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I've seen these a bunch when I buy soaps or whatever online they're always encouraging me to add it to my order. I never have, but I realized today that they are on some sort of super sale.

Has anyone used one of these things before? It sounds like a good idea on paper, but I'm not sure if the water on my cars ever gets THAT dirty.

Here it is at Amazon: The Grit Guard Insert - Red

Adam
 

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I think that in general it's a good idea, but not for me. When I wash, my sponge never sees the bottom of the bucket. I just dip it in probably no more than 40% of the way down so I don't think I'm picking up any dirt from the bottom of the bucket.
 

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I highly recommend a grit guard. If you participate in any car detailing forums it is one of the first thing they tell new members to purchase. The ribs on the bottom that raise the grit guard off the bottom keeps the dirt that settles at the bottom of the bucket from swishing around and getting kicked up. The grate on the top is great to rub your mitt against after washing a panel to remove any dirt and contaminates picked up by the mitt. It is cheap insurance to protect your paint from swirl marks.
 

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A laudable idea.

I approach the problem from another angle. Think about it... if one's wash water looks murky in any way, one is "washing" with an abrasive solution, grit guard or no grit guard. It is the very fine "grit" suspended in the solution which turns one's wash water murky and brown. This occurs quite rapidly, if one wrings one's dirty sponge out over and over in the same soapy water source as used for washing. (I see folks do this all the time and quite frankly it amazes me.)

That is why I use two buckets during washing. Bucket A is a two gallon size and contains the clean soapy water. Bucket B is is a five or ten gallon size and is the sponge rinse bucket. it is filled as near full as is practical with clear water. During the wash, a.) never does a dirty wash cloth or sponge go back into bucket A (clean soap solution) unless first having been thoroughly rinsed out in Bucket B, and b.) never at any time does one "wring out" excess soap from the sponge or cloth back into Bucket A.

Simple, easy, and one's soap solution will not become murky and abrasive.

For a simple wash, expect to change the water in B at least twice, because it too will become abrasive, though at a much slower rate since ten gallons of water represents five times the volume of the two gallon soap solution bucket. Since the rinse water is not as obscured by soap suds, it is also more obvious when the rinse water in B requires changing.

This simple practice significantly reduces grit from one's soap solution, and is particularly effective on fragile lacquer finishes.
 

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A laudable idea.

I approach the problem from another angle. Think about it... if one's wash water looks murky in any way, one is "washing" with an abrasive solution, grit guard or no grit guard. It is the very fine "grit" suspended in the solution which turns one's wash water murky and brown. This occurs quite rapidly, if one wrings one's dirty sponge out over and over in the same soapy water source as used for washing. (I see folks do this all the time and quite frankly it amazes me.)

That is why I use two buckets during washing. Bucket A is a two gallon size and contains the clean soapy water. Bucket B is is a five or ten gallon size and is the sponge rinse bucket. it is filled as near full as is practical with clear water. During the wash, a.) never does a dirty wash cloth or sponge go back into bucket A (clean soap solution) unless first having been thoroughly rinsed out in Bucket B, and b.) never at any time does one "wring out" excess soap from the sponge or cloth back into Bucket A.

Simple, easy, and one's soap solution will not become murky and abrasive.

For a simple wash, expect to change the water in B at least twice, because it too will become abrasive, though at a much slower rate since ten gallons of water represents five times the volume of the two gallon soap solution bucket. Since the rinse water is not as obscured by soap suds, it is also more obvious when the rinse water in B requires changing.

This simple practice significantly reduces grit from one's soap solution, and is particularly effective on fragile lacquer finishes.
I also use this two bucket method along with the grit guard. But I don't change the water in bucket B, but not a bad idea. Also another big tip. Wash your wheels with a separate bucket and mitt/brush from what you use on your paint and do the wheels first so any cleaners you spray on your wheels don't land on your clean paint.
 

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I hose off my mitt prior to putting it back in the soapy water bucket. I don't use a grit guard but washing off the mitt eliminates a large percentage of the dirt. Most of my scratches in the paint come from the drying process because my microfiber towel is not completely clean or I pick up some debris along the way.
 

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I have owned my car since 1999 and it has never been washed. Maybe 2 times I sprayed water on it to rinse off road film but then put in in the garage with the heat on till it was dry!
 

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I have used the grit guard for about 10 years, just one of many things to reduce the chance of scratches.
If you are still using a sponge to clean the car , a grit guard is the least of your worries.
 

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2 bucket method with a grit guard in both. Remove hose end to sheet the water off the paint before either using Master Blaster dryer (on my Opti-guarded cars) or a clean waffle-weave towel.

I would estimate 99% of the general population could not care less about swirl marks in their paint though. Look at how many people are too lazy to even push their cart to the return when grocery shopping and instead just leave it somewhere to inevitably roll into someone's vehicle. I digress.
 

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I agree with the rest of these guys.. it's definitely highly recommended!

The two bucket method is one thing I recommended in an article on my Car Care site and it is one of the most re-pinned articles on Pinterest! Guess a bunch of people get an "ah-ha!" moment from it. Definitely grab one while they're on sale. Under $10 for the Amazon ones is way cheaper than normal!
 

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I use the 2 bucket method with grit guards in both. I used to use a wash mitt, but lately I've had real good results using a pro-line grout sponge from Lowes. I dry with waffle weave microfibers, and my wife's dark blue 2011 turbo regal daily driver has stayed pretty much swirl free. I still polish once a year using the meguiars microfiber DA corrction system pads, and associated compound (highly recommended).


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Grit Guards are cheap and a little more protection from dirty contaminated wash media. Add them to your next order. Nothing is fool proof and it's a lot of work to keep your car swirl free. I run a detailing business and I always educate my customers on proper cleaning and drying which includes at the minimum the 2- bucket method with grit guards. If you are talking about washing your garage queen I would look into rinseless washes like Optimum no Rinse. These are safer then quick detailers yet they don't soak your vehicle.
 

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I love the Optimum No Rinse! I use it for nearly everything. Even my daily driver *cough* Prius that gets almost 100 miles a day... The Optimum cuts right through the bugs and road grime. I spray it and wipe it down a couple times a week.
 
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