Cleaning your car efficiently saves you time and effort and ensures that the vehicle body comes out looking great. If you clean carelessly, the task takes much longer, and you run the risk of scratching the finish, streaking the surface and leaving the body vulnerable to rust. To wash your car efficiently, follow these guidelines:
- Never wipe or dust the body with a dry cloth: tiny particles of dust and grit on the surface can scratch the paint.
- Never wash a vehicle in the hot sun: the cool water causes the hot body to contract, which can crack the paint and ruin the finish
- Be sure the windows and sunroof are closed before washing: spray lightly around the edges of the windows, sun roof, and rear deck lid for a short time and then check to see if the weatherstripping leaks.
- Before you wash the car, hose it down to get rid of the surface dust: then clean and polish such exterior surfaces as glass windows, sunroofs, chrome bumpers and trim, side mirrors, wheel covers, white walls, and tires.
- Use cold water and a hose rather than a bucket of water to wet and rinse the car: a bucket holds a finite amount of water. As you rinse out your rag or sponge, the dirt is transferred to the water and back to the rag.
- Use a sponge, soft rag (towels, T-shirts, or cotton diapers are wonderful): cotton swabs and old toothbrush will help you get into small areas.
- Use gentle cleansers: this is very important, use a commercial car washing product, not a laundry soap or dish soap or detergent. This detergents and laundry soaps can damage the cars painting by removing the wax and other protective finishes from the surface.