Are you washing your car right, or just damaging the body paint? Most of the swirl marks on your car could be as a result of poor washing techniques. Thorough and frequent car washes are the best car care routines your car could receive.
Things you will need to wash your car
- Vacuum cleaner
- Hosepipe
- Car wash soap
- Buckets
- Washing sponges
- Cotton towels
- Wax
- Scrubber
Follow the following simple tips to eliminate these problems.
No direct sunlight
Do not wash your car in direct sunlight; find a place with lots of shade. It may be a risk that it will rain but a cloudy day is better than a sunny day. Washing the car in the sun is fun, but the car will dry in between the washing and drying leaving lots of watermarks. The heat also waters down the efficiently of the cleaning products. There is no point in washing the car in the rain even though this means free rinse after the shampoo. It is great to wash the car early in the morning or late afternoon.
Gentle wash
The tools used should be easy on the paint while removing dirt efficiently. A sponge or mitt is better than a flat towel since they are plusher. Aggressive scrubbing is a poor washing method that results in unsightly scratches and swirls. The swirl marks are caused when grit and dirt abrade the paint surface.
Wash of the grit and dirt first
This ensures that you rinse off any abrasive grit from the body of the car. Use a high-pressure hose or pressure washer to blast off more dirt. This leaves you with less cleaning work to do. Remember to use moderate pressure, as a powerful pressure will damage paints and seals.
Work from the rooftop downwards
This soaks the dirt on the lower sides of the car. Do not forget the undersides of the bumpers and doorsills. These places are easily forgotten when standing next to the car but they become more visible as you move away from the vehicle.
Stubborn Stains
Tar spots, dried bugs, bird droppings or tree sap are some of the common stubborn stains. These stains need tougher oil-based cleaning product to remove. Commercial tar and bug sprays available in stores work on the stubborn stains. My tip is that WD40 can help loosen off stubborn marks. After washing stubborn stains, give the affected area a clean and thorough polish.
Shampoo your car
It is important to invest in a dedicated car shampoo, use warm water and a good sponge to wash the car. Before shampooing your car, you should have removed the grit with the pressure washer. When shampooing, use a grit guard at the bottom of your bucket so that when you rinse the sponge after every wipe, the grit particle sinks at the bottom. As like every process, shampoo the car from top to bottom to prevent dirt from spreading.
Drying the car
Use a chamois, cloth or microfiber cloth to dry the car. When wiping with a microfiber cloth, ensures that there is no dirt on the cloth or car. Use a dryer to blow droplets of water in hidden areas, such as the door hands and light.
Wax the car
Wax your body wax or polish your car after this. Use a fines sponge to spread a thin layer of wax evenly and let it dry. Use a soft cloth to buff to a shine.
Interiors of the car
After the exterior wash, you need to work on the interior. For this, you need a portable vacuum cleaner to get into all the crevices and nooks of a car cabin. The portable handheld vacuum cleaner should be powerful enough to suck up the toughest dirt and have strong battery power to last the average cleaning time.
Hover the vacuum cleaner back and forth while flipping the seats to get all dirt or hidden debris. Use the vacuum cleaner on the boot too. Hover the vacuum over the boot and under the spare wheel too.
Do not forget…
- Dashboard : Finally, work on the dashboard with car wipes. These wipes leave a matt or gloss finish. The wipes are good for wiping crumbs and spillages in the door bins and cup holders.
- Bonnet: For the car bonnet, visit some engine bay to give the bonnet some tender loving care(cleaning). Do not wash the bonnet on your own, and never use a pressure washer in the bonnet.
- Windows: Use a lint-free cloth to wash the windows with automotive glass cleaner.
- Rims: Do not forget to pressure wash the exterior rims, wheels.
Remember, the cleanliness of a car gives an impression of its owner
