The Ultimate Home Vehicle Wash

Nothing makes your vehicle look better than a good wash. It is a critical step if you are selling your used vehicle, but even if you are not, it is important for good maintenance and to help you enjoy your ride. The best vehicle wash can happen in your driveway with a hose, some soap, cleaning mitts and a few buckets of water. Pick a good location. You do not want to clean the vehicle in direct sunlight or direct heat as the soap will dry onto the vehicle before you can rinse it off. Aim to wash the vehicle in the early morning or late evening and do not wash it near a dusty road or under a tree where buds, bugs and leaves can fall and stick to the vehicle. Make sure your hose has a nozzle with enough pressure to spray the vehicle and one that allows you to stop the water flow when you want. This way you are not running water throughout the entire process.

Focus on the wheels

Use a hose with a nozzle that provides good water pressure to spray the wheels of the vehicle. The wheels contain the most dirt and debris, so you want to clean them first.

Spray around the wheel wells, as well as the undercarriage to get rid of brake dust, dirt and to clear out any road salt left behind from winter.

Clean the wheels with a cleaner that is made for tires – some cleaners work best with certain paints or types of aluminum and you can typically find this information in your owner’s manual. You do not want to damage your wheels by using the wrong product.

Once you have finished with each of the wheels, put that mitt or chamois aside – you do not want to use this on the rest of the vehicle, or you will risk transferring all that tire dirt and debris to your vehicle and scratching the paint.

( Source: Car Craft Auto Detailing )

Prep and lather

Spray the entire vehicle with water to rinse away surface dirt and to give your vehicle a good coating of water. Pay attention to all the cracks and crevices and make sure you cover the entire vehicle.

Prepare two buckets of water – one without soap and one with soap. Use a cleaning solution that is specific to cars as a household cleaner could strip wax off the paint or damage the finish. A professional vehicle cleaning solution will also allow the water to sheet and bead off, making the drying process quicker and reducing the likelihood of water spots.

When you are filling the buckets, follow the instructions on the cleaner so you use the right amount of solution. You will use the soapy bucket to lather up your mitt or chamois with soap for the vehicle and the bucket of water will be used to rinse dirt and debris from the mitt after you are done cleaning each area. It is important that the cleaning mitt is free of dirt or else it can scratch the paint as you clean.

You want to work your way down as you wash the vehicle and clean it in sections. Start with the roof. Use the mitt to make one swipe, flip it over to swipe again and then rinse it. Do not try to scrub or rub off the dirt. As you finish each section, give that area a rinse so soap does not just sit there. Clean the back of the vehicle last, as this is an area with a lot of dirt.

If during the cleaning process the mitt falls on the ground, rinse it very thoroughly before even considering using it on the vehicle. Dirt and gravel could have gotten lodged into the mitt in the fall and you don’t want to be rubbing that into the vehicle’s surface.

( Source: ChrisFix )

Rinse and dry

Once you have washed up each section of the vehicle, remove the nozzle from the hose and use the free-flowing water to rinse the vehicle. Start with the top and again, work your way down, making sure you do not leave any soap behind.

The final step is to use a dry chamois or a microfibre cloth to dry the vehicle gently and thoroughly. Avoid household towels and instead use the cloth to drape the vehicle, with little rubbing or pressure. Squeeze water from the cloth as you continue to dry until you have reached every spot and you’ve got a streak-free finish that shines!

It is inevitable – as soon as you have taken the time to clean your vehicle, a flock of birds fly over and leave their mark. While it is hard to prevent, it is important to clean up after. Wipe off bird poop as soon as possible as the highly acidic droppings can damage your vehicle’s finish.