Car Washing Tips
It is always good to keep your car clean, but summer is the time to shine. With sun brighter, you want your ride to have a pristine gleam to it, but how do you obtain it without living at the carwash and spending half a day scrubbing and buffing? Here are some car washing tips for keeping your car show ready all summer long:
Use Two Buckets
The best way to ensure that you do not scratch your exterior is to use two buckets. This is a simple and efficient way to get a good clean wash. One will be your soapy suds bucket, and the other will be your water/rinse bucket. Every time your get your sponge good and soapy, wash a section of the car, then take the sponge and dunk it into the rinse bucket. This removes any dirt and particles you have cleaned off, and allows you to get a pure soapy sponge again to keep going on your car.
Don’t Leave Sponges, Clothes, etc. on the Ground
It might seem natural to just throw your sponge or cloth on the ground as you rinse your car. This is a huge mistake. When you leave items on the ground you are going to use to wipe down your car – whether to wash or dry the vehicle- you are picking up small particles of dirt and grime. If you use that same cloth or wash rag on your finish, you run the risk of scratches or spiderwebbing your paint job. Keep extra sponges, clothes, wash rags etc on hand, or make sure to drop them back in the bucket to avoid this. If you do drop something on the ground, do not use it again until you have run it through the washing machine and it is cleaned.
Use the Right Soap
The simple answer: you need to use car soap. You might want to just use whatever you have around the house: dish soap, laundry soap, hand soap, or other cleaners common in your home. Do not do this! These cleaners are more abrasive, meant to remove stains, grease, or they are simply not pH balanced. This can leave your car with a dull finish, and also make it oxidize faster in the long run. Car soap is slicker, since it contains more lubricant, meant to remove dirt but also glide safely across your car’s finish.
Polish and/or Wax your Car
Polish and wax is often times used interchangeably. Polish adds shine to your vehicle, while wax protects your car’s finish. Both should only be done when a car is freshly washed and dried. You can use car polish really each time you wash your car if you like, to add a little extra sparkle, but you do not need to wax each time. If water doesn’t bead up on your car’s finish, it isn’t time to add a coat of wax. If you are using car soap, and waxing correctly, you should only have to wax your car seasonally.