Cleaning a car is a piece of cake, right?
Yes, provided you follow the right sequences of steps as recommended here. You may think it is just basic car care procedures that everybody would have known, read further and you will appreciate this checklist.
Research tells us that 52% of American get their car washed less than once monthly, and you will be surprise to find that 15% never even wash their car! Based on a survey did by International Car Wash Association, 40 million cars’s interior smell like garbage. Can you believe that?
Car Cleaning Supplies
* wheel cleaner (we recommend Sonax finish-safe wheel cleaner to protect your high-end alloys wheel)
* a soft brush
* a water bucket (3-5 gallon)
* car washing detergent
* a hose with pistol-grip nozzle (strong water pressure preferred)
* car washing mitts or soft all-cotton type towels
* few 100% cotton towels or synthetic chamois for drying
Car Cleaning Step by Step
Give the car a good rinsing from top to bottom, including the wheels and inside the fenders. Rule#1 – Always clean the wheel and tires before washing the body and remember not to use the same mitt for both. You didn’t want to make your car body greasy or dirty with the same mitt used to wash your tire!
Use a good tire cleaner with a stiff brush to clean the surface of your tires. There are various type of tire cleaner, whether in spray form, foam or liquid – just choose one that suites you. Next, clean the wheels with a finish-safe wheel cleaner to remove the brake dust and blackens, especially on the front wheels.
To wash the body, use a car washer specifically for automobiles; don’t ever use household cleaner for the job! Those cleaner may looks the same, smell the same but they are not the same! Most household cleaners contain cleaning material that can strip the wax out of your car’s paint and spoil your car’s finishing without you realizing them.
Start the washing from the top, section by section and rinse the soap thoroughly before moving to next section. After you get the body done, move on to the front, sides and rear of the vehicle.
To rinse, start from the top, and let the water flow down the surfaces of the vehicle. To prevent water spotting, dry with a chamois or product such as Water-Spot Remover.
Lastly apply the wax, this final step will protect your car finishing as well as making subsequent washing easier. Before waxing, make sure you had removed contaminants embedded in the paint using car cleaner. Apply them following the instructions given on the product manual.
The Car Care Council is the source of information for the “Be Car Care Aware” consumer education campaign promoting the benefits of regular vehicle care, maintenance and repair to consumers.