You will get endless advice, all swearing by different products etc. There is no right or wrong, no best really, all have pros and cons.
Ill start with what you asked..
Very basics of washing, use the 2 bucket method (2BM) both ideally want grit guards in the bottom, so any grit falls to the bottom, and cant be picked up by the wash mitt, which will scratch the car.
One bucket clean water, other with your chosen shampoo solution.
Start at the top, and work down, leaving bottoms of doors and lower bumpers till last. So i do whole car starting at the roof, to the door trims / half bumpers. Then go round and do below door trims and lower bumpers.
Dunk mitt in shampoo, wash a section, rinse mitt in clean water bucket, then back in shampoo, wash a section, rinse and repeat. This is the safest method, and should ensure as much as possible dirt and grit is kept out of the shampoo, and off the mitt.
This should really be done AFTER a jet wash off, at the very least. To remove the worse of the dirt, and loosen dirt too. You can use a traffic film remover (TFR) but i prefer to snow foam. As TFR can marr the paint if used incorrectly, and also eat through any waxes sealants you may have on there,
Snow foam is really good, left to work, it pretty much does most of the cleaning.
Personally, i bought a Karcher pressure washer, a lance from Elite, and i use Bilt Hamber Auto Snow, it has very good reviews, and it works well for me.
We have industrial pressure washers at work if i need any real power, but cant get a lance for them. For snow foam, you dont need massive power, but for washing the car, you want something man enough to tackle the car grime.
A rinse, followed by snow foam is my usual routine. And ill through in a 2BM wash when it needs it, but sealant and snow foam tackles most of it.
You want a nice, soft, drying towel. I use Chemical Guys Wooly Mammoth. Its a beast. I also have an older towel whose name i forget, that is now relegated to glass, wheels etc.
A decent wash mitt. Lambswool, sheepskin, or something fancier. I use a Dodo Juice Wookies Fist (long haired) but does take a bit of maintenance to keep its condition.
Your going to want to protect it paintwork, so its easier to keep clean, and contaminants dont attach / attack it as easily. At the very least, look at a Quick Detailing type spray, they dont offer much protection, but better than none.
Ideally, you want a wax, or my preferred route is liquid sealants (think supaguard type stuff). This is why i dont need to actually touch (with a mitt) the car everytime i wash it. Dirt doesnt stick.
Ill list what i use as a guide, but as i said, everyone will swear by something else.
I use Zaino stuff, its not cheap, but its damn good. Started using it years back, when i had my 205, which was pretty much a 'show car' despite being my daily.
You can mix and match a lot of products, myself, i found it easier to chose a system, and stick to it. Rather than having a million and 1 different brands.
2 Zaino Buckets (sealable lids for shows) with grit guards
Zaino Z7 Shampoo
Zaino Z2 Polish (with XFX) this is a sealant, used like a liquid polish.
Zaino Z6 this is a quick detailer, gloss enhancer, used for after wash, wipe downs, in between coats of Z2, anything you like.
Zaino Z8 this is the grand daddy of sprays, the finish it gives is amazing, and protects paint well too.
Zaino ZCS This is a hardcore sealant, only needs using 2-3 times a year, i use it to seal wheels, makes them a breeze to clean.
Zaino Z16 Tyre Gloss
I do use some other stuff, for leather, but i used it pre Zaino, and Gliptone is one of, if not the best leather stuff around.
Clay i use Bilt Hamber / Sonus, but again, this is a bit more in depth.
Any questions, fire away. Have a look on some detailing sites, a lot offer sample sizes of stuff, so you can have a play around.
Also, take a look at Detailing World, much more info on there. No knocking this place, just that is a deatiling forum, filled with knowledge.
