Car Washing Tips From The Pros

When it comes to washing your car, you might THINK that you have the technique down. However, that’s not necessarily true! There are a lot of little-hidden secrets to washing your car the right way that a lot of folks just don’t know. That’s okay – we’re here now, and we’re going to share those secrets and your vehicle will be much better off for it. Trust us, we’re professionals!

For a proper car wash, you’ll need supplies like a proper automotive soap or shampoo, a microfiber cloth (well, a few of these) or microfiber wash mitt, a wheel brush, and a couple of buckets for water, both to soap and rinse. The first thing you should do before you start washing is to make sure your vehicle is in the shade, and then give it a good rinse with the hose before you begin. Get the body of the vehicle AND the undercarriage! There’s a lot of dirt and salt that you might miss by not rinsing properly, so make sure you’re thorough.

Next, the wash! Fill one bucket with soapy water and the other with clean water for rinsing your washing cloths/mitts/what have you. Soap up the car, using long straight strokes and going panel by panel. When you’ve washed the whole thing, let the suds dwell for a few minutes while you tackle the wheels, making sure to get between the spokes.

The final rinse is next, and you should be equally as thorough with this one as you were with the first so you get all the soap off. Now, the trick is to NOT let your car air-dry. Dry the vehicle panel by panel with a dry microfiber cloth. When you let the car air dry, the evaporating water leaves rings and deposits and those are hard to get off.

After this, a nice coat of protectant spray or wax would not go amiss at all. This preserves the hard work you’ve just done and protects your vehicle against any future damage between now and your next wash. And… you’re done! Admire your hard work and check out those muscles in the mirrorlike shine of your paint. You earned it!