Some people absolutely love to wash a car, while others are perfectly content to go to the car wash or send their vehicle to the detailers when it’s in need of some TLC. Regardless of how your car gets clean, regular washing and routine care is essential to maintaining both the good looks and the proper function of the vehicle.
While washing a car is a fairly easy job —?apply soap, rinse, dry —?there are some specific products and techniques to know about to achieve optimal results and, more importantly, to avoid causing costly damage to your vehicle’s exterior.
To create this guide to washing a car the right way, we tapped experts Michael Stoops, a senior global product & training specialist at Meguiar’s, and Michael Schultz, a senior VP of R&D global at Turtle Wax, and asked them to explain what products you need, and the right way to use them, to wash a car.
Essential supplies for washing a car
Unless you’ll be using a foam cannon to dispense car wash solution, the first things you’ll need when washing a car are buckets for soap and for clean water. “Two buckets — one for soapy water and one with fresh water for frequent rinsing of the wash mitt,” Stoops says.
A hose is essential for rinsing the car before and after washing, and for filling buckets with car shampoo and clean water for washing.
We asked the experts about some “nice to have” products, in addition to the essentials, for washing a car. “A foam cannon is a canister that holds a mix of shampoo and water that attaches to a pressure washer,” Stoops explains, “and allows the user to cover the vehicle in thick, rich foam as either a pre-wash or full wash, depending on preference and needs.”
While a foam cannon isn’t strictly necessary, when it comes to picking the right soap for the job, Stoops says to use “a proper car wash shampoo, like Meguiar’s Gold Class Shampoo & Conditioner, rather than dish detergent” when washing a car. Dish soap is not ideal for car washing because it can strip the wax, leaving the paint job vulnerable to scratches and nicks.
When washing a car, investing in the right tools for the job is worth spending a small amount of money on. You’ll get a better result, and you won’t run the risk of costly damage to the car’s exterior. Stoops recommends using “a proper microfiber wash mitt, instead of just an old towel or sponge” to apply soap to the car.
A microfiber drying towel is worth a spot in your car cleaning kit too. “A microfiber drying towel will make drying of the car much easier, and safer, than an old bath or beach towel,” Stoops says.
“Wheel and tire appearance is extremely important on today’s vehicles,” Schultz says. “Most vehicles have large aluminum custom rims and open wheel designs, so when wheels are neglected and covered with grime and brake dust, they can really detract from the exterior appearance.”?
When purchasing a wheel cleaner, make sure to select one that is formulated for the type of wheel you’re working on, or choose an “all wheel” product.
To achieve a professional detailer’s result, after cleaning the tires and wheels, Schultz recommends using a tire shine product to make the tires look like new.
A wheel brush helps you to get into tight spaces, including between wheel spokes, to remove brake dust, grime, dirt and other road debris from wheels and tires.
A tire brush is an inexpensive and versatile tool that can also be used for brushing and scrubbing floor mats.
The right order to wash, wax and detail a car
Working in the correct order is important when detailing a car, whether you’re just washing it or you’ll be performing a full wash, wax and interior detailing. Schultz recommends working in the following order:
- Step 1: Clean wheels and tires
- Step 2: Wash and dry the car
- Step 3: Surface prep and restoration (optional)
- Step 4: Wax and shine
- Step 5: Interior detailing
How to wash a car
The experts we spoke to provided the following step-by-step instructions on how to wash a car.
Step 1: Clean wheels and tires
The first step is to clean the wheels and tires using a wheel and tire cleaner. Directions for use can vary from product to product, so check the instructions first to determine if the product is applied to a wet or to a dry tire. After applying the product, agitate it using wheel and tire brushes, then rinse thoroughly.
Step 2: Rinse vehicle
Using a hose, rinse the vehicle thoroughly to remove loose dirt from the surface. Then, in one bucket, dilute the car shampoo with water, following package instructions, and fill the other bucket with clean water. Use a forceful stream of water from the hose when diluting the soap so that you create a very sudsy, foamy solution.
Step 3: Apply soap in sections
Dip the wash mitt in the car shampoo, picking up a lot of suds. Working in sections, begin washing from the top of the vehicle down to the bottom. “The idea is to remove the dirt from the vehicle, not just move it around,” Stoops says. As you work, frequently rinse the mitt in the bucket of clean water, refreshing it as needed. After sudsing each section, rinse the area so that the shampoo doesn’t dry on the car’s surface. Work your way around the vehicle using this technique.
Step 4: Rinse vehicle
After washing and rinsing each section of the vehicle, give the car a final rinse. Stoops recommends removing the nozzle from the hose. “A smooth and steady stream of water will flood the majority of water off the vehicle, making drying faster and easier,” he says, adding, “the fresher the coat of wax or sealant or the vehicle, the better this flooding method works.”
Step 5: Dry vehicle
After rinsing, dry the vehicle using a microfiber drying towel to remove water spots and leave the car looking sparkling clean.
Expert-approved car wash tips and tricks
The experts we consulted provided these tips, tricks and best practices they’ve learned through experience, from creating the right working conditions to the correct order of operations for washing a car.
- Work in the shade: “Remember to not wash in direct sunlight or if the finish is hot to the touch,” Schultz says. “This leads to tedious work and poor results.”
- Wash top down: “Cars typically gather more dirt closer to the ground,” Stoops says, “so by washing the lower portions of a vehicle last, you will run less of a risk of picking contaminants up with your towel or wash mitt. Otherwise, you may transfer contaminants, dirt or debris back to the car when washing, which may create fine swirls on your car paint.”
- Hose it all down: “Always wet the entire vehicle with a hose,” Schultz says. “and rinse off loose dirt from all exterior surfaces, including wheel wells.”
- Less is more: “People often believe that using a lot of product will lead them to the results they want, but this is not the case,” Stoops says. “More wax does not equal better protection. It only means you end up working harder while waxing your vehicle. Thin, even coats are best for a great experience and protection.”
- Dry it right: “Use new dry towels on glass to get those areas clean and streak-free,” Schultz says, “and try to dry glass first before drying the rest of the vehicle.”
- Inspect it: “Surface prep and restoration is an optional, yet important step,” Schultz says. “After washing and drying the exterior surfaces of the vehicle, inspect the exterior for headlight clarity, dull or faded trim, finish stains, water spots, scratches, swirl marks, bonded paint contaminants and accumulated bugs and tar stains. There are specific products to address each exterior issue.”
