How to Wash Your Car

Using a good hose with a strong stream, completely soak down your car. You want to loosen as much dirt as possible. Do not skimp on this step. The more heavy dirt you leave on your car, the harder it will be to wash and get really clean. Plus, dirt particles can scratch your car's finish even while washing it. Do the same to the wheels and tires. It will probably take more than one pass to do it right.

Get a large bucket with a handle. It will make moving it easier. Many people even get a small dolly to place the bucket on. Washing your car is going to be strenuous enough. Place a capfull of car washing soap in the bucket. You MUST use soap specifically for washing cars. Soap is soap is soap, true, but some soaps will strip the wax and dull the finish off your car. You also want one that will make the maximum amount of suds. These suds will do the work. Use a combination wash/wax soap if you wish. After putting the capfull in the bottom of the bucket, squirt the water with a strong stream and put as close to the bottom of the bucket as you can and create the suds. Fill bucket until suds overflow. You are now ready to wash your car.

Do not use a sponge. Do not use anything that is abrasive like steel wool, sink, or dish scrubbers. They must be soft. They must be fluffy. A wash mitt is the best. It will trap dirt instead of scraping it along your cars finish. A sponge could scratch your car. For tall cars, vans, and trucks, you can use a pole mitt. Make sure you buy a pole with a head that is specifically designed to wash a car. Many will scratch your cars finish. Remember, the fluffier the better. A wash mitt designed for car washing will hold the most suds as well. Suds is what will clean your car.

You do not need to park in the shade. If you keep everything damp, you will have no problem. If you can, park under cover, out of the sun. Avoid parking under trees as they shed leaves, bugs, seeds, and other debris that can ruin a good car wash!

Wash your car from the bottom up. That's right. From the bottom up. Many people will tell you to do it from the top down. The reason you want to wash your car from the bottom up, is so you can see what you have washed. Don't worry about dirty soapy water running down from the top to your clean sides. This will wash right down. It is very important for you to have a clear view of what you have washed.

Use a scrub brush to scrub the tires using a soapy bucket as described above. Don't use this brush on the wheels as it may scratch. Use a special soft wheel brush, or the same wash mitt as described below as well. It may be a good idea to have a special mitt set aside for wheels and one for the car. Wheels get certain dust and grime that can stay on a mitt. Be careful not to hit or damage the valve stems. I do not advise using wheel cleaner unless it says it is safe for car finishes. Wheel cleaners can contain chemicals that can damage your car's paint. Car was suds is very safe and effective on wheels.

Dump the dirty water after the tires and start with a new bucket of suds.
**Dump the bucket of suds and change it after each section and even more often if the suds no longer are present. Don't wash your car with dirty water. This will scratch it!

Now you can get to the rest of your car.

Start off by washing one side, move to the back, wash the other side, wash the front and hood, then the top and windows. Save the wheels and tires for last.

After washing one of the sections mentioned above, rinse it down immediately. This will help to avoid the soap drying and leaving spots. Also, after each section run the hose over the previous washed sections as well. Keep them damp until the final rinse. Hosing them down in between will wash down any debris that has landed on your car since the last section. Be sure and spray the wheels each time as well.

Keep a spray bottle handy of bug and tar remover. Read the label to get a safe, gentle one. If you see bugs or tar, spray this one just before washing and scrubbing with the wash mitt. This stuff will remove bugs and tar effortlessly. Remember to use it before you use the suds.

Wash the top and windows last. Hose down the areas as well as all other areas that have been washed. Remember to keep them damp and clean.

Car Washing Tip! What is the first thing you should do after you wash your car? Wash it again! The first wash gets about 95% of the dirt off, leaving 5%. As crazy as this sounds, it is good advice! But, this step is indeed optional!

After washing the wheels and all sections, spray the car down completely. After spraying it down, now comes an important tip on the final rinse. DO NOT SPRAY THE CAR DOWN ON THE FINAL RINSE! Let the water flow out of the hose gently, over the top and down the sides. Create sheets of water, cascading over your car. This will avoid water spots! If you have ever had trouble with water spots, this will do the trick. Beading water makes water spots. Spraying with a fine mist creates beads! Also, rinsing all sections after washing one section will also avoid spots. Another tip: The better your car is waxed, the less likely the water will bead. In fact, if you do the water cascading technique above, some parts of your car will be dry without even wiping down!

After the final cascading rinse, pull your car into the garage, under a car port, or other shady spot. If you need to park under a tree, do so, but trees drop leaves, bugs, and other debris. If you dry your car under a tree, blow off particles that have fallen or you will scratch the car.

Use plain white cotton bath towels, the thirstier the better. Use white, as other colors will leave colored lint behind. Make sure these towels have been run through a dryer to remove excess lint. Have 4 to 5 of these towels handy.

Don't fold them up. Keep them open and walk with the towel spread over the car. Do the hood and top first, and get the windows. The sides will practically dry themselves. Change towels when needed. A damp towel is actually better, as it will spread the remaining water evenly and avoid water spots. Don't over dry. If your car is clean and waxed often, letting some water dry naturally. This will avoid water swirl marks.

Look for hidden spots for water to collect and drip. This is in window sills, and the spot between the bumper and license plate. Run the edge of your towel in these nooks and crannies. Blowing air into them helps the water come out. Same is often true around your side view mirrors. This was cause a litter water splatter that you can easily wipe up. If you do not do this, as you drive, this collected water can drip down and cause spots.

Do the same for the wheels. But do not dry the tires. Your towel will turn black and be ruined. If your tires are clean, they will not need to be sprayed to look better. Spraying your tires with the shiny stuff will actually collect dust. And contrary to popular belief, rubber is very durable in all types of conditions. Tires can dry naturally. They repel water on their own.

A chamois or the Sham-Wow towels work great as well. They hold a lot of water. Ring them out often, but keep them damp. A damp chamois or Sham-Wow works wonders! Again, avoid touching the tires with these as they will turn black and get tire junk on them.

Drying Tip! Many people will rinse their cars, then immediately take a spin around the block. The rush of air will help air dry the car, as well as blow out the little nook and crannies. This leads to less towel time. The danger is getting bugs and debris on your just washed car!

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