How to wash the car

One of the things that gave me the most headaches when I became independent from the family nest was neither cooking nor ironing, it was how to wash the car. From living in Asturias in a chalet with a garden where there is a “reserved” corner to wash the car, I have gone on to live in a flat in the center of Barcelona and park my cars in a car park located on a perpendicular street. However, despite the inconveniences of location, I have always been stubborn enough to get my car washed whenever I thought it was necessary.

True is that on the internet there are thousands of pages with recommendations on how to wash the car but, being objective, many of them end up having a commercial objective on a series of products that are neither cheap nor easy to locate. So in this article I am going to explain to you how, even living in the center of a big city, it is possible wash the car using products that we all have at home or they are easy to find in any supermarket and at a really cheap price.

How to wash the car outside

Washing the car body is relatively easy and is available to everyone. Yes, we will try to do it. always in the shade and with the car body cold. With the latter I mean that we will avoid washing the car when it has been parked in the sun or when we have shot with it because, although the bodywork is cold, the hood of the car will be hot.

Those who have a house with a plot have no excuse: hose, pot, sponge and car shampoo. It does not take great resources to wash the car. A high pressure washer is perfect as long as we are careful not to apply excess pressure on the bodywork, especially on the painted plastic parts, but in my case, despite having a pressure washer, many times I have resorted to a simple garden hose with no more water pressure than what comes out of the faucet. Of course, always use plenty of water both to rinse the car before starting and to rinse it after having soaped it.

Regarding the products to use, my answer could not be clearer: We will only and exclusively use a body shampoo. It can be found in any large area at a very affordable price. What I do recommend you avoid are shampoos that do several things in one such as "wash-wax" because in the end, they neither wash nor wax.

Those of us who have nowhere to wash our car are forced to resort to special washing centers. In this regard I must say that the car wash facilities with pressure guns are very practical to remove a little dust from above or when we have a certain urgency, but I am sincere when I say that, to really wash the car, as I like it, I do not like this type of facility.

I resort to washing tunnels with textile rollers, much less aggressive than plastic bristles. In all cities there are centers of this type that also offer some type of loyalty card to save us a little money.

dry the car

For an optimal result, the washing process is as important as the drying process. In car washes, drying the car is usually the last step, which is sometimes done manually by an operator, but when the car is washed at home or in a car wash center with high-pressure guns, we must do it ourselves. .

To dry the car there are plenty of chamois on the market. The best ones are the leather ones and the truth is that some of them give impressive results., but they have a maintenance problem that can put many of us back: so that they do not lose effectiveness, it is essential that we keep them moist between uses so that they do not crack. This point is delicate and almost impossible to maintain unless you put them in the fridge (something I will never do).

To avoid this, when I wash my car at home with a sponge and a hose, I use a silicone spatula that really surprises with its good result and its ease of use. The result is not like the one obtained with a leather suede, especially in rounded areas or with tension lines, but between uses it can be left “forgotten” in the closet without further concern.

If anyone has noticed, I have made it very clear how I dry the car when I wash it by hand but I have not said anything about how I dry it when I have taken the car to a car wash with high pressure guns because I simply do not dry it . The reason is that, as I said before, this type of washing does not finish leaving the car as clean as I like it to be. In fact, after washing the car at this guy's center, we can all run our finger along the bodywork to see that it really isn't all that clean. If in this case we pass a leather chamois or a drying spatula, what we will do is also drag this dirt that still remains on the car body that, although it will not scratch the paint, over time it can go off the initial brightness.

The moons

To clean the windows of the car there are no tricks or alternatives. Whether we have washed the car by machine, in a washing tunnel or with a high-pressure hose, if we want to have clean car windows, guarantee visibility and avoid uncomfortable reflections, we must always clean them with a glass cleaner and a lint-free cotton cloth. It is true that there are specific products for this, but we can use the same window cleaner that we use at home and the results will be just as spectacular and even more noticeable in night traffic.

Just as important as keeping the car windows clean and degreasing is clean and degrease those forgotten wiper blades. Either with the window cleaner or during the washing process with water and detergent, we must clean the rubber edge of the wiper blades well to guarantee their correct operation. If we do not do it, it may happen that when we use them, because it starts to rain, we fill the entire front window with dirt and grease that accumulate on a blade that has not been cleaned regularly.

As a last tip regarding the moons, I recommend you use a rain repellent for the front and rear windows or, if you do not have the patience for its application, use one of those that are added to the windshield washer fluid.

The tires

It can almost be said that the rims are the shoes of the car and, therefore, many are so it is not important not to wear them shiny and the truth is that it is very easy to leave them really clean. What is certain is that in order to clean the rims, it is necessary to wash the car by hand or at a pressure washing center, but really, if it is done well, the rims can be as clean as the first day. My advice on this is to use the same body shampoo and a specific brush to clean the rims: they are not expensive, they last for many years and the result is spectacular.

If we take the car to be washed at a high-pressure gun washing center, the ideal is that we put the euros in one by one to be able to stop a bit and give us time to wash the rims with the brush. Of course, for a simple matter of education, we will look for a less crowded car wash center to avoid that the rest of the users have to wait for something that, a priori, we should not be doing.

Over the years and the miles A kind of black "pimples" may appear on the rims that do not go away with the usual washing or even using the brush. I recently saw a video where it was recommended to use an oven cleaner. The result is really spectacular but I have not tried it and, therefore, I cannot recommend it either. In this sense, perhaps it is best to resort to specific products for washing and maintaining tires.

The car wax

Perhaps it is the most unknown and/or avoided step when washing a car. It is true that in many washing centers with pressure guns there is a step that includes it and in the car washes you can choose if you want a program with waxing or without it. I personally use wax programs as an alternative.

However, the wax has a much more important function than the merely aesthetic one, which is the protection of the paint. With this I want to tell you that with approximately an annual periodicity you wax the car as it is really done: with wax.

The process of waxing a car by hand is not cumbersome at all, but it is very heavy so I recognize that on many occasions I have preferred to resort to professionals who are not exactly cheap, due in part to the fact that many times the waxing process is part of an almost luxurious exterior wash. In this sense, the decision is personal to each one, but if you have time and patience, you can save a lot of money. Keep in mind that to wax the car it is better that it is freshly washed, so you can go to wash the car as you usually do and wax it immediately afterwards.

How to wash the car inside

Keeping the car clean on the inside is relatively easier than on the outside, but it is also true that, in the case of persistent stains, it is more difficult to clean.

Despite the fact that there are thousands of specific products for cleaning the interior, once again we will use products that we all have at home and/or that can be purchased at any supermarket or large area.

To wash the interior of the car, except upholstery and windows, I have tried all kinds of products and in the end I did not like one. I must admit that I hate the wet, sticky finish of certain cleansers, so after much searching and much testing, I recommend the usual soap and two microfiber cloths. This means an investment of less than five euros to be amortized over several years.

How is it done? Well, the truth is that it is very simple. First, with one of the damp but not wet cloths, I remove the dust from the dashboard, the console, the door panels... then we rinse the cloth, wring it out as much as we can, rub the soap with it and pass it through again. all plastic, metal or wooden parts inside. Immediately afterwards and with the second chamois, also damp but not wet, we rinse the entire interior well. If we see that a drop has remained on the dashboard or between the tolerances of the different parts we can use kitchen paper to finish drying it. Cheaper impossible. Also, if what we need is just to remove dust, disposable dusters are wonderful.

In this way, only the different screens of the car would remain uncleaned (radio, air conditioning, navigator...) for which we will use a screen cleaner like the one we use for the computer and the air vents, for which we will use some toothpicks with a piece of sponge that we can find in any specialist center or large area.

The moons

As with the exterior, the interior of the windows is also a very important point; A clean window minimizes glare from the interior, reduces fog build-up, speeds up the demisting process and improves visibility when driving at night. We achieve all this using the same glass cleaner that we use at home and a cotton cloth that does not release lint.

My advice to get a better result is apply the glass cleaner little by little. It is better for it to dry and have to add a little more than not to let it get out of hand and that no matter how much we rub it does not finish drying. And beware, clean the corners too, please.

the aspirated

The vacuuming of a car is a point that can come to me in a very bad mood. In the absence of being able to do it at home, Many of us are forced to go to car wash centers to hit ourselves with noisy low-power vacuum cleaners. and with a nozzle so large that it does not allow good vacuuming in the corners or in that infinite space between the front seats and the center console. In addition, these nozzles are usually dirty and with some torn pieces of plastic, so when it comes to vacuuming the seats we can get some unpleasant surprises. On the other, I don't know if it's my folly, but with one euro I don't have time to vacuum the car and with two euros I have plenty of time.

On this occasion, my advice goes through investment again: buy a lighter vacuum cleaner and keep these details in mind:

• Always choose the one that is not only more powerful but also has the highest air flow.
• Look whenever you have the accessory to lengthen the nozzle and be able to use it in hard-to-reach places under the front seats or in the space between them and the center console.
• Always try that when you use this vacuum cleaner, or any other accessory that is plugged into the cigarette lighter, the engine is started so as not to drain the battery.

the mats

When it comes to washing the car, the most normal thing is that we also vacuum the mats or that we beat it with them. In fact, in many car wash centers there are suitable metal structures for us to hit the mats. However, with the passage of time, a deeper washing becomes necessary. At this point I offer you two alternatives: wash them in the shower or in the washing machine. Of course, in any case we will wait until they are completely dry to put them back in the car.

Regarding the mats, I do not recommend washing them with specific or expensive products because in case of deterioration we can always buy new ones for just over 20 euros.

the air freshener

There are many of us who want our car, in addition to being clean, to smell clean. However, there are also many of us who find the same problem in car air fresheners: that they smell like car air freshener.

To leave a pleasant smell in your cars you can use any colony or perfume that is not very strong. You will put a little on the mats, never on the upholstery or dashboard and the ventilation system will do the rest.

The carpet and upholstery

The worst stains you can find in a car are those found on the upholstery or carpet. Here I am going to be clear and, unless it is a very localized stain, I recommend that you go to a specialist. If, on the other hand, it is a small and localized stain, you can remove it with a soft brush, an upholstery cleaner and a powerful vacuum cleaner.

If the upholstery is made of leather, it is much easier to do a cleaning maintenance. To clean it from time to time, the impregnated wipes that are found in any large surface are very practical. In any case, for the leather to remain in good condition it is essential carry out a complete cleaning and moisturizing process every year or two which, as happens with the waxing of the bodywork, can be heavy but not at all cumbersome.

keep the car clean

There are people who see the car as a simple work tool or as the means to move from one point to another. Others live the car with passion and understand it as an extension of ourselves. In any case, the keeping the car clean gives a more benevolent image of its driver, apart from preventing premature aging of the paint.

As far as the interior is concerned, a fairly computerized cabin, without clutter, with a pleasant smell and without a thousand things plugged into the cigarette lighter also collaborates in offering a neater image of the vehicle and, why not say it, also of us. themselves.

Lastly, a car that is kept clean on a regular basis is easier to clean than one that only sees the water and the vacuum cleaner once a year, so don't be lazy and take advantage of when summer is over to clean the car following the advice we have given you... and you will tell us.