Basic Auto Care – How to Properly Wash Your Car at Home

Your car is one of your biggest investments and properly servicing it and maintaining it can add years to its life. Proper auto care goes beyond oil changes and tune ups, especially if you want to keep it both running great and looking brilliant. Properly washing your car, cleaning the interior and detailing the exterior can keep your car’s value high. If you decide to wash and detail your own car instead of taking it to a professional car wash or auto detailer, there are a few basic items you will need.

There are three methods of washing your car: taking it to a car wash, calling a mobile detailer to wash it, or washing it yourself. This article explains two methods of cleaning your car yourself: The traditional & new way. The traditional method has been used for generations past and until now the new method was not needed. The traditional method uses up to 100 gallons of water according to www.carwshing.com and the new method uses close to none. According to www.bewaterwise.com, leaving the hose on for one-minute outputs 8-18 gallons of water. If you think that it is morally wrong to waste hundreds of gallons of water when you get the same or better results going with a waterless wash, then why not? Check out the descriptions below.

Traditional Car Washing Method

Necessary Equipment:

• A vehicle that needs to be washed
• A hose or other source of pressurized water with an automatic shut off nozzle
• A large bucket
• Wheel and tire cleaner
• Car wash soap (not dishwasher soap-- they contain chemicals that can be damaging to your clear coat and paint)
• Sturdy brush for the grille, wheels and tires
• A large, soft sponge
• Terrycloth towels, microfiber towels, chamois or other scratch-free fabric
• Finishing elements such as wax, sealant, tire wax, etc.

Car Washing Procedure:

1. Start with your wheels, one at a time:
   1. Spray the wheel and wheel wells with water
   2. Spray the wheels with tire cleaner or you can use your car soap
   3. Allow the cleaner to set for about 10-20 seconds
   4. Scrub area with your wheel and tire brush
   5. Rinse again with water
2.  Wash the car
   1. If you used your car wash soap to clean your wheels, make sure to rinse out your bucket and sponge and prepare a fresh bucket of soap.
   2. The basic procedure is rinse, soap and scrub, if necessary, then rinse again. Generally, you'll want to do this section by section to avoid letting the soap dry on your paint. Work your way around the car and move from top to bottom. Also, be sure to rinse your sponge frequently to avoid scratching the paint with accumulated dirt.
   3. Drying -- allowing the water to air dry will leave mineral deposits that can damage your paint and clear coat over time. For this reason, professional auto detailers recommend washing your car in the shade or at a cooler time of day such as the morning or dusk. If this is not possible, you can lower the temperature of the paint by frequently spraying it down with the hose and drying the car quickly with fresh, clean towels.

3. Apply finishing touches

There are a variety of waxes, glazes and sealants you can apply to your car after it's washed. Most auto detailers recommend, at the very least, waxing your car frequently to preserve the clear coat and paint. Many other auto care products are available to restore the color of your trim and tires to their original conditions. Though the products you use may be different depending on the color of your paint and trim, taking a little time to investigate the right ones for your car can do much to retain your vehicle's value for years to come.

New Car Washing Method

As you read above this method uses plenty water that is unnecessary to actually wash a car. With our valuable drinking water being wasted we must now move towards using a waterless carwash system. This method is so easy and eco-friendly with spectacular results that you’ll never want waste water again. You’ll also notice that your car will not get as dirty as quickly as in the past.

Necessary Equipment:

• A car that needs washing
• Waterless Carwash Solution
• 3 Micro fiber towels

Procedure:

1. Wash the car
   1. Work in sections. Spray the car with the waterless wash and wipe off with a microfiber towel. Use the second towel to buff that same area so you get an incredible shine. Make sure that your car is not heavily soiled, if so use a pressurized sprayer to take of the mud. Do not wipe your car if you see mud or dirt- this could scratch your car, first rinse it off.
   2. Clean your windows using the same process, but make sure to use your third clean micro fiber towel.
2. Start with your wheels, one at a time:
   1. Spray the wheel and wheel wells with waterless carwash spray
   2. Allow the cleaner to set for about 10-20 seconds
   3. Scrub area with your wheel and tire brush if necessary, otherwise use your towels to wipe it off.

3. Apply finishing touches

There are a variety of waxes, glazes and sealants you can apply to your car after it's washed. Most auto detailers recommend, at the very least, waxing your car frequently to preserve the clear coat and paint. Many other auto care products are available to restore the color of your trim and tires to their original conditions. Though the products you use may be different depending on the color of your paint and trim, taking a little time to investigate the right ones for your car can do much to retain your vehicle's value for years to come.

4. Collect the dirty towels in your garage till you get up to a full load to wash them.