In the fast paced world that we live in today it’s easy to see why so many people have scratches and paint swirls in their paint jobs. There is in fact a right and a wrong way to cleaning ones car. there are many important distinctions between cleaning your car and other things. First, it’s vital that you use microfiber towels and sponges when cleaning. Without paint swirls and micro scratches with start to appear. One of the most important things to know is that this takes time! cleaning a car is not necessarily an easy or fun task. But if you love your car and want to take care of it then its important to put in the time. There are very few things that you will need in order to clean the outside of your car. Below I have listed the items that will be needed.

  • Microfiber towels

  • Shammy towels for drying

  • Sponges for dirt removal

  • Automotive car soap

  • Bug and tar remover

  • Buckets

  • Water access

  • *optional* power washer

After getting the proper material another important factor to note is the time of day you’re cleaning your car. Anytime there is intense sun cover it makes it very difficult to get a spotless car. During the drying stages small sun spots will start to appear where water has dried on the car. This is what you want to avoid so I recommend doing this during the morning or even late afternoon. Next I will be going over the actual order and steps that are needed to properly clean the outside of your car. The approximate time it takes to fully clean and dry a car depending on size is about 45 minutes to an hour.

  1. Mix automotive soap with warm water in bucket
  2. Spray car completely with water
  3. Use bug and tar remover to go over any intense dirt contaminated spots
  4. Rinse car off
  5. Dip sponges into the soapy mix and thoroughly wash all part of car. *repeat step if all contaminants aren’t removed
  6. Wash rims, tires, and any plastic trims
  7. Aggressively rinse off car again
  8. Dry off car with shammy’s
  9. Dry off rims with individual towels

 

I’m confident that if you follow these very easy and simple steps you can achieve a shine your car has never seen before. All products listed above can be bought at any local automotive shop such as, O’Reilly’s or Auto Zone.