Car cleaning .. a wash mitt ?

A few months back I did have a go at using a microfibre cloth after washing and it polished up really well. Although I later read I should have used a microfibre towel not the cloth but I was happy. I suppose it depends on how detailed you want to get in to detailing. I've spent far too long reading on car cleaning lol. Its mad what people do. I read about a chap who takes his bumpers off, uses cotton buds and other mad things and spend about £400 per clean.

Hose down car first - including under wheel arches and sills

Wash car with car shampoo [1] (if I'm in a good mood, if not washing up liquid) with a clean sponge - including wheels, under sills and wiper blades (if using car shampoo, I give the windscreen a miss and clean that after with washing up liquid or ciff using the sponge)

Rinse soap off with hose pipe (obviously with water going through it) ;-) - dry windscreen and other windows with kitchen towel and leave rest to dry (or if I feel like it, take the car for a drive and 'blow' the water away using the slipstream)

After some 50 years of doing this, I've yet to have the paint fade on a car - but again, I hate washing the bloody thing and only do so when I can't see out of the windows (about 3 times a year or after I've gone through a swarm of bloody insects at 70mph)

As you can see, I'm not a purist and to me a car is simply a workhorse and not as a status symbol or for decoration in the drive.

Woodworm

Pay the Kosovans at my local supermarket to do it whilst I'm doing the shopping.

I may, if I'm feeling particularly energetic, then apply an 'instant detail' spray when I get home. But then, they know me, so mostly finish mine off with Mr Sheene.

Not really down to how it's washed. It depends on the paint pigment and exposure to the sun, mainly.

White spirits and silicon :)

The initial clean I just use water from the hose and my hand this gets the grime off. Mitts sponges etc pick up grit - you can feel grit on your hand and keep it clean.

Then a wash and wax shampoo applied directly to a sponge. - sponged on - washed off with the hose then chamois the water.

Pete formulated the question :

I use either simple hose, or pressure washer (never, ever close to the car) to give it a really good soaking, then a very soft long handled sweeping brush, followed by a further good soaking/ rinse, then finally a pair of micro fibre car wash mits from Aldi.