DIY Car Washing Tips

In our last blog, we discussed the many ways you can take care of your car’s paint job, one of them being cleaning your car frequently. It may be enticing to take your car to an automatic car wash instead of washing it yourself, but the best way to get dirt and grime off your car is to break out the sponge and bucket and wash it yourself.

Unfortunately, automatic car washes actually damage your car’s paint job. So, if you want to get your car back to looking shiny and new, an old-fashioned DIY car wash is the way to go. Here are some tips that will help you make your car spotless:

1. Avoid washing your car in the hot sun. The warmth can cause soap to dry on your vehicle, leaving stains on the car’s surface. If the heat is severe, cool water can even cause the car’s body to retract, which can crack the paint job.
2. Never use dishwashing detergent, hand soap or any other kind of home cleaning product to wash your vehicle. Since these cleaners aren’t designed for vehicles, they will strip off the wax and could eventually dull the paint job on your car. Instead, use a car wash formula that was designed specifically to clean the body of a car.
3. Don’t use a flat surface to wash your car. Many people use a normal towel, washcloth or even an old t-shirt to wash their vehicles. These fabrics won’t pick up the fine particles of dirt and grime that you want to remove. Instead, use a microfiber cloth or towel to ensure you’re removing all the particles of dirt on your car’s surface.
4. Wash your car in sections. If you soap up your whole car at once the sections you washed first will begin to dry before you get a chance to rinse it off. This will leave soap marks on the surface. Instead pick a section, soap it up, rinse it off and move on to the next section. Clean your car from top to bottom. This way soap scum won’t get on any already-clean surfaces.
5. Don’t wait long periods of time in between car washes. It’s recommended that cars should be washed every 2-3 weeks. This means you should wash your vehicle even if it doesn’t look extremely dirty. Chemicals from the atmosphere come into contact with your car every day and if they aren’t washed away they can begin to eat away at the wax and paint.

When was the last time you washed your car? If you’re not sure of the answer, it is probably due for a good cleaning.