Prices for goods and services have gotten really expensive lately; so people are looking for ways to save money and reduce their expenses. If you drive an automobile or own several cars, you're probably thinking of postponing your weekly car wash or even start washing the cars yourself. If that is the case, prepare for the best family bonding activity that will build more cohesion and make your kids happy.
Home car wash seems like a simple task, but if you want to do it properly, there are some steps that you need to consider. This is especially true for cleaning the exterior that requires additional protection, given that your car will probably be parked somewhere outside under the sunlight. And this brings me to the most important point; and that is to never wash your vehicle under direct sunlight because of the heat.
As you can imagine, the heat could damage the coat. You will also need to eliminate everything that could scratch the car during the washing process. Naturally, your jewelry should be left home, and you need to wear clothes without buttons, zippers or anything that could scratch the car during the washing process.
Handwashing Your Car Like A Pro: Car Wash Preparation
You already know that a pro who is handwashing your car will do a far better job than the automatic wash, but you probably ignore the fact that this pro is putting a lot of preparation into the process. If you want to have the same results, “preparation is the mother of success,” so have your chemicals, sponge, microfiber towels, hose and buckets organized. And then fill two 5- gallon buckets with clean water and add in one an auto-specific soap.
Handwashing Your Car Like A Pro: Wash The Wheels First And Then Pre-Clean Your Exterior
This seems like a no-brainer because everyone knows that washing the wheels first will eliminate the risk of water drying on the paint. You’ll need to use a soft brush that doesn’t scratch the wheels. Select one with the bristles made of soft boar’s hair instead of a synthetic one. And then gently clean the front face of the wheel and the inside of the wheel’s barrel. You’ll need to pay attention to your brush because you'll have to clean it each time there's dirt on it. The last thing you need is to scratch the surface with the dirt glued to your brush. After finishing the process, rinse each wheel. A t this point, you’ll need to change the water in your buckets and add a clean one.
Gently remove the dirt from the paint before washing your car. You need to pay extra attention, so you don’t scratch the surface of your car. Use a foam cannon to snow foam your car. In case you don’t have one, use a portable hand pressurized foamer to loosen up dirt, debris and grime. After this step, you can pre-rinse the foam so that the stubborn dirt is suspended from your vehicle.
Handwashing Your Car Like A Pro: Wash And Rinse The Car
Take your microfiber wash mitt and apply water from the soap bucket over your car. Start cleaning the exterior of your vehicle with side-to-side motions. You’ll need to begin this process at the roof, then move down towards the hood, rear and upper portion of each panel, then move lower. Always start at the top and never from the lower part of your car, and try to hit every inch of the body. Don’t forget to rinse the mitt and change the water in the buckets periodically. Although this is a fun family activity, don’t get carried away and chat with your kids instead of washing the car because the soap could dry on the paint. The last thing you want is to re-wash the entire car or, even worse, damage the paint.
Handwashing Your Car Like A Pro: Rinse, Dry, And Protect
After you’ve finished washing your vehicle, you’ll have to rinse it properly. Take your pressure washer and rinse the soap from your car. For drying your car, you’ll need cotton cloth or microfiber towels, or if you’re lucky enough to own a leaf blower, use that one instead. When the car is dried, you can move on to the next step and use an ammonia-free glass cleaner for the glass. Later, you can add a protective layer such as wax, to protect the coat.
After you've spent your weekend washing your car, don't forget to take it for a spin. You'll want to enjoy your clean car before it gets dirty again, or your kids make it messy and transform it into a "health hazard."