Pick the right time and place

Plan your washing time by choosing a time of day when the sun is not directly overhead and you can find enough shade to park your MINI. Best times are early mornings and later afternoons. Make sure your MINI has cooled off before you begin, by allowing it to sit in the shade or garage before washing.  Never, ever wash your MINI right after a drive, since the engine and exhaust will radiate heat for at least 30 minutes after you turn off the car, and calipers and rotors will still be hot, which can cause nasty results when using wheel cleaners and hosing off brake dust.  The MINI Cooper S hood radiates additional heat since the hood scoop sits directly above the intercooler and engine. So allow your MINI to cool down:  it is ready to be washed when both the hood and rims are cool to the touch and no heat is radiating from those areas.

 Sun is your enemy when it comes to washing and waxing cars. Washing a car in the sun will cause heat to radiate from the metal, quickly evaporating water and leaving hard mineral deposits in the form of water spots. Hard water spots can only be correctly removed by the use of a clay bay or other paint cleaning substance, and your efforts to wash off water spots by vigorously washing them with a towel or mitt will actually cause swirls or scratches in your paint, visible especially after you polish/wax the paint.

Start with the man in the mirror

Look at your hands, your wrist, and your clothes. Notice any jewelry, watches, or clothing with metal or plastic buttons.  These metallic and plastic surfaces can and will come into contact with paint and plastic and scratch them. So remove your rings and watches and wear short sleeve shirts that do not have rivet fasteners on the sleeves, and be careful wearing jeans since the rivets on the pockets can easily damage paint. I use cotton fleece sweats; comfy and careful.

Choose your wash tool carefully!

I’ve played with all types of sea sponges, lambswool and synthetic mitts, terry cloth towels, you name it. There is lots of consensus on what not to use, but still lots of debate on the best washing tools. For my MINI, I use a 100% cotton chenille wash mitt for the painted portions, and a 100% boar’s hair bristle (also called hogs hair) for the tires and plastic portions and glass. The properties of boar’s hair brushes do not scratch like nylon bristles, and retain water and suds without retaining dirt and debris. Every time you dunk a boar’s hair brush in the wash bucket, dirt and debris slide off the bristle and down to the bottom of your bucket, unlike lambswool, cloth, or sponges which retain dirt and debris and need to be rinsed consistently with high water pressure (and are a pain to keep clean). Some caution that using a boar's hair brush on the painted section may cause small swirl-like marks on non-metallic paints like black and red colors. But Boar's hair works wonders everywhere else, especially to get rid of the fine dirt that collects in the crevices and in grills.

100% cotton chenille mitts may be a bit harder to find (lots of polyester blend substitutes). You know it’s cotton if it says so on the packaging and if the mitt passes the burn test. Take a small cut of the chenille pile and expose it to a burning match. If it emits black smoke and curls up into a burnt plastic nub, it is probably a poly blend, so try another brand. Viking makes both kinds, make sure you get the cotton blend as poly blends are also known to leave swirl marks. Boar’s hair brushes are hard to find and can be expensive (most retail for at least $50-70 per brush!!).  Plus, they smell like a wet hog the first few times you use them (they don't stink up your MINI though).

Never use nylon bristle or polyester towels/mitts to wash your paint, as both will inevitably leave fine scratches in your paint finish.  Rinse it frequently with high pressure water to remove the dirt and debris, and do not let it sit on the bottom of your bucket where all the dirt and debris collect, but rather hang it on the side of the bucket during washing.

Double Bucket Method

Brushes

Tire Rims:

Soft Acrifilo brush and soft sponge.  Consider a horse hair detail brush to scrub tougher stuck on brake dust buildup.

 

Tires:

Nylon brush (or brass detail brush for white wall finishes, but be careful not to scratch your rims).

 

Rims/Fenders/wheel well

Soft Acrifilo brush with a handle for reaching into the wheel well area. 

 

Engine

I like horsehair detail brushes. Horse hair has a stiffer bristle than boar’s hair, not as touch as nylon but enough to get at oil and grease, and the small toothbrush size let’s you get around crevices and into smaller areas.

 

Interior Dash

A nice soft horsehair or boar’s hair vent brush to remove dust from vents and get into harder to reach spots.

 

Upholstery/Headliner

A soft nylon brush to brush the headliner, which also works great for agitating stains out of cloth upholstery.

 

Carpet

A carpet brush to agitate carpet stains and debris if needed.

I recently completed a group buy from the manufacturer of these tools and obtained a terrific price for a premium car wash kit containing the tools described/pictured in this guide. Email me for details if you are interested. I only have a limited number available and do not intend on reordering once they are gone.

Drying/Cleaning Towels

I stopped using terry cloth or shop towels to clean, dry, or polish some time ago. Why? Even cotton towels can scratch, and they leave lint everywhere. I found Microfiber towels to be amazing for cleaning the interior, for removing wax and polish and buffing, and also for drying the car. Microfiber has softer threads and a smaller knit/nap than regular cotton towels. Like boar’s hair, microfiber can be hard to find and more expensive than cotton/terry cloth. I’ve found a cheap pack of 2 towels and 1 glass cleaning cloth at Target for $7 made by Baja del Sol, and larger 16”x20” towels (perfect for drying) at Fred Meyers for about $4 each, or smaller towels at Home Depot for about $3 each. You can find many other microfiber towels online for about $4 per towel.  About 6-8 quality microfiber towels will last you several years with proper care. Avoid towels which have a polyester trim or thread.

Warning: WHEN WASHING/DRYING  MICROFIBER TOWELS IN THE WASHER/DRYER, DO NOT (A) MIX MICROFIBER TOWELS WITH OTHER FABRICS, OR (B) USE FABRIC SOFTENER!!! Doing so will ruin the microfiber towels.

 Drying Equipment

I’ve used both real and synthetic chamois for years and frankly have come to hate the care and expense involved. I’ve recently switched to using a California Water Blade (blade made of silicone) to squeegee the water off, then dry the remaining water using microfiber towels (it’s amazing how well microfiber towels dry and hold water!). Using this blade requires a bit of care, but makes drying quicker and easier than using a chamois.  Those with an air compressor can also use compressed air to blow out water from crevices. DO NOT USE BATH TOWELS or shop towels to dry your car. Most contain polyester (even just at the seams) which can cause swirls, and most cotton towels leave tons of lint behind.

Washing and Cleaning Fluids

Car Wash Mix: I have my own strong preferences, and leave this to your discretion. Frankly, Zymol and MacGuiars make fine washing mixes. My absolute favorite, however, is a washing mix made by Griot’s Garage, an online retailer based in Tacoma, WA.  Their mix is a bit expensive compared to others, but is hands down the best thing I’ve ever tried. It contains some kind of wax, and removes bugs and tar without any hard scrubbing or use of harsh chemical cleaners. You only need 1 oz per 3 gallon bucket.

Wheel Cleaner: Again, the award for the easiest and least caustic cleaner goes to Griot’s Garage. Their wheel cleaner is a snap. I’ve also heard that Simple Green works nearly as well, and is biodegradable. Avoid using the chemical spray cleaners sold at most car parts stores, which contain harsh chemicals that can stain or scorch the finish of painted rims.

Rubber/Vinyl/Bumpers: I’ve had great luck with Griot’s Garage Vinyl/Rubber dressing. MacGuiars’ Black Off, and Lexol Vinylex.

Interior Vinyl/Plastic: MacGuiar’s Professional #40 and  Lexol Vinylex are the best. Neither leave a shiny fake shine, but instead leave a low-gloss clean finish. NEVER EVER use Armor All, which leaves a slick residue that many claim causes cracking, or use any ammonia-based cleaners which can strip the surface of UV protectant.

Leather: I’ve used Eagle 1 cleaner to remove stains and dirt, followed by Lexol Cleaner to condition.

Glass: Any cleaner without ammonia works fine. I like Spanaway brand.

Wax: Too many strong opinions here!! I like Griot’s Garage Best of Show Wax, chosen as the Ferrari club’s wax. Zymol and Zaino have also been highly touted. Keep in mind that when using Zaino or other synthetic polymer waxes, they specify using Dawn dishwashing detergent to strip away old wax residue, and may require 2-3 washes before applying to ensure the polymer bonds with the paint. MacGuiars Carnauba Waxes are also decent, but take more effort to take off than Griot’s. Choose your favorite.