How Do I Wash My Car Properly?

Have you parked your car out of direct sunlight?

Have you gathered everything required to wash the car?

Have you filled a bucket of water with the wash soap mixed?

Have you filled a bucket with clear water?

Did you hose off the car with clear water to loosen the dirt?

After hosing the car, did you wash the wheels first?

After cleaning the tires, did you wash your car using a large cloth or wash mitten?

Did you rinse each section of the car with clear water after you have washed it?

After rinsing, did you dry the car using a clean cloth?

Did you apply wax to the car after drying?

Park the car out of direct sunlight. This prevents premature drying which can leave splotches on the paint. Washing your car in direct sunlight also runs the risk of your car becoming hot while you wash it, which will result in water evaporating more quickly and making the cleaning process more difficult.

Set everything you will need near the car. This includes cleaning material: the car wash detergent that you will use for cleaning, a large supply of water depending on the size of the vehicle, three buckets ,two for washing, one for rinsing, a hose, and microfiber cloths or towels to dry your car. You’ll also want to have two or three wash mitts on hand, plus a large sponge, a stiff scrubbing brush, and maybe a separate brush to scrub your tires with.

Fill a bucket with water. Then add car wash soap in the quantity directed on its bottle. This will be your washing bucket. If your car is very dirty or if you’d like to have a washing bucket for the body of your car and a separate washing bucket for washing your car’s wheel wells, you can fill two buckets with water and soap.

Fill another bucket with plain water. This will be your rinsing bucket. You only need one bucket for rinsing, whether you’ve chosen to use one or two buckets for washing.

Wash your car using a large wash mitt. Before you begin scrubbing the surface of your car, soak a large wash mitt or sponge in the soapy water, being certain to wash out any dirt in it, and begin applying it to the car. Do not use a brush on the car body, because this may leave little scratches.

Rinse each section after you’ve washed it. After one section is washed, rinse it with the hose before moving on. You don’t want the soap to dry on the paint and stain it. When rinsing sections, follow the same top-to-bottom pattern that you’ve used to wash the sections of your car.

Wax the car once it’s been dried. Wax should be applied to a clean, dry car.

After applying the wax, let your car dry out under the sun as the water on the underside of the car and the tires can dry out properly.