This is the Grit Guard, a multi-functional insert designed to fit 12″ diameter buckets. Its primary use is to help keep abrasive dirt, debris, and other crud away from mitts or towels you might use when washing your car.
Loose particulates will fall to the bottom of the bucket, through the grates, and fins at the bottom break up water flow, helping to keep things still and settled.
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Drawing your towel or mitt across the top surface can help to extract stuck-on particles.
Chemical Guys says that the Grit Guard can be used for other applications, such as cleaning paint brushes, draining oil filters, or for cleaning car parts, but it’s primarily a car wash accessory.
They say it can fit 3-5 gallon buckets with 12″ diameters. User reviews say that it’s a little too big to fit some 5 gallon buckets, at least at the bottom. You might want to check compatibility before you buy it, or plan to improvise. It looks like the insert can be trimmed to fit slightly smaller diameter buckets.
Chemical Guys sells an optional heavy duty bucket that fits the grit guard, but it sells for $15.
The Grit Guard is available in several color options.
Price: $10
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See Also(Chemical Guys Bucket)
First Thoughts
I’ve washed my car by hand before, and it can be tedious. Well, half tedious, half meditative. This looks like it could cut out some of the effort or potential scratches.
I’ve been tempted to order one, and can see the potential for added uses, such as for drying wet mitts or towels.
If you’ve used this, or something like it before, what has your experience been like?
Jesse
I have a couple of these and they fit perfectly fine in Home Depot buckets, but the bottom of Lowe’s buckets are too narrow. Not a huge issue, since I can just wedge it into the Lowe’s bucket and use it as my rinse bucket.
Hilton
Never heard of these before but I now see plenty of options on Amazon.
This one seems to be of a better design in terms of car washing;
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EM621YK/
Stuart
Yes, but the “washboard” accessory can also be purchased separately later on.
Scott
I have a couple and use them. They are great for scrubbing whatever you’re using to wash your car. They also seem to keep the dirt at the bottom as advertised.
JR
I have one and it works as advertised. It sits in an old frosting bucket and it fits fine.
Raoul
I use these. It keeps the dirt under the thingy and doesn’t allow it to come up into the water as you shake your mit around. I don’t find the one Stuart posted very useful because I shake the mitt in the bucket and the mitt doesn’t touch the bottom anyway.
https://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guys-Cyclone-Bucket-Insert/dp/B01CJEBH0G/
Chris
So the cyclonic one really does work pretty well? Just looking at it it seems like it *could* work better, but I read a review where the person said dirt wasn’t getting through the holes in it. Maybe their car was excessively laden with dirt, I don’t know.
I honestly don’t understand how the grit guard keeps dirt at the bottom of the bucket. The holes in it are so large I’d think that dunking your mitt in the rinse bucket would just suck them right up off the bottom.
fred
I have a Grit Guard GGNS-RED. It provides about 2.5 inches of space at the bottom of the bucket – for dirt and sand to settle. We used them with sponges for grout. It isn’t perfect – but doses seem to work. I’m not sure that its dramatically better than using a technique where you squeeze your sponge in and out near the top of the pail allowing debris to settle. Like with mopping – its sometimes better to have separate pails or a compartmentalized pail for clean and dirty water
aerodawg
When I actually had a nice car, I used the Adams Polishes version. It works pretty well to get the crud out of whatever you’re scrubbing with. It always seemed to keep the amount of de-swirl polishing to a minimum.
Henry
I’ve always just used two buckets. One with the wash water in it, and one with “rinse” water for my mitt and toothbrush, before they go back into the suds bucket for a reload. Usually have to dump the rinse water in the middle of the wash, and refill with clean water.
Seems like this would avoid having to use two buckets, but I’d be concerned about the lighter particles that don’t settle out quickly (or at all)….not that you’d notice any new scratches on my 15 year old pickup….
rob
I own several grit guards for my car wash buckets, they do help when you’re cleaning a vehicle that is dirty (more so in the winter or if you’ve been somewhere off highway). Now I am somebody that washes my cars once a week and at least half the time I do the full wash with the pressure washer and foam lance. When you finish with the wash you will see quite a bit of dirt below the guard, so these do work. Most scratches and swirls on a car are usually put in the paint by the owner by either using a dirty wash media or in the drying process. For $10 or so this is cheaper than having to spend several hundred dollars on a full day on paint correction. If you’re looking for a faster way to wash instead of taking the hose out I’d recommend a rinseless wash method Optimum No Rinse and Adam’s both offer good rinseless washes that can save time and leave the paint looking great.
If you watch any of the videos on YouTube you’ll see most every detailer from Matt at Obsessed Garage, Jimbo with the Auto Detailing Podcast, to the gawd of detailing Larry Kossilla of AMMONYC all recommend using grit guards every time you wash the car. I believe the only one I’ve see talk about not using the is Apex Detail but instead of the guard he’ll use 3-5 sponges to wash a vehicle.
Koko The Talking Ape
Hah! We used the same principle in oil painting class, where we punched holes in a tuna can, set it bottom up in a coffee can, and poured some turpentine in. To clean our brushes, we just swept them repeatedly across the tuna can. The bumps helped pull out the pigments, which would settle through the holes and stay there. We used them to keep our brushes clean. At the end of the year, there would be a half-inch of solids settled at the bottom.
So the principle works, even with stuff that is slow to settle (like paint pigments.) The perforated surface keeps the settled stuff from being stirred up when you stick in a brush (or sponge, or rag.)
I am sure you can improvise something similar. You just need a stiff sheet with holes punched in it, held a few inches off the bottom. The sheet doesn’t have to be a tight fit. I’d imagine if you drill holes, you’d want to watch for burrs.
me
Car dealer I worked at uses these. Every customer’s car get a free wash with any service and those things cut back on the number of time the wash buckets had to be dumped and refilled. So for high volume type use, they are good.
But for the week end warrior who will be washing one or two cars, it isn’t really needed.
Nathan
Yeah I’m sort of into car detailing of my devices. and I wouldn’t even consider washing a car without one. Now I don’t advocate the whole use 3 buckets, and 5 rags per car . . . . .crazy you might read about. But I do love the basics of the grit guard. Scrub your wash mit or sponge against it as you trade from area to area on your car and it’s just good insurnace against wash rash.
Now – after you do that what you also need is a inline water filter for your rinsing hose – and a well I’ll stop there.
OH and I do have 2 of them and use them in another bucket – did have to trim it a bit to fit – taper the fins – and I use it for workshop rags. I keep the one I use on the car separate from other uses. Name doesn’t much matter so buy the cheaper one you can find – almost certain they are made in the same place with the same dies.
NigelDH
This will be useful for garden veggie harvesting and washing.
We have a number of buckets we drilled drain holes in the bottom. This will get the potatoes and veggies above the bottom to keep draining. The washboard option will be useful for stuff that needs more vigorous cleaning.
Framer joe
Aways hand wash a nice car, work truck =car wash…these work good,but multiple buckets and sponges work best..
Nathan
I disagree – unless you’re putting a grit guard in each bucket. Or are you talking about using a difference sponge/mitt for each panel of the car.
This solves alot with very little. multiple buckets won’t prevent dirt things from lodging in your sponge/mitt and then scratching the car.
This helps that regardless of the buckets or the mitts you use.
WBDubya
I have them and they work great, but now I don’t use wash mitts unless I have to. I use a Ryobi electric pressure washer and Adam’s Foam Cannon with their foaming soap so no mitts or buckets are necessary.
RKA
If you know what a paint correction is and avoid the car wash at all costs, definitely get one. If you do occasionally run through the car wash, it’s not necessary.
The people you find using this (me) scrutinize their paint and take great pains to get it swirl free and keep it that way. But honestly, I could live without it and did for years. I meticulously rinsed the lambs wool mitt with each dip, and kept it in the top 75% of the bucket so I wasn’t kicking up dirt. The damage I inflicted to the paint was largely in the drying process, not the washing process. These days I use a master blaster on the garage queen (essentially a vacuum used as a blower), which eliminates 95% of the issues.
For the daily drivers, I no longer have time for hand washing. They see the car wash, which can add far more swirls than you would imagine despite avoiding the over eager towel guys. I wouldn’t buy something like this for those cars if I ever felt like hand washing.
As for the other uses, technically you could nest two Home Depot buckets and drill 3/8” holes on the bottom of the top bucket?
George
Is this an Amazon only thing ? I don’t do amazon.
rob
You can purchase direct from Chemical Guys website, Adams Polishes website, or AutoGeek website plus many others I am sure.
KMR
Dump the bucket system completely.
If you have a foam cannon you already have the perfect method to apply a thick uniform lather to the entire surface and then agitate as needed with microfiber mitts. Three microfiber mitts, having two sides each, so a total of 6 “clean” mitt surfaces is the minimum needed to fully hand wash a normal sized sedan.
My routine is:
Meguair’s Ultimate Wheel Cleaner on the wheels, then hose rinse wheels/calipers.
Then proceed with pressure washer rinse (40degree nozzle) over entire exterior of vehicle.
Foam cannon vehicle, let sit ~5 minutes. Pressure washer rinse.
Foam cannon vehicle, and immediately start using microfiber mitts to clean surface. One side of mitt dedicated to each zone of car, once you’ve done that zone, flip the mitt or move onto the next mitt.
Pressure wash rinse car. Microfiber dry.
My Alfa is ceramic coated, so no additional surface protection required after drying. With my method, there is zero chance to ever get “grit contamination” from the buckets, because you simply never have to deal with putting your wash mitt into a dirty bucket and bringing it back out to continue washing the car.
rob
While your method works with a coated (and I am assuming garaged) car for many people that will not be enough. The sponge will need be rinsed more often especially for people that travel in winter environments where sand and/or salt is used by transportation departments. I know in the winter in CA where CalTrans uses sand on highways I often will need to washes with the power washer before I can remove the sand and that’s usually the only time I go with a two bucket method.
Have you tired using ONR or Adam’s Rinsless wash? With the washing you’re doing they’d actually be faster than dragging out the hose and pressure washer plus they’re better for the environment. During the summer I’ll often go the rinseless wash because it’s faster and does a great job. Many professional detailers are using the rinseless method on their regular customers.
JML
Griot’s sells a car washing bucket with a similar screen design. With added casters and more surface area, plus a second top mounted screen, it’s great. https://www.griotsgarage.com/product/ultimate+car+wash+bucket.do
Jared
I have one of these inserts. It is not the Chemical Guys brand, but looks identical. I no longer own a car nice enough to warrant hand washing. I thought it was handy at the time though.
These days however, I use my insert while cleaning foam dirt bike air filters. It works great for that application. I usually clean a half-dozen filters at a time, so this keeps the built up crud away from the filters as I clean.
JJ
You can make a simple version yourself with some egg crate light diffuser and a few zip ties. Super cheap and easy.
Frank
I use a Dirt Lock bucket filter. It works much different than the traditional systems on the market and you can actually feel it suck the debris off your mitt. Watch this and you will what im talking about.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LndE9cD63A