I agree with snowtop57...the less you touch it, the less swirl marks you will have. Also, just hand washing the car with a quality mitt will still cause swirl marks. Because of the salt and grime that gets stuck in the mitt you should use two buckets...one for rinsing out the mitt after dragging it across the car, and then another to get some more suds on it. For drying like someone else said just use a clean microfiber towel. Finally, regular compounding, polishing, waxing will keep the swirls to a minimum or nonexistent.