If you were to ask anyone that owns a car if they know how to wash it, they'd probably say yes. But there are tools and techniques for doing it right. Using these tools and learning these techniques can help reduce paint scratches, swirl marks and spotting to make your paint stand out from the crowd.
Some guys say you should have tons of suds and wash in a circular motion. Others say you should wash front to back with the ‘grain' of the paint and minimal suds so you can see where you're washing. Whatever your method — and we'll tell you how we do it in a second –the approach is the same. You want to gently lift the dirt and grime off your paint, not scrub it off. And just like with the earlier steps, you want to use a wash specifically designed for automotive paint. Whatever you do, don't use any of the products that are commonly found under the kitchen sink on your car. Those products are strong cleaners that can ruin your car's paint. Take a product like Dawn dishwashing liquid. Like the old commercial showed, Dawn (or any dishwashing liquid) cuts through grease — which is the wax on your car. It can even wear down the clear coat protection that most new car paint has. And one more caution, don't ever use anything like a scouring pad or steel wool to remove bugs, tree sap or road tar. Only use products designed specifically to remove these contaminants.
So it's on to arguably the most important step of the detailing process. As mentioned earlier there are numerous ways to wash but for the ultimate clean, we recommend the two bucket method. As the process implies, this method employs two buckets, one with car wash solution and the other with plain water for rinsing. Using this method will help keep the dirt off your sponge, wash mitt or other tool and away from your paint.
Now dip your mitt or other tool into the car wash solution. There's no need to go overboard with the suds, just get enough to cover the tool. Then starting at the top, do one section at a time and work your way down each side of the car. We recommend a back and forth motion that mimics the airflow over the car vs. the old circular motion you might have learned from your dad. Some still swear by the circular motion and that's ok but we'll go with all washing, polishing and waxing flowing the same way air flows over your car. Don't push down hard, just use even pressure and let the wash solution do the job. Remember you want to lift and remove the dirt from the paint. After washing the panel, rinse the applicator thoroughly in the bucket of clean water and rinse the panel with a steady stream of water. Make sure you rinse your applicator well so dirt doesn't build up on it which could scratch your paint. Repeat this process for all panels.
For rinsing, some like to use a power washer but we recommend against it. Power washers develop tremendous pressure and can actually peel off loose paint and possibly cause tiny scratches. We suggest taking the nozzle off your hose and letting the water run from the top down. Since you've done the right thing with the washing process by using a good automotive car wash, the water will sheet off as you move down from the top to the sides. This technique removes most of the water so once you've done this, turn off the hose and immediately begin drying from the top down. One last tip before we dry - whether you're washing or waxing, do it in the shade. You'll be cooler and so will your car's paint. Plus the sun won't have a chance to dry the water which causes spots and makes the drying process harder.
So how do you dry... seems pretty simple doesn't it. Just grab an old T-shirt, a chamois, a cloth diaper or whatever you have lying around and start drying in a circular motion, right? Or better yet crank up your leaf blower or just hop in the car and start driving, let the wind take care of it. While all these technically work, just like everything else in life there's a difference between just getting it done and doing it right.
To do it right, we recommend using a product like the Black Magic® Pro-Dry Absorbing Cloth or a terry cloth type towel and 'blotting' it slowly across the clean surface moving from the top down. Others prefer more of a 'swipe' technique - either way works fine. But make sure you take it one step further and use a good quality micro fiber towel to get all the remaining water off and out of all the nooks and crannies before moving on to the wax process.