5 Car Washing Tricks You Must Know

Restoring your vehicle’s showroom shine is something that most car owners take serious pleasure in doing. There’s nothing quite like driving a gleaming, clean car away from the car wash. However, the best clean you’ll get will require some elbow grease. There’s no automatic car wash machine that matches up to a human’s eye for detail.

Soaping

When soaping your vehicle up, try to use a spray on soap for light grime. This will help keep your paint’s enamel away from the grind of the hard bristled soap brush.

If you have a serious mess on your hands, however, you may not have any other choice but to bust out the bristle brush. Do not grind the brush into the car’s paint job. If you have a serious build up of dirt, try blasting it away with a high-pressure rinse first. If all else fails, yes, use the brush to get the dirt off your car but it is far more preferable not to have to scrub the exterior of your vehicle like you would a dinner plate.

Rinsing

No matter how clean your vehicle is, always use a pre-soak solution. Public car wash stalls usually have an excellent pre-soak solution available. If using a public car wash, put your quarters in for a time only long enough to pre-soak your vehicle. Let the time run out and allow the pre-soak to remain for up to ten minutes. This really does help loosen grime.

When the time comes to rinse your vehicle down, stand a good distance away to use any high-pressure rinse and use it only to remove the majority of the soap. Use a lower pressure spot-free rinse to finish the vehicle.

Waxing

Waxing is great for your car’s exterior, though the spray stuff at the local car wash isn’t the best in the world. We recommend getting out a microfiber cloth and buffing the wax directly by hand. See if your vehicle has a wax specifically made for it from your local dealership. If it does, grab a bottle and compare it to your department store wax in between washes. Some dealership waxes are worth their money while others are not. Try it and see what you prefer.

Interior Cleaning

End your vehicle cleaning by cleaning out the inside of your car. A good shop vac, or the publicly available vacuum at your local car wash, can do wonders to pull the dirt from your interior rugs.

If your mats are in need of a good wash, you can wash them with the same spray soap and water that you wash your car with. Most public car wash stalls have clips to hang your mats on so you can blast the grime out of them.

Tires and Under the Hood

Tire and engine cleaner is largely pointless. Some of it can even be over-mixed and acidic, eating your tires after several applications. Want tires that glow? Get a spray on shoe polish from your local department store.

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