Keeping your car clean is important if you want to avoid rust or scratches or in the paint.
You wouldn’t think there is a wrong way to wash your car, but you’d be surprised. Proper car care means using the right cleaning materials, cloths, etc. Improper car care will lead to damage rather than cleanliness. To avoid any disasters, and to get the best results, here’s a short list of some basic car care and cleaning rules.
Rule #1: Use The Right Cleaning Chemicals
Most people use dish soap and warm water to wash their car. While this is great at getting grease and dirt off the car, you could be damaging your paint at the same time. Dish soap strips out important oils from the paintwork that protect your vehicle, so it’ll start to fade and chip much faster if you don’t use the right chemicals. There are cleaners specifically designed for your car and don’t have paint-damaging ingredients. Always opt for one of those rather than plain old dish soap.
Rule #2: Use The Right Cloths
Your paintwork is very delicate and can be easily scratched. This is why it’s so crucial to use the right sponges and cloths. If you’ve got an old cloth that you found in the back of a cabinet covered in dirt, you’re going to scratch up the paint on your car. You need something much softer, like microfiber cloths. They won’t damage your paint and they’re extra absorbent, so you won’t end up with any watermarks. Always make sure that you’re washing the cloth out before its next use so you aren’t rubbing old dirt and grit back into your car.
Rule #3: Plucking
Plucking the finish on your car isn’t a technique that many people have heard of, but it’s the best way to get a great finish on it. You can buy a small kit with a bar of clay to rub the surface of the car. This picks up the bits of dirt that are stuck to the car and don’t come off with normal washing. It’s a pretty long and boring process, but it’s the best way to get a glass-like shine on your car.
Rule #4: Always Wax
To get good results when you clean your car, add a preventative measure to keep it from getting dirty in the first place. Waxing it can help you do that while also improving your finish. There are a few different types of wax available, but you’ll probably find the best ones to be newer, synthetic polymers. They give the paintwork a lot of protection and you don’t have as much white residue to clean off. When waxing, make sure to rub it in properly so you don’t get any smudges.
Use these easy tips for your car care and you’ll end up with a cleaner car that stays looking good for a longer period of time! And, as always, if you have your own suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments.
