Tips on Washing your Car

If you ever plan to resell your car, make sure you keep it clean and in good condition. Keeping your car clean and in top condition will increase the resell value. There are many products available to wash your car with so stay away from liquid dish detergents. These products are designed to remove animal or vegetable fat from stoneware. This means they will also remove the wax that is protecting the finish on your car.

To make your wax job last longer you might want to use a product that is specifically designed for washing your car. These types of soaps are usually pH controlled and some contain gloss enhancers and some have small amounts of water soluble wax. Check with an auto-care specialist to find the right product for your vehicle.

To wash your car: Start with a large clean plastic bucket; fill it with cool or tepid water and add a small amount of car wash soap. Never use hot water – it will soften the wax (like how a flame softens the wax in a candle), which may cause it to be wiped off. Just remember that less is more when adding the soap to your water. It is best to use liquid car soap and not the powder form. The powder may not dissolve all the way and tiny particles can get in your sponge and scratch the paint.

Make sure that you try to wash the car in the shade, and be sure that the car is relatively cool to the touch. When a car is cool, it will allow water to evaporate off quickly. Spray the car down (with your hose on a gentle setting) to thoroughly wet the surface. It is best not to use a power sprayer that may grind the dirt into the car's finish and cause scratches. Wash one section at a time so the soap won’t dry on the paint.

There are different types of products you can use to wash the car, such as a wash mitt, wash pad or sponge. Make sure to dry the car as soon as possible. We recommend using completely clean, 100% cotton towels. Make sure there is nothing on the towels that could scratch your paint. Things like dried paint or glue can be very abrasive. Use the towels to gently blot the excess water off the car. You could also use a specially designed car chamois to dry the wet spots.

Bird droppings are disastrous to a paint job and should be removed as soon as possible. The droppings are highly acidic and will peel the paint right off of your car. A handy tip to remove bird droppings between washes is a bottle of seltzer water. With the cap off, shake up the bottle and hold your thumb over the top. You will have an instant water hose to rinse off the droppings until you can perform a proper wash.

By washing your car regularly and with the right tools you will be able to keep your car’s finish looking like new. For those times in between washes, keep your car covered and protected with a high-quality car cover.. This will not only preserve all the hard work you’ve put into your car and keep it protected from dirt, grime, moisture and anything else that happens to land on your car.