How Often Should You Wash Your Car?
Ask any car dealer and they’ll tell you that washing your car is important. Why is this important? It’s just dirty, right? How often should you wash your car? Washing your car is maintenance, just like changing your engine oil. You can drive a dirtier car longer than you can with dirty oil, but if you ignore this task for long periods of time, you will notice some consequences.
Do I need to wash my car? Washing your car removes contaminants from mud and road grime. Your car is dirty. Many vehicles have slow leaks that leave droplets of oil, coolant, brake fluid, and transmission fluid on the road. When it rains, these fluids mix with dirt and get on your paintwork.
Bird droppings are acidic. Road salt causes your car to rust. Gasoline, brake fluid, and insect residue eat away at your paint. The soil itself can also be acidic. All of these environmental contaminants can damage your car’s paint over time.
The longer you leave the contaminants on your paint, the more damage they will cause. Additionally, these contaminants can be abrasive. Rubbing your shirt or pant legs against a clean car will not cause any damage if the car is clean. However, doing this on a dirty vehicle can easily scratch the paint.
How often should you wash your car?
As a rule of thumb, wash your car whenever it feels dirty. If you want to wash your car regularly, a once-a-month wash is sufficient for most car owners.
Car enthusiasts and those who drive black cars may want to wash their cars more frequently to keep them looking like they just rolled off the showroom floor. For these people, a weekly wash is ideal.
Reasons to Wash More Often
1) It Looks Great
Regular paint maintenance can keep your 20 year old car looking like new. Proper washing techniques will prevent swirls, and regular washing and waxing will keep your car as shiny as the day you bought it.
2) It Protects Your Paint
People will often walk past your car in the parking lot. If your car is clean, that’s no problem. However, dirt is just as abrasive as sandpaper. If your car is dirty, even a light touch can embed contaminants into the paint, leaving scratches and swirl marks even after you wash your car.
3) It helps prevent rust
Of all the contaminants that can get on your car, salt is probably the most harmful. Driving near the ocean or on icy roads covered in glitter in the winter often results in salt getting on your car.
Once rust has developed, a simple car wash cannot remove it. The best way to prevent rust is to wash your car regularly, especially if it has recently been in a salty environment. Make sure to wash the salt off as soon as possible, but no later than within a week.
Don’t forget to clean the underside of your car, too. Rust often starts on the frame or sills under the car. Once rust has started, it can spread and affect the structure of the vehicle. How often is “TOO often” to wash your car?
There is no such thing as washing your car too often. If you do it right, you can wash it as many times as you want. You can’t scrape the paint off your car.
Also, don’t forget to wax it regularly. Waxing is an important way to protect your paint from the sun’s UV rays. This is especially important in the summer when the sun is strong or for cars parked outside.
Most waxes make the car slippery and easier to wash. This helps prevent further contamination when driving in dirty environments.
An alternative to wax is ceramic coatings. Ceramic coatings and ceramic sprays are the latest alternatives to traditional waxes. It offers the same protection and often lasts a little longer.
What do you need when washing your car at home? If you want to wash your car at home, there are a few things you need to have ready to do the job right.
1) Microfiber Cloth and Scratch-Resistant Wash Mitt
Microfiber cloths and scratch-resistant wash mitts are designed to safely work on your car’s paint. Don’t use towels that aren’t specifically designed for cars. For example, bath towels and washcloths have stiff fibers that can easily scratch the paint even with light pressure.
2) Car Soap
There are many soaps for car paint. Choose one that smells good and has additives that you like. Some soaps contain wax, which allows you to skip the waxing step in the washing process. Although waxing only needs to be done every 6 to 12 months, waxing is very time-consuming.
3) Two Buckets
Washing your car using the two-bucket method is a great way to avoid swirl marks. This is especially important on dark-colored vehicles. How to use the two-bucket method:
1. Dip your wash mitt into the soapy water in the first bucket.
2. Wash part of the vehicle.
3. If the dirty gloves are dirty, soak them in the second bucket.
4. Squeeze the gloves to remove as much dirt as possible and repeat the wash cycle for the entire wash cycle.
4) Dirt Prevention
The Dirt Guard allows dirt to sink to the bottom of the bucket instead of getting stirred up every time you dip your wash mitt into the bucket. Ideally, you should use a Dirt Guard with each bucket, as this reduces the risk of dirt getting back into the car, especially if it is very dirty.
5) Pressure Washer and Foam Cannon (Optional)
A pressure washer and foam cannon can make the cleaning process much easier. Pressure washers on low settings are great for getting stubborn contaminants off of the vehicle. It’s generally good to keep the pressure under 1,100 PSI if you choose to do this. A lower-powered electric pressure washer is great for this.
Foam cannons apply soap uniformly to the entire vehicle and give that soap a chance to work before you apply the sponge. Soap is the lubricant that keeps you from scratching a dirty vehicle. Foam cannons help give you that layer of protection you need so you can wash with confidence.
Can You Use Dish Soap to Wash a Car?
You should not use dish soap to wash a car. Dish soap is a degreaser that will strip the wax off of your vehicle, leaving your paint unprotected.
How Long Does It Take to Wash a Car By Hand?
The time it takes to wash your car will vary depending on what you’re doing and how large your vehicle is. If you are doing any sort of additional paint correction or protection, this will add significant time to the job.
A routine wash will take 1-2 hours for most people. If you need to wash, clay bar, polish, and wax, expect this to take all day (at least 6-8 hours). This is a full exterior detail and does not need to be performed often. Consider doing this about once a year to keep your paint in optimal condition.
Tips to Protect Your Vehicle
Driving your vehicle is not the only time when it is susceptible to airborne contaminants. Simply parking your vehicle outside can still make it vulnerable to getting hit with bird poop, salt, dirt, dust, and pollen.
Does this mean you should put a cover over your vehicle whenever it is parked in your driveway? Well, you can do that if you want too, but it’s probably not realistic. If you have a garage, then park your vehicle inside of it. That is the easiest way to keep it protected.
Conclusion
Washing a car correctly can be a lot of fun and is a hobby for many car enthusiasts. Although it’s not rocket science, there are a few things you need to consider before you touch your paint with any product. If you have any questions about washing, detailing or paint correction, please post them below.