How to wash your car like a pro

Keeping your car clean is one basic form of maintenance you can easily do for it. It can be a tedious and time-consuming process but the benefits of it are well worth the effort. This is why many would prefer to pay a little bit more cash and send their vehicle to the nearest carwash to have professionals do the job.

Sometimes, however, the queue to the car wash can be long and the output may not be to your standards. With that in mind, we have created a quick guide to help you clean and wash your car like a pro.

To get the best results when cleaning your car, you should always wash it under the shade and never under the sun. Why? First, water acts as a magnifying glass under the sun. If left alone (until it dries up) repeatedly, it can damage a car’s paint over time.

In addition, water drops and/or soap become water spots when it dries up under the intense heat of the sun and can cause lasting damage to the paint. Some cases even lead up to metal corrosion and rusting.

Just in case you can’t avoid washing your car under the sun, make sure to keep its surface cool by occasionally spraying water and wiping it with a clean cloth when you’re done. Or better yet, do it early in the morning or late afternoon.

Before you get to the actual washing process it’s best to prepare what you will need so that you don’t need to stop mid-way and get the necessary item.

Some use the two-bucket system wherein one store the clean water to rinse the car and the other holds the one with soap. Alternatively, you can use a hose and a small bucket to make things easier.

Other items you may need to clean your car include:

- Car Soap

- Squeegee

- Duster

- Chamois and Microfiber towel

- Tire Black

- Degreaser

- Interior Protectant

- Vacuum Cleaner

It does look like a lot of products just to wash your car but all of these have a specific purpose. You may skip on a few such as the Wheel Cleaning Solution and the squeegee. Regular car soap or even just water can wash dirt and grime away from the wheels with the help of some elbow grease, while the rubber-like quick-absorbing Chamois towel can dry off the windows.

As your wheels and tires are in constant contact with the ground it’s only natural that they get dirty pretty quickly. Tires are usually covered in dirt that’s hard to wash away. Using special wheel cleaning solutions would do the trick; however, these are almost always the harshest chemicals on the list. That’s why it’s recommended to start with the wheels so that any remaining solution on the wheel is washed off later on.

Before you get your car wet, it is highly recommended that you use a duster to get rid of all the dust. This will make your job easier later on as most of the lighter materials have been removed from your car’s paint. Make sure to then rinse the car with water and then apply soap water using a chamois. Then wash off the soap in sections starting from the top and work your way to the bottom to make sure the car is properly cleaned. You can do this multiple times if you wish to make sure that most if not all the dirt have been lifted off your vehicle. 

Once you’re done washing, dry the car using the chamois towel. This specific towel can quickly absorb water, saving you precious time. Again, wipe from top to bottom to avoid repeating sections of the car.

Wipe the windows dry using a squeegee or the chamois towel. Just make sure that there aren’t any bits of dirt that can scratch the glass.

To help give your car an extra layer of protection and shine you can also use wax in your cleaning process. You can “wax on and wax off” or spread the polish in a circular motion until dry. You can also choose to put tire black on your tires giving them a better shine. in order to do this simply get a sponge or rag then apply the tire black and start rubbing it on the side wall of your tires. 

Just like how you would treat the exterior of your vehicle, make sure that you clean its interior as well. Begin by throwing the trash away, as well as removing items, and storing it in a secure container to properly clean your car’s interior. If your car has a child seat, unbuckle it and remove it temporarily from the vehicle.

Clean the windows with glass cleaner and a microfiber cloth. After that, remove the dust from the cleanest to the dirtiest areas of your car’s interior then vacuum from the headrest down to the floor. And finally, spray the dashboard, steering wheel, side panels, center console, and shift knob with interior protectant, and wipe until dry.

Now that you know how to clean your car by yourself, you won’t have to queue up in the car wash and probably save money in the long run.