Washing your car regularly can be extremely useful in helping to extend the wellbeing of your car’s bodywork.
Most cars undergo a daily barrage of contaminants such as salt and grit from the road, brake dust and bird droppings. By cleaning your car regularly and removing these contaminants before they attack the paint work on your car, you will help extend the life of your car’s exterior.
If you can’t manage to take care of your car yourself, you can always get professionals to do it for you.
Washing your car by hand is a simple task that can be done with a number of basic cleaning materials. If looking to wash your car by hand, there are several tips to help you achieve a professional and satisfactory finish.
* Park your car out of direct sunlight. This will stop your car from drying quickly which can lead to blotches and water spots appearing on the paint work.
* Set your cleaning materials near the car, including a bucket of hot water with cleaning formula, a bucket of clean cold water and appropriate cleaning utensils such as a sponge and cloths.
* Check that all the windows and doors on your car are closed and, if possible, remove the aerial.
* If you have a hose, use it to loosen and soften any dirt on the exterior of your car.
* Wash your car section by section using the sponge and hot water with cleaning formula. It is best to start with the roof of your car and work from top to bottom. Ensure that you rinse the dirt out of your sponge regularly.
* After you have cleaned each section, rinse off the area with clean cold water – either by hose or by bucket.
* As you continue to clean your car, ensure that the rest of the vehicle remains wet as it is important to towel dry your car once the whole wash is complete rather than let it air-dry.
* Wash the lower part of your car and the wheels last as these will normally be the dirtiest part of your car.
* Clean your wheel trims using a wheel brush if you have one, or with a cloth. If possible, hose off any loose dirt.
* Rinse the bottom of your car and wheels using clean cold water either by hose or by bucket.
* Dry your car using a clean towel. By towel drying rather than allowing your car to air-dry, you eliminate blotches and water spots appearing. Water spots are caused by the mineral deposits in water – as the water evaporates, the mineral deposits are left on the paintwork leaving marks.
* Apply polish and wax if desired.
By washing your car by hand you are also able to inspect your car’s bodywork for any signs of chips, cracks, discolouration or corrosion.
By noticing defects early you can look to have them rectified as soon as possible, saving yourself the possibility of an expensive bill if they were left unchecked.
