Only having one bucket to hand
If you only use one bucket while washing your car, I’ve got to say you’re making a big mistake. If you rinse your cleaning materials in the same dirty water, you will most likely reapply the dirt to the car.
Besides, your cloth should collect residual grit from the bucket, so you might scratch the car as you clean it. You always have to prepare two buckets, one filled with hot, soapy water and the other with fresh, hot water for rinsing.
This might keep your soapy water clean and squicky. Besides, if you’re washing a particularly dirty car, you have to make sure you replace the water if it grows too much.
Not drying your car right away
As soon as your car is washed and cleaned, you might still have to dry it. If not, watermarks could ultimately ruin the finish. You might also have to be quick about it before the water starts evaporating, too.
An air blower could help you with that, but a much cheaper way would be to use dry microfiber cloths and buff the water away. Also, remember to bring more than just one microfiber cloth, so you can swap to a fresher one when needed.
It’s also recommended to use chamois leather when you dry a car, but these can rot if you don’t take care of them. In the last couple of years, dry microfiber cloths have made car drying easier, mostly because they’re robust, last longer, and are way more effective at absorbing water.
