Ok, lets admit it, we all like when our cars are clean, but they can be MUCH cleaner, and here i am going to show you how to make your car MUCH cleaner.
I personally am not one to talk when it comes to keeping a clean car, my car is usaully dirty, but i find ways to get around this.
My first recommendation is to go ahead and start out by washing the cars body. I recommend using a sheepskin wash mitt. You can get these at some local walmarts, but you can try autozone or somewhere else of that nature. Make sure it is real sheepskin as a non sheepskin mitt can marr the paint and put fine scratches in it.
For a soap, i recommend using duragloss 901. This soap can be found at napa and a few other places if you look hard. I personally recommend getting some from autogeek (linked below) if you can not locate it. This is a HIGHLY concentrated soap and 1 capfull will go ahead and make a full 3 gallon wash bucket. If you want to strip the current wax off of the car, supposedly dawn will strip the wax off of your car, but i dont recommend this. This is a rumor started by a wax company claiming that it may help strip wax, but no one knows. Remember, duragloss WILL NOT strip wax off of your car.
When you go to add water to the bucket, use enough to make it foamy, remember the foam is what helps protect you from marring the car as well and scratching the paint, not the water itself. After filling the first bucket, take the second bucket and fill it with plain water without soap. We will use this bucket to take off any dirt that got on the wash mitt.
Rinse down the car at this point, spray off any caked on mud or excess dirt using the hose at this point and make sure that you get off whatever you can. Make sure the cars paint is wet and do not allow the cars paint to get dry. Make sure all excess dirt is off of the car and make sure to get the wheel wells as well.
To start washing the car, take your mitt, put it in the soapy wash bucket, and wash one body panel at the time. Make sure to grab enough soap foam in between the mitt. Do not and i repeat DO NOT scrub your car with the wash mitt. Do this 1/2 a body panel at a time. Do the upper half of the body panel first. After this, you are to take your wash mitt, put it in the bucket with clean non soapy water, move it around and scrub itself in there, and pull out. If you see dirt on the mitt, use the hose to wash the dirt off of the mitt. This method is used to prevent the car from getting scratched. Do this for all of the panels on the car ABOVE middle of the doors. When you are finished with the upper part of the car, take your mitt, wash it throughly in the non soapy water. You may now start on the lower body panels. You may have to rinse the mitt off more often if you see lots of dirt on the mitt. I tend to rinse it every 1/2 of each panel / bumper. When you do this, make sure to be very conscious of when you have a dirty mitt as a dirty mitt CAN scratch your car. Make sure to use lots of soap, and make sure the car is clean. Make sure to get behind the wheels and the lower parts of the car including the lower plastics. I usually use a older rag to get the wheel wells and behind the wheels so i don't wreck my mitt, but i do not recommend you use a regular rag. If you can find a pure cotton rag to do this with, it would not be as bad.
After you are finished doing this, you may rinse the car. I recommend using the hose on mist mode, letting all the soap fall down the car. Make sure the car is completely soap free.
The next step to washing your car would be drying it. For drying the car i recommend using pure microfiber towels to prevent marring of the paint. If you are feeling risky, but you are sure your car is 100 percent clean and it will stay that way, the California water blade is an option. If you use the microfiber towels, DO NOT RUB them but instead dab the paint and make sure the car is dry. The last thing we need is water spots.
Wheels:
To wash your wheels i recommend using a microfiber cloth and soap.
(I recommend using a wheel cleaner if your wheels are severely dirty. I am going to say something that is mostly sin when detailing a car, but its what i do, i personally use simple green on wheels and make sure to wash them throughly. I have not had a issue with the rims flaking at all or anything of that nature personally, but do this at your own risk.)
When you are going to wash your wheels, make sure you get what you can off with the hose, and go on and use the soap you used for the car wash on the wheels. Make sure to pay attention to the whole wheel. Rinse your cloth VERY often when doing this and try to get as much dirt off as you can. Rinse the wheel off, and make sure to dry it as well using the same method you used to dry the car. Make sure the towel does not touch the tire. At this time, rise the tire off as well.
To be continued
I personally am not one to talk when it comes to keeping a clean car, my car is usaully dirty, but i find ways to get around this.
My first recommendation is to go ahead and start out by washing the cars body. I recommend using a sheepskin wash mitt. You can get these at some local walmarts, but you can try autozone or somewhere else of that nature. Make sure it is real sheepskin as a non sheepskin mitt can marr the paint and put fine scratches in it.
For a soap, i recommend using duragloss 901. This soap can be found at napa and a few other places if you look hard. I personally recommend getting some from autogeek (linked below) if you can not locate it. This is a HIGHLY concentrated soap and 1 capfull will go ahead and make a full 3 gallon wash bucket. If you want to strip the current wax off of the car, supposedly dawn will strip the wax off of your car, but i dont recommend this. This is a rumor started by a wax company claiming that it may help strip wax, but no one knows. Remember, duragloss WILL NOT strip wax off of your car.
When you go to add water to the bucket, use enough to make it foamy, remember the foam is what helps protect you from marring the car as well and scratching the paint, not the water itself. After filling the first bucket, take the second bucket and fill it with plain water without soap. We will use this bucket to take off any dirt that got on the wash mitt.
Rinse down the car at this point, spray off any caked on mud or excess dirt using the hose at this point and make sure that you get off whatever you can. Make sure the cars paint is wet and do not allow the cars paint to get dry. Make sure all excess dirt is off of the car and make sure to get the wheel wells as well.
To start washing the car, take your mitt, put it in the soapy wash bucket, and wash one body panel at the time. Make sure to grab enough soap foam in between the mitt. Do not and i repeat DO NOT scrub your car with the wash mitt. Do this 1/2 a body panel at a time. Do the upper half of the body panel first. After this, you are to take your wash mitt, put it in the bucket with clean non soapy water, move it around and scrub itself in there, and pull out. If you see dirt on the mitt, use the hose to wash the dirt off of the mitt. This method is used to prevent the car from getting scratched. Do this for all of the panels on the car ABOVE middle of the doors. When you are finished with the upper part of the car, take your mitt, wash it throughly in the non soapy water. You may now start on the lower body panels. You may have to rinse the mitt off more often if you see lots of dirt on the mitt. I tend to rinse it every 1/2 of each panel / bumper. When you do this, make sure to be very conscious of when you have a dirty mitt as a dirty mitt CAN scratch your car. Make sure to use lots of soap, and make sure the car is clean. Make sure to get behind the wheels and the lower parts of the car including the lower plastics. I usually use a older rag to get the wheel wells and behind the wheels so i don't wreck my mitt, but i do not recommend you use a regular rag. If you can find a pure cotton rag to do this with, it would not be as bad.
After you are finished doing this, you may rinse the car. I recommend using the hose on mist mode, letting all the soap fall down the car. Make sure the car is completely soap free.
The next step to washing your car would be drying it. For drying the car i recommend using pure microfiber towels to prevent marring of the paint. If you are feeling risky, but you are sure your car is 100 percent clean and it will stay that way, the California water blade is an option. If you use the microfiber towels, DO NOT RUB them but instead dab the paint and make sure the car is dry. The last thing we need is water spots.
Wheels:
To wash your wheels i recommend using a microfiber cloth and soap.
(I recommend using a wheel cleaner if your wheels are severely dirty. I am going to say something that is mostly sin when detailing a car, but its what i do, i personally use simple green on wheels and make sure to wash them throughly. I have not had a issue with the rims flaking at all or anything of that nature personally, but do this at your own risk.)
When you are going to wash your wheels, make sure you get what you can off with the hose, and go on and use the soap you used for the car wash on the wheels. Make sure to pay attention to the whole wheel. Rinse your cloth VERY often when doing this and try to get as much dirt off as you can. Rinse the wheel off, and make sure to dry it as well using the same method you used to dry the car. Make sure the towel does not touch the tire. At this time, rise the tire off as well.
To be continued
Comment