A dropped mitt is a dead mitt: what to do when your wash mitt hits the ground

Rule 3 of the Two Bucket Gang code is the shortest: a dropped mitt is a dead mitt. If your wash mitt touches the ground, it does not go back on the paint. Not after a rinse and not after a shake. Here is why, what to do when it happens and how to bring the mitt back afterwards.

Why rinsing a dropped mitt is not enough

A deep pile mitt is designed to pull grit up into its fibres and hold it away from the paint. That is exactly what it does to a driveway. Sharp grit and tiny stones are carried deep into the pile, where a dunk in a bucket will not reliably shift them.

You cannot see them and you cannot feel them through wet microfibre. You find out on the next panel.

What to do when you drop your mitt

1. Stop. Do not put the mitt back into either bucket. Whatever it picked up would end up in your water.
2. Put it to one side, off the ground and away from your clean kit.
3. Pick up your spare and carry on.
4. No spare? Rinse the shampoo off the car so it does not dry, then stop the contact wash there. Finish it once the mitt has been through the washing machine.

Step 4 is annoying. It is still quicker than polishing a door.

How to bring a dropped mitt back

Dead means dead for today. A proper wash brings it back.

1. Rinse the worst off under a tap or hose, working your fingers through the pile.
2. Machine wash it at 40°C with a mild detergent and no fabric softener, which clogs the fibres.
3. Let it air dry, or tumble dry on a low heat.
4. Before it goes back into service, run your hand through the pile in good light. If anything feels sharp or gritty, it becomes a wheel mitt.

What if it already went back in the bucket?

It happens. Reflexes are quick. Treat that bucket as contaminated. Tip it out, rinse the bucket and the grit guard, refill it and carry on with a clean mitt.

The rule covers more than mitts

• Wash pads follow the same rule as mitts.
• Drying towels matter even more. There is no shampoo between a drying towel and the paint, so anything trapped in it is dragged across a dry panel.
• Buffing and glass cloths go straight in the wash pile if they touch the ground.
• Wheel brushes are the exception, because they never touch paint in the first place.

How to stop dropping it

• Wear it properly. The Ultra Plush Wash Mitt has an elasticated cuff that keeps it on your hand.
• Give it two homes. The mitt is either on your hand or in a bucket. Never on the roof, the bonnet, a tyre or the floor.
• Use a pad low down. A wash pad is easier to control on lower panels and sills.
• Move the buckets with you. The further you have to reach, the more likely you are to fumble.
• Own a spare. Two mitts gives you one for above the door handles, one for below and a way to keep going if either hits the floor.

When a mitt is dead for good

Retire a mitt from paint when the pile is matted flat, the cuff has gone slack, the backing is torn or it holds grit that will not wash out. Mark it clearly and move it to wheels, arches and exhaust tips. It never comes back.

Quick answers

Kit for this job

• Ultra Plush Microfibre Wash Mitt
• Ultra Plush Microfibre Wash Pad
• 20L Wash Bucket with Grit Guard, single or Two Bucket Kit
• Twisted Loop Drying Towel 1400 GSM

More from the Journal

• The Two Bucket Gang code, rule by rule
• The two bucket method: how to wash your car without swirl marks
• Wash mitt or sponge: which is safer for car paint?
• How to dry your car without swirls or water spots