Do dirt guards really work???

[OctaneGuy]

Check this out. Wondering if the Dirt Guards really keep the grit off your paint while washing?

This is a special filter I use for straining particles in the wash water. They come in varying filtration levels. I was filling my buckets with water and kept seeing little particles floating. I hadn't bothered washing my DG filter in awhile and realized that this was the source of the contamination!







Hopefully these will convince you of the importance of capturing the contaminants and holding them away from your mitt. I use the two bucket wash method with Dirt Guards in both buckets.

To wash the filter, I placed it into a sink full of warm water and lifted it out and pushed it back into the water repeatedly to force the particles out. Those that didn't come out were fine since they won't likely come later.

Dirt Guards are inexpensive insurance against instilling swirls in your paint during the wash process.

Richard

[lotsie]

I have been using Dirt Guards for some time now, and they work great. I have been using the 2 bucket wash for many years now, and the thought of not rinsing my mitt gives me the willies

Everyone needs one of these;

Here is my 2 bucket wash cart, with built-in wash mitt holder, locking wheels, rot-proof construction/materials, low center of gravity helps in high speed turns, red corner bumpers for high visibility, imperial/metric measure buckets.



Mark

[MLPearson79]

Your DG filter looks way different from mine, like much finer texture or something!

[RJKimbell]

What MLPearson79 said...my filter is thicker (1/2") and made of white fiberous material. I use Homey Depot buckets however.

[OctaneGuy]

Ohhhhhh, haha. Read the post again.

"This is a special filter I use for straining particles in the wash water. They come in varying filtration levels. I was filling my buckets with water and kept seeing little particles floating. I hadn't bothered washing my DG filter in awhile and realized that this was the source of the contamination!"

What you're looking at is "the special filter". It's used for straining particulates from liquids. They fit inside the bucket..they just drop in..and you can filter the liquid. I just used them here to illustrate the junk that was in the DG that started coming out into my bucket. Since I couldn't trap the contaminants, I figured using this "strainer" would let you see the junk clearly...unlike the way I wrote this confusing post, lol.

Originally Posted by MLPearson79

Your DG filter looks way different from mine, like much finer texture or something!

[MLPearson79]

Ha, no wonder! I was all jealous of your filter!

[OctaneGuy]

Hahahaha...they are nothing special...well each one is pretty expensive as I recall..a lot more than a single Dirt Guard.

Originally Posted by MLPearson79

Ha, no wonder! I was all jealous of your filter!

[MiniMaybee]

I started with Grit Guards and thought they were great. Then OG sold me the Dirt Guards and I realized how much better they really were. The Grit Guards are good for chunks and the bigger sized grits, but the Dirt Guards even drop out the fine silt sediment. No comparison - Dirt Guards are way better.

[Rixter]

Richard,

Can you please post the diameter of the DrainGuard. I have a square Rubbermaid bucket and I'm wondering if it'll fit properly in the bottom.

Also for those of you using 2 buckets to wash with, what's the benefit? I always use one bucket for all the painted parts, then when I do the wheels (last) I switch to a rag and use what's left of the soapy water.

[BlimeyCabrio]

The two bucket wash method uses one bucket for the soapy water that you wash the car with, and a second bucket for plain water you use to rinse the mitt after each panel or section or single wipe of the car, depending on how anal you are. Using the separate bucket for rinsing the mitt means that most of the grit ends up in the rinse bucket, and your soap bucket stays much cleaner - reducing the amount of grit you transfer back to the car in the process. Result should be fewer swirls - and those of us who bother believe that it makes a difference.

Like you, I do my wheels last - and don't bother rinsing my wheel brushes, etc. separately when doing my wheels.

[Rixter]

Originally Posted by BlimeyCabrio

The two bucket wash method uses one bucket for the soapy water that you wash the car with, and a second bucket for plain water you use to rinse the mitt after each panel or section or single wipe of the car, depending on how anal you are. Using the separate bucket for rinsing the mitt means that most of the grit ends up in the rinse bucket, and your soap bucket stays much cleaner - reducing the amount of grit you transfer back to the car in the process. Result should be fewer swirls - and those of us who bother believe that it makes a difference.

Good call. I'll be doing that next time. My wife already thinks the whole cleaning thing is over the top so what's one more bucket?

[kenchan]

rixter- check out the griot's buckets with casters, grit guard, measuring cup, and shelf built-in. why not just get the best?

[OctaneGuy]

Dirtguards from tab to tab is 10.5 inches. If they fit, putting a round screen over a square hole really doesn't solve the problem.

Originally Posted by Rixter

Richard,

Can you please post the diameter of the DrainGuard. I have a square Rubbermaid bucket and I'm wondering if it'll fit properly in the bottom.

Also for those of you using 2 buckets to wash with, what's the benefit? I always use one bucket for all the painted parts, then when I do the wheels (last) I switch to a rag and use what's left of the soapy water.

3 buckets is ideal..two for paint and 1 for wheels. Although for bigger cars, 2 soap buckets,1 rinse and 1 for wheels can be desirable!

Originally Posted by Rixter

Good call. I'll be doing that next time. My wife already thinks the whole cleaning thing is over the top so what's one more bucket?

[Rixter]

My wife's going to kill me if I come home with yet more buckets and detailing stuff.

Richard I'll have to see if I can get a couple of round paint buckets.

I need one of those carts that Mark has too

[MiniMaybee]

I just use a couple of $5.00, 5 gallon buckets from Home Depot. The Dirt Guards fit perfectly.

[rrcaniglia]

Why can't you just rinse the mitt with hose water? Wouldn't that work even better than a second bucket?

[kenchan]

the penetration is much better when you dip the entire mitt into a body of water.

but yah, you can rinse the loose grit out of the mitt with a hose... takes some shaking and patience.

[Rixter]

Originally Posted by MiniMaybee

I just use a couple of $5.00, 5 gallon buckets from Home Depot. The Dirt Guards fit perfectly.

It's not the $5 for the bucket, it's the growing collection of stuff I'm starting to accumulate.

For my old 318 I had soap, bucket, and mitt. Now it's multiple mitts, Epic, BG, Hydro, different drying towels, buffing towels, applicator pads, multple buckets for washing. It's all good, but just where to put it?

[OctaneGuy]

Take a mitt and soak it in a bucket of water. The hairs will lift away from the skin. So will the dirt. While a hose will rinse the mitt, it's a lot better to soak and scrub a dirty mitt in a tub of water than forcing the contaminants in with a hose. It all comes down to reducing/minimizing the potential for scratching your paint, and a bucket is a simple way of doing this. You also use less water which seems to be on a lot of peoples minds these days.

Originally Posted by rrcaniglia

Why can't you just rinse the mitt with hose water? Wouldn't that work even better than a second bucket?

Inside your new buckets! Get a lid and it's dust free.

Originally Posted by Rixter

It's not the $5 for the bucket, it's the growing collection of stuff I'm starting to accumulate.

For my old 318 I had soap, bucket, and mitt. Now it's multiple mitts, Epic, BG, Hydro, different drying towels, buffing towels, applicator pads, multple buckets for washing. It's all good, but just where to put it?

[Rixter]

Originally Posted by OctaneGuy

Inside your new buckets! Get a lid and it's dust free.

I like the way you think. Like somebody who's had to conceal things in the past

[OctaneGuy]

Hahah..yes! Actually I was pretty fortunate too because a lot of things were best hidden by leaving them out in the open..just as if they had been there all along...then one day I hear "Hey What's This??" ...Oh it's nothing..that's been there for months!...course I'm now divorced..so I don't have to hide anything anymore.

Originally Posted by Rixter

I like the way you think. Like somebody who's had to conceal things in the past

[Rixter]

Originally Posted by OctaneGuy

Hahah..yes! Actually I was pretty fortunate too because a lot of things were best hidden by leaving them out in the open..just as if they had been there all along...then one day I hear "Hey What's This??" ...Oh it's nothing..that's been there for months!...course I'm now divorced..so I don't have to hide anything anymore.

Ok I'm going to have to filter out the advice I take from you

[OctaneGuy]

Hahah.....well I was with my ex for over 20 years..so I had a lot of practice.

Originally Posted by Rixter

Ok I'm going to have to filter out the advice I take from you

[kenchan]

i think we are the only folks that have so much passion for plastic buckets.

[Rixter]

Originally Posted by kenchan

i think we are the only folks that have so much passion for plastic buckets.

That's not necessarily a good thing. I must live a very sheltered life