7 Best DIY Carwash Tips
Keeping your automobile sparkling clean can be a tedious and lengthy task. That’s why car owners prefer to spend a little money and send their cars to the closest car wash.
However, the long queue and sometimes the lack of luster or a job quickly done by the cleaners may make you want to DIY. To assist you in learning these straightforward and handy skills here is a DIY list to help you clean your automobile like a pro.
1. Clean your car below the shade
Do not wash your car in the sun. Why? Firstly, water acts as a glass/mirror under the sun. If left alone, water drops or soap become spots once it dries up in the sun and can damage a car’s paint over time. In some cases, it may even initiate metal corrosion and rusting.
If you cannot avoid cleaning your car in direct sunlight, ensure its surface is kept cool by spraying water and wiping it with a clean fabric once you’re done. Else, you may consider cleaning your car early in the morning or late afternoon when the sun will not be too hot.
2. Prepare what you need
Now that you know when is the best time to wash your automobile, you can prepare the materials that you will need to clean it up. Be organized and put everything in one basket so that you won’t need to go and look for something missing every time. Altogether, this can be pretty tiring, frustrating, and discouraging.
To make things easier, you can use two buckets, wherein one bucket stores clean water to rinse the car, and the second bucket holds the liquid wash.
Checklist:
1. Car soap
3. Sponge or microfiber towel
4. Vacuum cleaner
5. Interior protectant liquid spray
3. Begin with the surface of the tires
Unless your tires are stuck with mud and other debris that may affect their road grip, there is no need to deep wash the entire surface that rolls on the road. Why? All your effort would go wasted in just a few seconds because the moment you take the car out, the surface of the tires would be rolling on dust again. So, what’s the point? Just a light wash should be enough.
4. Wash from top to bottom
Use a duster to clean off the dust deposits on your paint. Start by dusting the car off with a duster.
Then, wash the car with warm water and apply the liquid wash using either your sponge or microfiber towel. Dip your fabric in the first bucket of water, rinse the towel and spin the excess water. Then use the towel to wipe away the liquid wash. The effect will be an instantly cleaner paint! Wash off the soap starting from the top and working your way to the bottom to ensure that each side of the car is evenly cleaned.
Alternatively, you can use a hose to wash away the dirt after you would have finished the shampoo of the car. However, this method is not Eco-friendly as you would be wasting a lot of water in the process. It is also not efficient as you may be washing off too much of the wash and wax liquid solution, which is meant to leave a protection film on your paint.
5. Wipe it dry
Once you’re done, dry the car by using your microfiber towel. (I do not advise the chamois cloth as it thickens when dried and does not have a buffing effect on the paint. And, if you are using wash and wax products, the chamois cloth will rub off the wax coating film from your paint). I prefer a microfiber towel which does the trick perfectly. This specific towel can quickly absorb water while shining your paint, saving you precious time. Wipe in a descending order to avoid re-wiping on the same areas of the car; wipe the windows using the same towel. In doing so, make sure that no dirt can scratch the glass.
6. Clean the interior
- Start by the ashtray if you are a smoker.
- Remove all items like books and magazines, plastic bags, newspapers, and containers (store them in a basket so that you can get back to them when you need them later on).
- Vacuum from the headrest down to the floor.
- Vacuum clean the whole habitat by insisting on the most challenging spots, often filled with dust particles.
- Remove the floor mats and wash and dry them out.
- Use your microfiber cloth to clean the interior of the windows.
- Finally, spray the dashboard, steering wheel, side panels, shift knob with an interior protectant liquid spray, and wipe until dry.
7. Gloss your tires
Who does not want glossy tires? Here, you can use a gloss spray on the side walls to get that polished look. However, prevent the spray from getting on the surface of the tires as it can make the tires a bit slippery.
Hope that you have enjoyed this post. Now that you know how to clean your car yourself, you will not queue up at the car wash and save time and money!