Today I am drawing with sidewalk chalk with my kids (a great stress relief by the way) and kind of half-watching my neighbor washing his minivan. He was doing it the way most do - a quick first rinse, splashing a crusty wash mitt or towel down into a dirty pail of water, and scrubbing it all into the paint. There's one thing I have learned from detailing dozens of cars. The right tools for the job will do most of it for you.

First of all, keep the dirt out of your water with a separating bucket. Use THIS soap, THIS soap sprayer, THIS microfiber wash mitt, and have some patience. Take the time to let a good coat of soap sit on the car and eat the dirt off before actually washing the car. 

Want to know the process I (and most professional detailers) use?

1. Spray the car down, being careful to get most of the dirt off with pressure.
2. Spray the car with a layer of soap from THIS Griot's sprayer and LET IT SIT! At least 5 minutes.
3. Give the soap time to work. It should look like the photo below.
4. Rinse again. This will wash away a big portion of the remaining dirt without having to touch the car. Trust me on this.
5. Re-soap, let it sit another 5 minutes,  and wash the remaining dirt with THIS Griot's mitt.
6. Rinse the last time and dry.
7. From here you can claybar if you would like.

Does it take more time to do? Sure. But isn't your car's paint worth it in the long run? This method assures that less than half of the dirt you would be scrubbing into your paint and causing scratches actually is, and is much less destructive in the long run! Taking a few extra minutes will extend the life of your paint greatly!