SoapX Journal

Car wash checklist for beginners: kit list and golden rules

Kit list, golden rules and the basic order for your first proper wash. Free PDF download.

Weekly car wash checklist: the Sunday Service printable

The weekly maintenance wash on one sheet, from setting up to packing down. Free PDF download.

First car care for new drivers: how to look after your first car

Just passed and into cars? How to wash your first car safely, keep the inside right, the quick checks to know, and mods without upsetting your insurer.

Sunday Service: the weekly two bucket wash routine

Rule 5 of the Two Bucket Gang code. The weekly wash in order, with rough timings, the mix for each step and what to add each month.

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. Why a rinse is not enough, what to do mid wash and how to bring a dropped mitt back.

How to wash a black car without swirl marks

Black paint is not softer. It just hides nothing. The strict version of the two bucket method that keeps a black car free of swirls.

The two bucket method: 20 questions answered

Twenty short answers on the two bucket method, from which bucket is which to winter, motorbikes and wrapped cars, each with a link to the full guide.

Two bucket wash kit: what you need and what you can skip

The six things a two bucket wash kit needs, the upgrades worth having in order and the kit you can leave on the shelf.

How to wash a motorbike with the two bucket method

The two bucket method adapted for bikes: the order to work in, which products suit a motorbike and what to keep water and cleaners away from.

The two bucket method in winter: washing a salty car safely

Winter dirt is grit and salt, which is when two buckets matter most. What to change in the routine for cold weather and gritted roads.

What size bucket do you need to wash a car?

Why 20 litres is the right size for the two bucket method, how much water and shampoo to put in and how much water a wash really uses.

Wash mitt or sponge: which is safer for car paint?

A sponge traps grit against the paint. A deep pile mitt lifts it away. How the two differ, when a wash pad is better and how to look after a...

The three bucket method: do you need a wheel bucket?

Two buckets protect your paint from its own dirt. A third protects it from your wheels. When you need it and how to set it up.

Do grit guards work? What they do and how to use one

A grit guard does a real job, but it is not a filter. What it adds to the two bucket method and how to use one properly.

One bucket or two? What the second bucket actually does

What the second bucket actually does, how to prove it on your own car and the two safe ways to wash with one bucket.

Car wash run off in the UK: the facts and figures

What regulators and Parliament have actually published on car wash run off: where it goes, what is in it, what biodegradable means in law and how much water a wash...

How to wash your car without polluting drains and rivers

The drain outside your house probably runs straight to a river. Where wash water goes, what is in it, and how to wash at home without causing pollution.

Can you wash your car during a hosepipe ban? UK rules and a bucket routine

Yes, with buckets. What a hosepipe ban actually stops, who is exempt, and a wash routine that works without a hose or pressure washer.

The two bucket method: how to wash your car without swirl marks

The two bucket method step by step: why it prevents swirl marks, how much shampoo to use, the order to wash the panels in and the mistakes to avoid.