The Fastest Way To Wash Your Car (Under an hour)

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Products you’ll need:

Here’s the simple three-product setup:

Rinseless wash

The key to this entire process is using a rinseless wash product. I like to use Optimum No Rinse. There are a few other great ones on the market though.

Unlike traditional car soaps, rinseless washes encapsulate dirt, allowing you to wipe it away without having to rinse the car with a hose.

This is a game-changer.

Clay bar

While an optional step, using a clay bar will remove bonded contaminants and help your sealant last longer.

A synthetic sponge like this one is quicker and easier to use than a traditional clay bar, and you don’t have to worry about dropping it and ruining it.

Spray sealant/wax

A spray-on product offers a quick way to add protection and shine to your paint after you’ve washed it.

Optional:

When washing my Tacoma, I chose to add a tire cleaner and used a tire dressing since they were looking a little dull and faded.

This isn’t required for a quick cleanup, especially if you’ve kept your car in good shape since its last wash.

The fastest car wash process

The beauty of this method is its simplicity. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown to wash, clay, and seal a vehicle in under an hour:

1. Mix Your Solutions

First, you’ll need to create two different variations of your rinseless wash product – a bucket to soak your towels in and a spray bottle. You can find all of the different dilution ratios for Optimum No Rinse in this post.

• Wash Solution: Add a cap ful of ONR to a bucket with a gallon of water in it. Toss in several clean microfiber towels and your synthetic clay sponge to get them soaking.
• Lubricant Spray: I tend to use the same dilution ratio for my spray bottle but some people like to mix it stronger with the Quick Detailer dilution. This will be your pre-wash spray and clay lubricant.

2. Wash Your Vehicle, One Panel at a Time

Don’t worry about getting the whole car wet at once. Work on one panel at a time, from top to bottom.

Pre-Rinse

Use your spray bottle to thoroughly mist the panel you’re working on. This step is important, as it helps encapsulate dirt and lubricate the surface before you touch it.

Wipe

Grab a fresh, soaked microfiber towel from your bucket. Fold it in 4s.

Gently wipe the surface with little to no pressure. Once the towel starts to look dirty, flip it to a clean side.

Never put a dirty towel back into your bucket.

This is how you prevent scratches. Instead, set the dirty towels aside.

You can leave the panel wet after – no need to dry it yet.

3. Clay and Seal

After washing a panel, you can immediately move on to the next steps.

Clay bar

Re-wet the panel with your rinseless wash spray and gently rub the synthetic clay sponge over the surface.

Use light pressure; let the sponge do the work. Remember to wipe the sponge clean regularly, or if you’re using a regular clay bar, kneed it to a clean surface.

Protect

With the surface still slightly wet from the claying step, apply 1-2 sprays of your spray sealant. Use a clean drying towel to dry the panel and buff the sealant to a shine.

To clarify: you can pre-rinse, wash, clay bar, and spray your sealant on all before you ever dry the surface off. That’s part of where our time savings comes from!

4. Don’t Forget the Wheels

You can even clean your wheels without a hose. Use a separate microfiber towel (that you’ll never use on your paint) soaked in your wash solution.

Spray your pre-rinse, and wipe down the wheel, getting into all the little spots. Then, spray with your sealant and wipe dry.

Unlike a traditional wash, you can save the wheels for last, as you don’t have to worry about getting water and grime on your freshly cleaned paint.

The Results

This method is pretty fast. You can easily wash an entire pickup truck in under 40 minutes, including the wheels. The final result is a clean, shiny vehicle with decontaminated and protected paint.

But what about scratches?

I’ll be honest – this method isn’t for everyone. If you’re a perfectionist who cringes at the thought of a swirl mark on your car’s flawless paint, then this process might not be for you.

I wouldn’t do this on a car that has had a paint correction done recently or has sensitive paint.

That said, as long as you use a quality rinseless wash product, work with fresh towels, and use a gentle touch, the risk is minimal.

In the video above, I even inspected my Tacoma for swirl marks before and after and wasn’t able to find any new ones. That’s on a silver vehicle though – darker colors are less forgiving so keep that in mind.

Still not convinced that washing your car without a hose is safe? That’s understandable.

All you need to do is replace the pre-rinse spray bottle with a hose or pressure washer. It might add some time but it’ll also remove the majority of the loose dirt and debris, making the touch wash safer.

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