Giving your car a good clean every few weeks can help to preserve the paintwork, prevent rust, and enhance the vehicle’s appearance.
By removing contaminants like dirt and salt that can accumulate over time, you can keep your car looking good and even help to maintain its resale value.
Follow the steps in this blog to get your car looking its best.
Cleaning Supplies: What You’ll Need
Gather the following materials before washing your car to make the process as straightforward as possible:
- Bin bags
- A microfibre cloth
- A sponge
- Car glass cleaner
- All-purpose cleaning spray
- A handheld vacuum
- Car soap (or dish soap)
- Warm water
- Disinfecting spray
- Rubber gloves
- Window cleaner
Before you use any products, be sure to read their packaging carefully.
You could unintentionally damage the paintwork or other finishes if you use products that aren’t compatible with your car.
For instance, older cars may need a cleaning regimen that involves clays, waxes and polishes to protect the paint.
Whilst you can wash your car using washing up liquid, it is best to use soap that is designed to be used on cars.
What to Wear
Wear something that you don’t mind getting dirty, that doesn’t have any buttons or zips that could accidentally scratch the car.
When to Clean Your Car
If you’re planning on cleaning your car, avoid doing so in icy or hot weather.
You can still wash your car in the summer heat but should do so either early in the morning or late in the afternoon when the day is at its coolest.
Washing your car after it has rained is a good idea, as you can wash away any dirt particles rain leaves behind.
Where to Wash Your Car
Park your car in a shaded area, so that the sun doesn’t dry your car too quickly and leave a patchy finish.
How to Wash Your Car at Home
You don’t always need to take your car to a car wash to give it a good clean – with the right materials and know-how, you can do a great job of cleaning your car at home.
Follow the steps below to wash your car well.
Tidy Your Car
Overloading your car can put unnecessary strain on the brakes and suspension – so having a clear out is always a good idea.
Empty your boot of any items you don’t need, and check the floor for any rubbish that could have accumulated over time.
Once your car is clean and tidy, you may wish to invest in organisers and a car bin so that you can keep everything in its right place.
Hoover and Dust the Interior
Take out any floor mats and slap them together to shake loose the dirt.
Hoover the mats and then hoover the interior of your car – paying particular attention to the spaces between the seats, the centre console, and the floor.
Using a clean, spare toothbrush, you can dust the dashboard and door panels before giving the car another hoover.
Move the front car seats as far forward as possible to hoover underneath them and the back floor.
Wipe Down the Interior
Take your microfibre cloth and wipe down the dashboard, steering wheel, door handles, cupholders, seats and gearstick.
You can use a cleaner designed for car interiors to clean these surfaces – avoiding the seats unless they are leather.
Use a fresh cloth to give everything another wipe down.
Clean Your Tyres
The wheels and tyres are likely to be the dirtiest part of the process.
To clean your car’s tyres, hose off any grime – you may notice dark brown sediment, which is just accumulated brake dust.
Using a soft-bristled brush, you can scrub the rim of your tyres – and a hard-bristled brush can be used on the tyre surface and tread.
Start with the tyres, using soapy water to clean the sidewalls.
You can dry the tyres with a soft microfibre cloth.
Wash Your Windows
Interior Windows
Use a foam car glass cleaner on your windows – as anything more liquid will just drip.
You should use a microfibre cloth for this so that you can get the smoothest finish.
Starting with the interior glass, spray your cloth and take a clean section along the outline of the window’s edge.
Fold the cloth to get another clean section and repeat the process until you reach the centre of the window.
Take a dry section of cloth to wipe off any excess product.
Exterior Windows
When it comes to washing the outside of the windows, it is best to wash the rest of your car before proceeding.
Otherwise, water can splash your windows, meaning you’ll have to clean them again.
Spray a glass cleaner onto the window section by section, focusing on one area at a time with your microfibre cloth.
Work in circular motions, from the top down to minimise drips.
Windscreen
Lift up the windscreen wipers to get rid of any dirt or leaves.
Using a microfibre cloth, wipe your wipers with screen wash.
Take an alcohol-based glass cleaner and spray it across half of the windscreen, before taking a clean microfibre cloth and wiping the windscreen with smooth strokes.
Do the same with the other half of the windscreen, before buffing the glass with another clean cloth.
For the interior, spray the cleaner onto a clean cloth rather than the glass.
Hose the Exterior
Using a pressure washer or hose, wash away the dirt and grim on the outside of your car.
Bear in mind that you can damage your car’s paintwork if you use a pressure washer too close or over chipped paint.
To minimise the risk, you can attach a nozzle to reduce the pressure.
Use Shampoo on the Bodywork
Once you’ve washed the exterior, you can use car shampoo added to a bucket of warm water – follow the directions on the bottle closely.
Use a sponge to rub this mixture into your car in circular motions, washing the shampoo off section by section as you go to avoid leaving streaks behind.
You should start on the top and work your way down.
Remember to rinse the soap off with the hose after.
Dry Your Car
Whilst you can let your car air dry, this can leave smears and water spots behind.
Dry your car with a soft microfibre cloth.
Alternatively, you could use a blower, but this is a less affordable choice.
No matter how you wash your car, with the right products and good technique it'll look spotless in no time!
