Nice weather means long lines at the car wash! How about washing your ride yourself? Here are some tips from NAPA on the Dos and Don’ts of self-washing!
Choosing the right soap. Many times you may have heard that using dish soap is the best and cheapest way, however, it is not! Maybe for your dishes, but not your car! Those powerful chemicals that cut grease and more can hurt your vehicle’s paint, wax, and clear coat. There is no perfect soap for your car. You can choose which one you prefer, just make sure it is formulated for cars, not dishes!
OK, so you are washing away and you set your sponge down beside your bucket of water, no big deal right? Only if you like debris being rubbing into your paint! Always make sure you are keeping your cleaning rags, sponges, drying cloth, etc, off of the ground where they can pick up sand, grit, or anything that could lead to scratches in your paint!
The two bucket method. If your ride is extra dirty, washing and refilling your sponge in the same bucket of sudsy water may not be a good idea and could transfer dirt onto your clean car. It is best to use one bucket with soap and water, then another for rinsing your cleaning mitt or sponge before dipping in to get more soap.
You may have heard this one before, don’t wash your car in direct sunlight! Sunlight equals warmth and that equals your wet sudsy car drying faster than you can wash and rinse. This can lead to water spots on glass and paint. If it is a warm day try to spray the car gently to keep it damp until it is time to rinse off. This will keep the soap from drying out and becoming an issue later!
