A Better Way to Wash Your Car

Studies show that driving a freshly washed car makes you a better driver. The fact that you don’t want to muddy those wet-look tires, and get dust on your gleaming clear coat makes you drive slower and more cautiously. You’re on the lookout for potholes and you keep your distance around construction equipment, right? Well, of course you do. So, with that in mind, let’s review some cool pointers to keep your wheels in the best condition.

Before you lather your car with nice hot sudsy water, you want to wash it down first with a hose. Try and get as much dried-on dirt off as possible. Even dried heavy dust can scratch the surface of your paint so be thorough in this. Now, you’re ready to do the actual washing. Always start with the front grille and give it a good soapy scrubbing but don’t rinse yet. Then go to the very top of your vehicle and work your way down. Rinse as you go. By the time you rinse the grille it’s had a good soaking. Finish with the wheels and make sure you scrub the actual tires.

The next point, and this is important and a lot of people neglect it, is to walk around your car and look for spots, dried insects, tar and any other resistant dirt you missed. Doing this every time will prevent build up that is almost impossible to remove after letting it accumulate for months or years. Check the grille, the wheel wells and the exterior mirrors and, if required, scrub clean and rinse.

If you have hard water, you’ll want to dry your car fast with a soft chamois or lint-free rag. Otherwise, you can let it air-dry then hand-dry wet spots. Check your windows to make sure there are no streaks or dried soap on them. If they’re not perfect, wet them and dry them with crumpled newspaper. Newsprint is a fantastic polisher. Next what you want to do is check all the ‘black chrome’ on your car. This is my favorite part. Buy a cleaner for black trim and apply according to directions. If you’ve never treated your black door handles and window trim with this stuff, you’ll be amazed at the results. Scratches disappear and the black takes on a darker, more lustrous shade. I love that stuff.

To finish, you’ve got to spray your tires with cleaning foam and watch the shine appear. Not only does this stuff make your tires look better than new, it actually protects them. Then the last step is to wax your rims. This may be a little tedious but the results are worth it. You want to protect those expensive wheels and taking proper care of them is an investment. Now stand back and have a look! Following these tips will help protect the value of your car and make it a pleasure to drive. Next time I’ll talk about cleaning the inside of your car!