There’s something to love about washing your car on a warm, sunny afternoon, a bucketful of suds, and a garden hose with a spray nozzle by your side. There’s a feeling of pride when your car is squeaky clean, inside and out. To help you make the most of your at-home car washing experience, we checked in with the pros for all the tips you need to wash, rinse, wax, and brighten your vehicle.
BEGIN YOUR CAR WASH
Start with your car in a safe and well-shaded location, recommends Abdullah Sharief, co-founder of Panda Hub, a mobile car detailing marketplace. Then, before you even turn on the hose, clean out your car interior. Take everything out and set it aside or throw it in the trash. Not just empty soda cans and fast-food wrappers, but also ice scrapers, paper maps, and reusable grocery bags.
“Air out your car as much as possible,” says Sharief. Open up all the doors as you’re removing items from your vehicle to allow for a healthy flow of fresh air. “Strong cleaning solutions and dust everywhere won’t be pleasant to work in.”
WASH AND WAX
When you’re ready to get wet and bubbly, save the dish soap for your dishes—it isn’t car wash friendly. “Dish soap strips away the wax and can dry out your paint,” says Rocky Vuong, founder of Calibre Cleaning. He suggests using a pH-neutral soap that is specially designed to protect a car’s clear coat.
Wash and rinse your car from top to bottom to remove all the soap and grime. This way, you’ll also avoid re-depositing dirt elsewhere on your vehicle. Clean washcloths and sponges in between washes. Don’t reuse them without cleaning them.
Ready to wax? A wax coating can help protect your car from sun damage and scratches. Every six months, apply a layer of car wax to help keep your car looking new and shiny. Isaac Lee, vice president of operations, Soapy Joe’s Car Wash, recommends using natural and biodegradable products. He suggests a natural car wax, like carnauba wax. “It’s one of the better at-home waxes due to its affordability and effectiveness.”
BRIGHTEN AND SHINE
When you wash your car, don’t forget about windows, headlights, wheels, and rims. For foggy headlights, which can generate much less light than clean headlights, Sharief likes using a DIY cleaning solution, such as a gentle abrasive made of a mix of toothpaste, baking soda, and water. Alternatively, he suggests the headlight restoration kit from Sylvania, which helps restore clarity to dull and sun-damaged headlights.
For wheels, use a dedicated wheel cleaner designed for the materials of your wheels (e.g., alloy, aluminum). “Use a wheel brush made with soft bristles that reach all the nooks and crannies of the rims,” adds Vuong.
CLEANING YOUR CAR INTERIOR
It’s hardly fun to clean interior crevices, like cup holders and seat belts, but it must be done. For these areas, “Crevice tools are a must,” says Lee. These tools are tops for cup holders and door panels, as well as the center console and dashboard. For those who are passionate about having a clean car, consider soft, car-detailing brushes.
Have several microfiber cloths on hand to clean all the different parts of your car, including the interiors. A fresh cloth helps ensure you don’t rub sticky or abrasive debris onto softer surfaces. A fresh cloth also keeps you from rubbing cleaning solutions onto the wrong materials.
For crumbs, a vacuum cleaner with a hose is preferable to a handheld vacuum. You want maximum power to remove cookie crumbles and dirt from soccer cleats. A vacuum with specialized attachments also allows for easier maneuvering in between and under seats.
A simple microfiber cloth and glass cleaner are perfectly fine on windows. However, you’ll want to “spray the cloth you’re working with, not directly on the windows,” adds Sharief. Do this outside the car to keep from spraying your upholstered interiors with glass cleaner.
After your car wash, enjoy driving your clean, shiny car with renewed pride and pleasure.
