What do you guys do to wash your dirty car?

I am paranoid that the dirt already on the car is going to scratch the clear if I use a towel or something similiar.

BTW I am not looking forward to 5 months of salty, snowy roads.

This will be my first winter driving a Honda Civic in Minnesota. How do they handle the snow?

Do you have any advice or suggestions?

Thanks, Josh

 

I always try to rinse the car off with just a hose first. Then i try to wash without to much pressure and rinse the rag off alot if the car is really dirty.

Basically i was the car twice so that im not moving a bunch of dirt around the car at first.

 

I use one of those microfiber mits, just something that you can put your hand in. Seems to work really well for me, just make sure you use enough soap. I always soak the car before I add any soap, but I use two mits, in case one gets dirty. Using any type of sponge or mit like this to smear the soap, and then using a chamois to dry it works really well for me.

 

if you have not done this in a while you can clay bar the car to remove the dirt that won't come off from a normal wash. it would make a huge difference. it would be smooth and a nice shine.

for a normal wash i just spray with hose and then applied the soap and rinse. i use microfiber cloth.

 

Thanks for the responces.
What does a "clay bar" look like?
About two weeks ago my dad and I buffed, polished and waxed it so that should help protect it.
Josh,

 

it's this http://www.mothers.com/02_products/07240.html