While it’s always nice to have a clean car, both inside and out, going to get a professional car wash isn’t always possible. Especially during the time of coronavirus, your favorite car wash might not even be open yet. So to ensure that you have a clean vehicle, it’s wise to learn how to do a great car wash all by yourself.
To help you see how this can be done, here are three tips for doing a professional car wash at home.
Ditch Your Sponges
Traditionally, when people think about washing a car, they imagine using a bucket of soapy water and a sponge. However, using a sponge is actually not the best idea if you’re wanting to protect your vehicle.
According to Rick Muscoplat, a contributor to the Family Handyman, sponges have large pores that will soak in tiny bits of debris or dirt from your car. While this might initially make your car clean from this dirt, the sponge isn’t easily rinsed from the debris. As a result, when you rub your car with the sponge, it acts like sandpaper, potentially scratching up the paint of your car rather than further cleaning it. Knowing this, you should use a microfiber mitt or cloth to clean your car rather than relying on a sponge, especially if it’s an older sponge that you’ve used before.
Use The Three-Bucket System
To really get your car clean at home, Anthony Alaniz and Stef Schrader, contributors to Popular Mechanics, advise that you use the three-bucket system as opposed to using just one bucket with soapy water.
To do this, you’ll want to have two buckets that have soapy water and one bucket that’s just clean water. With one of the buckets of soapy water, you’ll wash the body of your car. When your cloth or mitt is dirty, you’ll rinse it in the bucket of clean water. After you’ve washed the entire body of your car, you should then use the second bucket of soapy water to wash your tires. Since the tires are the dirtiest part of your car, you’ll be sure to get them and all the other areas of your car cleaner by not using the same water for both areas.
Keep Things Cool
The environment in which you wash your car can also have a big impact on how well you’re able to get it clean at home.
According to Consumer Reports, you should avoid washing your car when it’s hot or in direct sunlight. If you were to wash your car when it’s hot or out in the sunlight, it could dry too quickly and cause streaks or spots to show up, which won’t have your vehicle looking very clean.
If you’re wanting to get a more professional-looking car wash at home, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you accomplish this.
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