How to keep foam abundant in bucket when hand washing?!

so I use the two bucket wash method and before I start washing I grab the hose and spray water into the bucket of soap to produce foam. but as I am dunking my wash mitt repeatedly into the soap bucket, the foam is depleting. so anyways, how does one keep the foam good so that you can maintain the lubricity while washing this big ass truck lol??

 

What is your method of swirling up the bucket?

 

I use a Foam Gun... Chemical Guys ACC_326 – Torq Foam Blaster 6 Foam Wash Gun

$50 Chemical Guys ACC_326 – TORQ Foam Blaster 6 Foam Wash Gun – The Ultimate Car Wash Foamer that Connects to Any Garden Hose

https://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guy...s=foam+gun&qid=1632633291&s=automotive&sr=1-9

I like & use the two bucket system, Chemical Guys wash detergent, Wet the vehicle down thoroughly, set up the foam gun, flood the first area to wash with foam, I like a fuzzy mitt so swill that in clear water, dunk in 2nd bucket grab soapy water, wast the foamed area thoroughly, rinse and repeat for the rest of the car.
Since I'm lazy I bought a New Metro Vac Detailing Dryer

$317 METROVAC New Air Force Express Detailing Dryer | Includes 3 Bonus Filters | A Super-Fast Way to Dry Your Car, Truck, SUV, Or Motorcycle | Comes with Wall Mount Bracket | Made in The USA

https://www.amazon.com/Express-Deta...=metrovac&qid=1632633674&s=automotive&sr=1-27

This thing rocks, and when you are sporting a good wax job, water just gets blown away VERY quickly! Takes a little longer for a poor to nothing wax job. It will blow all water out from door handles mirrors & trim!

 

The soap itself, along with the hardness of the water, will impact the quality of the foam you get. You want your wash soap to be well dispersed in the water...that is where you will feel the lubricity. Soap cleans, bubbles do not. The water beneath the foam layer should feel slick to you. A quick burst of water will typically restore the foam layer to your wash bucket, if that makes you feel better. Just out of curiosity, what soap are you using?

For what it's worth, I stopped used the two bucket method years ago. I now use multiple wash mitts. It's similar to the wash method used by Brian of Apex Detail and Larry Kosilla. Dirty wash mitts never go back into the wash bucket. Consider this....wash mitts end up picking dirt up as you wash your vehicle. In my opinion, rinsing a wash mitt will not release all the dirt that it just picked up. If it did, you'd never have to launder your mitts.

 

I have a Whole House water softener system. Although, it may not necessarily reduce your Total Dissolved Solids, ie calcium, etc. An additional TDS remover may be needed.

I have municipal water so I have a Chlorine remover media remover along with the above. That has been a help with my water quality.

When, at another location, we had well water, we also had to add on systems to address water chemistry and quality. Maybe a tad much for just the average homeowner but a concern when doing this as job and an investment.

I have noticed that, over trying various brands, that some soaps have more lubricity than others. Bubbles may not necessarily mean lubricity I have found over the years.

I have also found that your LSP and its quality, maintenance, and life span can enhance that “slippery feel.”

Sometimes, it’s just a matter of a quick blast from the hose or pressure washer to re-activate suds. I tend to look at the vehicle and how dirty it is and how much dirt transference to the buckets…if that makes sense.

Depending on the job, ie was the vehicle maintained or environmental factors of fall out on said vehicle, that “dunking” could very well be affecting your overall bucket suds because of the transferring of dirt as such.

Sorry if this was a bit of a ramble…

 

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