How to Wash Your Car

It’s spring time, and that means it’s time to clean off that winter dirt/salt from your car and shine it up nice for the warmer weather. The key is, the more often you clean your car, the easier it is to keep it clean.  You will need a nice sized space to work (a driveway, empty side street or garage, and a good supply of water).

PRO TIP: The important thing is to not park the car in direct sunlight, as it may dry some of the soap and water before you are done washing the car.   This can cause damage, so keep your car wet until you are ready to dry your vehicle.

Double Check to make sure all windows are securely closed, and any antennas are removed if needed.  You can also pull the wiper blades away from the windshield to allow for room to clean your vehicle.

Items needed:
A sponge (We recommend an Easy Grip Sponge.)
A soft lint free cloth (We recommend Precision-Fiber® Cloth.)
Terry towels (You will need a lot.)
Buckets (Preferably 2; one to wash the car, one to wash specifically the wheels.)
A hand brush
Car wash detergent (Do not use dish detergent, it can damage the paint and strip away wax.)

Fill your buckets with water and add the recommended amount of car wash detergent.

Rinse the entire car with water to remove loose dirt.

Wash the wheels of your car first. Typically, the wheels are the dirtiest, so it is best to wash them first so that you do not spread this dirt to the rest of your car later.

Use a hand brush or bone sponge and scrub the interior of the wheels. For wheels, you can use a spray on cleaner, just be sure to read instructions carefully.  For the showroom look, you may want apply tire dressing to shine up the tires. Again, read the directions on the bottle carefully.

Next, fully clean out your sponge, or use a new Precision-Fiber® Cloth, and fully immerse it in the clean soap bucket. You can now proceed to wash and scrub your car.

PRO TIP:  Make sure you do not use circular motions or swirling motions in washing. This improper technique will ruin the surface of your car over time. Instead, on horizontal surfaces, wash front to back.  On vertical surfaces, wash up and down.

Wash and rinse one section at a time from top to bottom. This will allow water and soap to drip down to the lower parts of your car.  Be sure to rinse the Precision-Fiber Cloth / Easy Grip Sponge often to prevent dirt from scratching the surface.

Use plenty of water to wash away dirt every time you clean a section.

Dry the vehicle with fresh, dry terry towels. Fully wipe down all surfaces by blotting the towels instead of dragging them over the surface.