/dodo ... towel.aspx

*Dodo Juice Born To Be Mild shampoo:*
http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/dodo ... 250ml.aspx

*Dodo Juice Clearly Menthol glass cleaner:*
http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/dodo ... eaner.aspx

*Dodo Juice waffle weave glass cloth:*
http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/dodo ... cloth.aspx

*Meguiars microfibre cloths:*
http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/megu ... -pack.aspx

*Dodo Juice Purple Haze wax:*
http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/dodo ... -haze.aspx

*Dodo Juice Supernatural wax applicator:*
http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/dodo ... cator.aspx

*Dodo Juice Red Mist Tropical:*
http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/dodo ... 250ml.aspx

I hope that helps.


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## steeve (Jul 8, 2010)

Minimum of two buckets for washing, always use the two bucket method.


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## Jem (Apr 15, 2011)

Thank you for the responses, particularly Kanikuman for taking the time for such a detailed post.

I will certainly look into the products suggested.

The process is very useful.

Regarding lathering up the car, how should I apply the lather? i.e would you recommend a particular type of sponge?

I do have a Karcher pressure washer, so will likely make use of that rather than the 2 buckets.

Edit: please ignore, I've just clicked the first link in a past post


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## davelincs (Jan 1, 2010)

Jem, use a wash mitt not a sponge, a sponge will hold any drit, debris and will cause swirl marks (scratches) on the paint work


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## steeve (Jul 8, 2010)

No you still need two buckets.






Watch this it is helpful. Note, use a PH neutral shampoo such as Zymol clear. That way it wont remove your wax (never use a polish unless resoring a finish).

Always use a small amount of shampoo not a huge number of capfulls.


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## Jem (Apr 15, 2011)

Thanks chaps.

Time to get ordering


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## Jem (Apr 15, 2011)

£180 for basics... ouch [smiley=bigcry.gif] and still need the Virosol and a portable vacuum.

Ah well nvm... I'm sure it'll be worth it


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## davelincs (Jan 1, 2010)

Jem, have a look at this site ,for your buckets and microfibre clothes,they are offering 15% discount until 31st Aug
http://www.chemicalguysuk.co
Just follow the below

To celebrate summer here at Chemical Guys UK we have a fantastic sizzling offer . Simply enter the code SUMMER at the checkout and receive 15% off your total order , yes 15% off . This offer is valid until 31st August


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## TheMetalMan0 (Jun 30, 2009)

Only thing I'd suggest adding to Kanikuman's great list would be to polish between steps 4 and 5. This will give you a great finish and then you chosen wax will help seal this in and should stay looking great for ages


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## euphoria (Aug 1, 2007)

steeve said:


> Minimum of two buckets for washing, always use the two bucket method.


I will have to say, theres almost no point using two buckets unless you have properly had it M/Polished! 
A mitt and a grit guard is fine i find!


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## davelincs (Jan 1, 2010)

euphoria said:


> steeve said:
> 
> 
> > Minimum of two buckets for washing, always use the two bucket method.
> ...


Even if the car as not been machine polished , i would still use 2 buckets, i would rather not add any more scratches to the car for the sake of a rinse bucket


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## Jem (Apr 15, 2011)

I ended up buying the products listed in this thread and went for a 2 bucket method clean. I didn't apply any polish, but that's one for next time.

Will try to post a new thread about it, but safe to say I was very happy with the results although it did show me where the imperfections were so far as the bonet was concerned (i.e stone chips).

Being black, it looked amazing after a bath


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## steeve (Jul 8, 2010)

davelincs said:


> euphoria said:
> 
> 
> > steeve said:
> ...


Absolutely...................... always two buckets, but proper buckets with grit guards.


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