The alloy wheel repair experts at our body shop repair centre understand that the idea of cleaning your car is an unpleasant one, but who doesn’t like a clean and shiny vehicle? Unfortunately, keeping your car clean can be a more difficult task than just saying it. You need to wash your car regularly, for it to look its best. Washing your car can be relaxing and satisfying. It is also pocket-friendly. Commercial car washes use abrasive products that are harmful and can either scratch or damage your car’s paint. But when you’re doing it at home, it allows you to be as gentle and caring with the bodywork as you want to be.
How to wash your car at home
There’s so much more to washing a car than just preserving its paint. Our bodywork and alloy wheel repair experts have compiled a few steps on how you can wash your car at home easily:
1. Evaluate your car’s condition
Decide how dirty it is. Is the car covered in fine dust? Do you need to remove the dirt before using it? Look at the condition of your car yourself. An older car will need more products to clean it; on the other hand, you only need a small amount for a new car or it can be cleaned easily using a wet cloth.
2. Choose the right tools
These include a soft sponge, some car washing liquid, several microfiber cloths and one large microfiber towel. For the interiors, get a vacuum cleaner, rubber gloves, wheel cleaner, paper towels and a window cleaner. In contrast to this, never use a bar of hand soap, dishwashing liquid, or any other cleaning liquid other than the car wash detergent/liquid cleaner.
3. Read the label
Carefully read the labels before you apply anything to your vehicle. The wrong products can damage the paint; therefore, reading the directions behind the product will save your time as well as your money. Along with this, it will help you to use the correct amount of product for your vehicle.
4. Location
It might seem like an amazing idea to wash your car on a warm, sunny day but it has its disadvantages. When it comes to cleaning your car, bright sunny days could spell dark times ahead. Too much direct sunlight or heat could dry off the shampoo from the bodywork before you even get to finish the job; so it’s always better to clean your car early in the morning or late in the evening when the sun goes down.
5. The three-bucket system
The three-bucket system involves you having three buckets full of water by your side before you start cleaning your vehicle. Fill the first bucket with normal water, the second bucket with soapy water and the third with a mix of both soapy as well as normal water. Soapy water will be used for cleaning your vehicle and to remove all the dirt it has. Then, it will be washed off using the bucket of normal water and the third bucket is for cleaning your car’s wheels; which is often the dirtiest part of your vehicle.
6. Do the dirtiest part first
The dirtiest part of any vehicle is the wheels, so let’s just quickly start by washing them first. Make sure to never apply any cleaning product on your vehicle’s tyres, instead just spray them using normal water just to remove the dirt off them. Also, remember to use only one bucket for cleaning the tyres and don’t use the water-only bucket to clean them: they are for cleaning your car.
7. The EGIs
Now that you have washed the dirtiest part of your car, it’s time to match the rest of your car & do the EGIs. EGIs stand for exteriors, glass & interiors, and let’s see how we can give them a good wash.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How easy is it to wash your car at home?
It’s super easy to wash your car at home. Just fill two large buckets with water & using a car-wash sponge, apply soapy water equally over the exterior bodywork. Rinse it off using the same bucket of plain water to avoid scratching.
2. What soap can be used to wash a car?
Any household cleaning agent like hand soap, dishwashing detergent, or glass cleaner can be used to wash the car.
3. Can you use laundry detergents to wash a car?
Laundry soap or hand soaps are not pH balanced and can damage your vehicle’s bodywork and paint. Thus, it is recommended to use a car soap to wash your car as it is specially designed for a car.
4. How often should a car be washed?
It’s highly important to wash your car every two weeks. Some obsessives wash their car every week, or sometimes even more frequently.
5. Is it bad to wash your car every day?
Washing your car every day or even every week could be seen as excessive and unnecessary. Therefore, it is recommended to not wash your car every other day.
6. How to wash your car without water?
A waterless car wash might be a good alternative to soap and water. Waterless car wash products use a chemical formula instead of water to remove the dirt off the car’s surface. You can even use several waterless products like wax. Once you find a good product, it’s super easy to clean your car.
Use Jenkins & Pain, Award-Winning Vehicle Repair Centre
There you have it, if you do find yourself needing car bodywork or alloy wheel repair and need a car repair or van repair you can count on us to complete all jobs using industry-standard processes. Our body shop repair centre offers free quotes and with our exclusive repair service, we are sure you will be happy with the results. Contact our Vehicle Body Shop today. Jenkins & Pain are a vehicle accident repair centre based in Dover, Kent. We are proud to call ourselves an award-winning accident repair centre. Check out our guide on how to look after your alloys!
Ready to Visit Our Vehicle Body Shop?
We understand how costly and inconvenient it is for a vehicle to be off the road and therefore we use processes that ensure your vehicle is repaired quickly and efficiently. So whether you need minor scratch repairs, major body repair, or alloy wheel refurbishment, our van body shop and car body shop can guarantee a high-quality service. We also repair light commercial vehicles and motorhomes. Contact us today for a paint repair at our Car Body Shop!
