While washing our pride and joy is one of the most common car care practices, not all methods are created equal.

We've all experienced it. Staring as the sun reflects off immaculate paintwork accentuating the curves, concaves and channels of the car. The car is taken to another level, looking newer, sportier and just more beautiful. As we lose ourselves in shameless admiration looking at our car (or maybe even someone else's), we are reminded that putting in the time and effort to properly wash a car is oh so worth it.

Yes, there are car wash machines which are really not a great option and countless companies that specialize in car detailing, but doing it yourself just gives a whole different level of connection to your car. Plus, if you do it right, you might also be able to save a lot of money with the same mesmerizing result. While everyone has their own method, technique and products of choice, the two bucket method is one of the best, if not the best, ways to wash your car.

Let's look at what the two bucket car wash method entails and why you need to be incorporating it into your car wash routine.

At the risk of stating the obvious, the two-bucket method is a car wash method that utilizes two buckets instead of just one bucket, as most people would do traditionally.

So what do you have to do?

Firstly, start as you would generally, hosing off the car to loosen dirt and grime. It is best to start at the roof and hose downwards.

Afterward, you take two buckets (with around 10-15L capacity) and fill one with water and car wash detergent, as you typically do, but then you fill the other one with just plain water. It's best to put a grit guard on the bottom of the bucket with plain water to ensure that the dirt that you rinse off gets trapped beneath the grit guard, more on that here. Then you dip your tool of choice into the detergent bucket, be that a wash mitt, sponge or microfiber cloth, and start washing your car as you typically do, starting from the roof and working one panel at a time. After you have washed your roof, gently hose the detergent off. Before you move to the next panel, rinse the washing cloth in the rinse bucket with just clean water and rinse out the cloth, running it against the grit guard to make sure that the dirt and grime does not stay stuck in the cloth.

After that, dip your cloth into the detergent bucket and move on to the next panel repeating the process; wash the panel, hose off the panel and rinse the cloth in the rinse bucket with plain water before moving to the next panel. Work your way around your car, moving from panel to panel until you are finished. Wheels should be saved to last, as they are most likely to be carrying the most dirt and grime.

When you finish washing, you can move on to drying the car, which should be done with a clean, dry cloth. Afterward, you can go on to polish or wax the car as you would normally.

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In essence, the whole point of this method is to ensure that the dirt and grime that is washed off your car is not washed back into the bucket with the detergent and then reapplied onto your car.

The problem is that rinsing the dirty rag, cloth, mit or sponge in the same bucket that you have the detergent in will mean that after a short while you are actually using dirty water and the dust, grime and muck gets trapped in the detergent bucket. These tiny little particles can actually create micro-scratches and swirls on the paintwork of your car, doing the opposite of what you seek to do. Furthermore, over time these scratches and swirls can actually wear down the clear coat of your car, leaving it even more vulnerable to damage.

Another clear benefit of this method is, like with traditional handwashing, you control how much attention each panel receives, ensuring that your car will be looking its best when it is done.

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You might be wondering if this technique has any downsides, but the reality is it really doesn't have many negative aspects.

Admittedly, you do have to go out and buy two buckets, a car wash tool of some kind (microfiber cloth, car wash mitt or a sponge) and some car wash detergent of some description, which depending on what you buy and when can have a bit of a price to it. However, if you factor in how many uses you are likely to get out of what you have bought and how much better it is for your car than machine washing or traditional one bucket approaches, it is actually a very economical option.

If you are stuck on what car wash detergents to buy, don't worry, HotCars has compiled a list to help with that as well.

Sources: HotCars, DetailFanatics and RPMDetailing

Samuel is a law student, guitarist, and car enthusiast based in Melbourne, Australia. His favorite cars are classic muscle cars from the '60s and '70s, and he is growing an interest in JDM cars.