Car washing might seem like an innocuous task, but neglectful cleaning habits can damage your vehicle and lead to lasting blemishes. Learn to avoid these five mistakes for optimal car care results.
Always work under shaded conditions and rinse often to avoid soap drying too soon. Furthermore, it is a good practice to start at the top and work your way down, cleaning the roof/hood before moving onto lower car sides.
1. Using Only One Bucket
Utilizing two buckets for washing and rinsing can help protect your car from scratches. Furthermore, this makes it easy to rinse your mitt, sponge or washcloth regularly to reduce transference of grit from wheels onto other areas of the vehicle.
Make sure you have a bucket of clean, lukewarm water ready in which to dunk your sponge or mitt in order to stay saturated with soapy water, as well as another one for rinsing as you move to new sections of the car.
When washing your car, shaded areas are best since direct sunlight can cause the soapy water to evaporat too quickly and leave unsightly water spots or streaks behind. Furthermore, working in direct sunlight may increase temperatures significantly and burn your hands; to protect them further use rubber gloves when working outdoors.
2. Using Too Much Soap
Although dish soap may seem like an effective option to clean your car, its effects could be catastrophic. Kitchen detergents were never intended to protect car paint; therefore using them could do lasting damage. Instead, consider investing in RapidClean which has been specifically engineered to remove dirt off cars while protecting their paint surface.
Water should also be utilized during car washing, particularly if your vehicle has been left outside for an extended period. Doing this will allow you to rinse away soap residue more easily while eliminating dirt spots and streaks more effectively.
When washing your car, start with the wheels and tires first to prevent dirt from spreading to other areas of the body, making cleaning more challenging. Finally, it’s advisable to complete car washing operations in shade whenever possible as sunlight can cause soap-and-water solutions to evaporate before you have an opportunity to rinse them away, leaving unsightly marks or streaks behind that require extra work to remove.
3. Using Too Much Water
Mistakingly spraying water onto your car could cause irreparable damage to its paint and clear coat, which should be avoided with the help of a spray nozzle on your hose to control water flow. To do so, try installing one to prevent flooding of water into the system.
This will prevent over-rinsing your vehicle, which can result in streaks and water spots, while helping the cleaning solution form a creamy lather to provide ample lubrication on its paint surface. Furthermore, using a separate bucket to rinse your sponge or wash mitt frequently reduces any risk of scratching from residual grit that accumulates within it.
One way to reduce this effect is to wash your car in the shade or on a cloudy day, as direct sunlight causes soap and cleaning products to evaporate too quickly, leading to unsightly swirl marks and water spots on its exterior. Rinsing off immediately also helps minimize evaporation while also avoiding streaking and water spots – and will keep it looking cleaner longer!
4. Using Too Many Towels
People often mistake the act of car washing for being simple: fill up a bucket, add soap, wash with cloth or sponge, rinse, repeat. However, it’s essential to remember how small decisions along the way can have a hugely consequential effect on the quality of work produced.
As part of your car washing procedure, it’s wise to keep towels separate and regularly launder them to reduce dirt transfer from older towels onto newly washed cars. Furthermore, fabric softeners may leave behind a residue which reduces softness and absorbency of microfiber towels.
Rinsing towels regularly to remove dirt and lint is also crucial, while pre-washing new ones before their first use can help eliminate manufacturing residue and increase absorbency. Finally, store towels in a cool and dry location – this prevents mildewing or growing mold that could compromise fiber integrity – for best results, color code them to keep everything organized.
5. Leaving Water Spots
Water spots on your car left over from washing can etch into its paintwork and cause permanent damage, decreasing resale value while making your ride appear dirty and neglected.
To prevent water spots, always choose a high-quality car wash detergent tailored specifically for the finish of your vehicle. Kitchen soap can cause irreparable scratches to your paint job; make sure you rinse your sponge frequently and store it separately from your wash water bucket so dirt doesn’t build up and cause further scratches on its finish.
After each wash, it’s also vital to thoroughly dry your vehicle afterward, especially in extreme heat or direct sunlight. Pat the towel across rather than wiping, as wiping can leave water droplets that leave streaks behind. If any water spots form quickly address them with either rubbing alcohol or vinegar to dissolve minerals before they etch into the paint and cause further damage. Finally, waxing provides an added protective sealant against further deterioration by providing an added barrier between its paintwork and further wear-and-tear damage.
