On top of being a good driver who obeys the traffic rules, you should also always ensure your car is clean, like it is heading to the showroom. We talked about how to reduce the waste in your car to keep the inside of your car tidy and presentable. The same should extend to your car exterior. Here you will learn how to wash your car exterior like a pro.
Your car, in a way, is an extension of your home. You always want the people who visit your home to have a respectful opinion of you. So you trim your lawn and tidy up things in the house and around the home. It makes you feel good about yourself. The same applies to your car.
You probably take your car to a car wash whenever it is dirty. That is okay; we are not about to discourage you from that. We only want you to know you should also learn how to wash your car sparkling clean and quickly like a pro, whenever you have the time.
After all, you can’t always have a car wash within reach when you need one. Stuff happens, so it is best to learn one or two about everything.
What Are The Benefits Of Washing Your Car Yourself?
- Washing your car can be a form of therapy and a way to cool your nerves after a long day or week.
- You get to save some money because you do not need to take your car to a car wash whenever it requires cleaning.
- You can gently remove the dirt without damaging the paint, as some car wash staff sometimes do.
The Items You Need To Wash Your Car
Before you start washing your car, you should ensure you have the following essential items:
1. Pressure-washer
It would be best to have a pressure-washer or a garden hose connected to a spray gun extension.
2. Two buckets
3. Detergent
It would help if you used the suitable soap; kitchen soap is not designed for use on car paint. We are not promoting any soap brand here; we can only urge you to find the right car shampoo for your car.
4. Drying Towel/microfiber
5. Cleaning mitts
Washing Your Car Super Clean: The Steps
1. Spraying
Use the pressure-washer or garden hose to thoroughly spray water on the car until every inch of it is wet. This will shake off dust or loose dirt and prepare the surface for the soapy water next. By spraying to remove the loose dirt, you will not have to spend much time washing the car. By the time you start the actual washing, your work is half done.
2. Fill the Buckets
Fill one bucket with soapy water and the other with pure water.
3. Wash
- Put the cleaning mitts in soapy water and lather them up.
- Use them to wash the car, starting from the top. The dirtiest parts of your car are obviously in the bottom, so you should not start from there because you will be moving the dirt onto the upper parts.
- Swipe the mitt in a straight line, flip it, and take another swipe before rinsing it in the clean water and swiping more. Do not be moving the mitt in circles.
Furthermore, you should always rinse dirt and debris from the car surface before swiping an area because dirt and debris on the mitt can scratch the paint off the car as you clean.
- Each time you rinse the cleaning mitt, immerse it in the soapy water in the other back to fill it with soap again.
- Do not rub or scrub the dirt as you swipe the cleaning mitt because you may peel the paint. Rinse each section you are done cleaning so that soap does not sit there and dry.
- Clean the windows, rims, and, finally, the wheels.
4. Rinsing and Drying
After washing every section of your car, take off the hose nozzle and rinse the car with the free-flowing water, starting from the top. Once you have rinsed every trace of soap, use a towel or microfiber cloth to dry the surface.
After three or four swipes with the towel, squeeze the towel and continue to dry until the car surface is free of streaks and shines.
5. Waxing
You can wax your car surface after cleaning not just to make it shine but because wax also protects the paint. The wax layer will be protecting the paint whenever you are washing the car.
What Time Of The Day Should You Wash Your Car?
Morning or evening is the right time to wash your car; since the sun is not up, the washing water and soap will not be drying too fast, leaving watermarks on the car’s surface. If you must wash your car when the sun is up, you should park the car in the shade where the drying process of the soap and dirty water is slow.
If it is not possible to wash in the shade when the sun is up and hot, you will have to rinse frequently as you wash so that the soap and dirt do not dry on the car.
How Long Should You Take Washing Your Car?
As a pro, you should not more than one hour washing your car.
How Often Should You Wash Your Car?
How often you clean your car depends on the environmental elements it is exposed to. Depending on how fast it picks dirt, it can be every Sunday or every two to three days. If birds usually fly over your car and poop on it, you need to clean it often. First, the birds’ droppings are not a comely sight on your car. Secondly, these droppings are highly acidic and can damage your car’s surface.
Splattering bugs are another reason you may have to clean your car often. Again, if you usually drive through muddy or dusty roads, you also will have to do more cleaning.
Wrap Up
If you are a taxi driver, then you understand well why your car should always be clean. As you have seen, cleaning your car is not as complicated as you may imagine. Along with cleaning, learn other DIY ways to keep your car in good condition.
Anyway, before you learn how to wash your car exterior, we assume you have learned how to drive a car. If not, you need to have a serious talk with Pierre Paul Driving School in Brooklyn, New York.