Clean Tires

After you've finished cleaning your wheels, it's on to the tires. Some detailers remove the tires every time they clean them. While we think that's fine, we recommend doing it maybe once a year, like that first spring cleaning after a long winter of abuse.

Just as it was with the wheels, clean them one at a time for best results. Tires are a lot more durable and harder to clean than your car's paint so car wash soap and a wash mit aren't recommended. Use a product specifically designed to get your tires deep cleaned. You'll want to use a tire cleaner with a good degreaser so the rubber can absorb the tire dressing that you'll apply afterward.

Since your tire is already damp from cleaning your wheels, just spray the tire cleaner evenly around your tire and let it work according to manufacturer's instructions. Sometimes it's easier to get the deep-down dirt out with a brush, but use one specifically designed to clean tires. There are lots of good cleaner products on the market but one you might want to try is the Black Magic® Foam Tire Cleaner. It's designed to quickly release brake dust, dirt and oil on contact and unlike some cleaners, it won't turn your tires brown with continued use. Just spray on and rinse off. Foam cleaners are great because they can get into the little crevices of your tires and get them clean. But, if you have a lot of caked on dirt in there, you can use a toothbrush to get your tires really clean once the foam has dissolved the dirt.

Once you're through with the tires, it's on to washing and drying.