When it comes to keeping your car in topmost condition one thing that comes to mind is washing your car regularly. To avoid all the road dirt, dust, and debris that your car body collects while travelling, washing it off is necessary. Therefore having good knowledge of how to wash your car is very important for every car user.
Even if your car is brand new or you have taken a car loan to purchase your dream vehicle the methods we are going to read are applicable for both. You would have seen many car wash shops where they clean the car exterior while you relax inside. The machines do all the work, which seems impressive, but these commercial car washes often use some harmful chemicals and products which will dull the car paint and all the shine. And while talking about the budget they are mostly out of our hands. Right?
So why not do this simple task by yourself at the ease of your home.
Luckily, car wash is a very easy thing to do and it hardly takes 1 to 2 hours to do. Let’s have a look.
Simple Rules for Washing Your Car At Home:
1. Always prefer a shade
One should always keep in mind while washing your car, it’s always advisable to park it in shade to avoid direct sunlight. This will help in preventing your soap and water from drying out quickly hence you won’t be getting any water or soap marks on your car which does not look good. Make sure your car is wet all the time while washing. Clean off all the dirt, dust, bird poop, etc., and then use soap.
2. Keep your cleaning materials ready
Always keep your car wash material in front while giving it a nice clean wash, this will help you in avoiding hustles and also saves time. Here’s a list of products which you are going to required for the job-
- Detergent specifically used for car wash purposes.
- Make sure you have plenty of water supply, use a pipe attached to a tap that doesn’t easily run out of water.
- Proper buckets for different purposes like you should always keep one bucket for rinsing and one or two for washing.
- Clothes like dry towels for your car.
- A sponge is always suitable for giving a smooth touch to your car.
- And a scrubbing brush to take off some stubborn dirt and one for your tires.
- Keep other things too like a hose, wash mitts
Points to be taken
Never use household products to wash your car like hand soap or dishwashing detergents or any other type of cleaner. They might remove the car’s protective substance like wax. Some used car dealerships also provide car washing products but always use products that are made available for car wash only. And follow the instructions mentioned thoroughly for a better understanding.
3. Start with the wheels
It’s always good to start your car washing with the wheels first. Use a wheel brush that has a foam brush, clean both the front and back for your wheel. Always use a scrubber to remove any gum or sticky substance attached to the tires, but be careful you might make your tire puncture if you don’t do it properly. Go slowly and keep your hands steady. If your wheels already look clean then use only a sponge. Don’t use any products which are not suitable for the tires. Refer to the manual and try to find out what kind of wheels your car has, What will be best for it, And the material used.
4. The art of pre-cleaning
You may risk your car paint by just a touch, it may get scratches. Be careful while removing any debris or dirt from your car’s surface. A foamy surface always helps in such situations. Give a nice foam with a foam gun
( if you have any) or you can use mitts. Foams always help in making the dirt or debris wet and it gets off easily. Check the entire exterior part of your car if any dirt is left untouched. Then rinse your foam or sponge whatever product you are using to clean the dirt so that no dirt gets back onto the surface. Avoid cleaning in a circular motion, this can lead to scratches or swirl marks. Always through the dirty water from the bucket and use clean water.
5. Post-Cleaning
After you are done cleaning all the dust and debris rinse off your car with clean water. Use a nice pressure water pipe to clean all the mirrors and glass, headlights, backside of the car. Good pressure water will take off all the muds from the footrest too.
6. Time for detailed cleaning
When you are done washing off every dust particle, check all the insides and beneath of the car whether all the dirt and debris have been removed or not. People mostly skip this step due to laziness but this will give your car a clean and classy look. No one wants a pile of mud stick to the backside of the car. Use a scrubber to take that off. It has already been loosened from the previous process so it won’t take much longer. Then rinse with clean water.
7. Roof check
Car roofs are hard to get, you might need a stool to climb through that part of the car. Use a stool or chair to climb through that part. Rinse that area and use a mitt to wash, add some detergent and clean gently. Clean the small part too, dirt mostly gets stored there.
8. Rinse after soap
After cleaning each area, always rinse with water so that it won’t get dry and leave any soap marks on the surface. Always keep two buckets of water- one for cleaning and the other for taking out the debris from the mitt, that way you won’t be mixing everything.
9. Dry with a towel
When you have cleaned every area of your car and rinsed it properly, dry it with a clean towel. Using a microfiber cloth is always a good choice. Don’t go with the air dry process, the results won’t be pleasing, as no one wants watermarks on their car. Use as many towels as required. Don’t skip this step, you will be wasting every minute of your efforts by leaving dry spots.
10. Lastly use Protectors and Wax
When we go out in the sun, we need sunscreen. The same rule applies to our car, they need car wax. After you are done drying, apply wax to protect it from the sunlight. This will protect the shine and paint of your car. Leave it for some time to get settled and then wipe with a fresh towel. Also, apply protectors in the windows and mirrors and never leave that area. Now your car is as clean as a new one.
