Car Washing Tips

If you loved your car when you first saw it on the lot or on the showroom floor and have since lost that connection with your car, maybe you could follow these simple tips to get back that showroom shine that you fell in love with.

1. Carefully inspect your car for any tar or bird droppings. Bird droppings should be removed as soon as possible as they contain acidic material from the birds digestive tract and will soon eat through the finish on your car. Always wash droppings off with a flush of water and do not rub on it because birds use grit or gravel to digest their food and that will be contained in the droppings. If you find tar, remove it with cooking oil. The oil will dissolve the tar and make it much easier to remove.
2. Park your car in the shade and on a hard surface. Let it cool down before starting your washing operation.
3. Spray down the car with clean water and a hose attachment set to shower. Thoroughly wet down all parts of the car.
4. Mix car wash detergent in a 2 gallon plastic or rubber bucket. Do not use metal as this may come into contact with your car finish. Also use only carwash formulated for car finishes. Do not use dish soap or laundry soap as these are too harsh and are formulated to clean animal and vegetable fats, not road grime.
5. Start at the top of the car and work your say down, sudsing one small areas at a time and then completely rinsing the area until only clear water flows off the car. After the last section is complete, give the car a final mist of clean water.
6. Take a California Water Blade, which is a soft blade and blade off the water on the car. Again start from the top and work your way down. You will not get all of the water off the car, but you will be able to get 95% of it.
7. Now for the final step, use a clean soft microfiber cloth and gently soak up all remaining water beads and streaks. Pay special attention to all crevices in doors, trunk, hood and those water diversion channels located on the roof.