18. 09. 2020
Washing your car regularly is the most basic part of maintaining its appearance. A clean car not only looks good, but if done correctly, it extends the life and quality of the paint and preserves the value of the entire vehicle. A clean car is also a reflection of who we are, so let’s take a look at how to proceed so that we don’t scratch the paint while washing the car and end up doing more harm than good. In this article, we’ll describe a safe and effective car-washing method that anyone can do without having to buy a bunch of products. You’ll mainly need high-quality car shampoo, a wash mitt, a bucket of water, a drying towel, and ideally, of course, a pressure washer.
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1. Pre-Wash
We recommend starting the car wash with a pre-wash. Between regular washes, a large amount of road grime, dust, dead insects, and other debris accumulates on the paint. If you were to start washing right away, this debris would most likely scratch the paint to some extent. Ideally, for pre-washing, we use
active foam in combination with a pressure washer and a foam nozzle. The thick active foam easily reaches every nook and cranny of the bodywork, effectively removing surface dirt and loosening dead insects and other contaminants. However, not everyone has access to active foam, so for the purposes of this article, we’ve chosen a more user-friendly pre-wash product:
Auto Finesse Citrus Power. Citrus helps loosen dirt and dead insects from the paint, is pH-neutral and thus won’t damage the existing wax layer even with repeated use, and most importantly—it’s affordable. Price is crucial for a product like this, as we use quite a lot of it. Of course, there are more effective products of this type on the market, but they are either significantly more expensive or not pH-neutral, which could remove or damage the wax layer. Citrus is therefore the ideal compromise, taking care of the first important part of the wash for you. First, a standard warning: do not use Citrus in direct sunlight or on a hot car body, as it could dry out quickly. Ideally, spray Citrus over the entire car body (or just the dirtiest spots) and let it sit for about 2 minutes. Don’t forget the wheels, where the product will also loosen a significant amount of dirt. Then rinse everything off with a strong stream of water, and the dirt will start to disappear. If your paint has a ceramic coating or high-quality wax, the effect will be even more pronounced. The pre-wash is now complete, and we can move on to the next step: washing with car shampoo. We’ll admit that in winter, when temperatures are very low, we often stop at this step. Citrus can handle removing the worst road grime, salt, and other dirt, and let’s be honest, that’s enough in freezing temperatures.
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2. Washing
Now for the washing itself. Again, it’s best to do this in the shade, away from direct sunlight. If that’s not possible, keep the car damp and dry it quickly after washing. Shampoo and water droplets can leave streaks on the paint that are difficult to remove later. First and foremost, you’ll need a
bucket for water; ideally, we recommend two buckets (the two-bucket method). One for water with shampoo, the other with just clean water, which you’ll use to rinse the wash mitt. A high-quality shampoo that won’t damage the wax layer is essential. We use the highly concentrated, pH-neutral
Carbon Collective Lusso shampoo, which is gentle on the wax even with frequent washing and extends its lifespan. For a moderately dirty car, just 15 ml of shampoo per bucket of water is sufficient. Since it contains no oils or gloss-enhancing agents, you can also use it on the windows. If you don’t have any paint protection applied to your vehicle and aren’t planning to, we recommend using a
car shampoo with wax, which, in addition to cleaning, provides the paint with short-term protection thanks to the addition of carnauba wax. Of course, it won’t fully replace wax, but regular washing will at least provide the paint with some protection and hydrophobic effects. Car shampoos containing silica (SiO₂) are significantly more effective, including
Tershine Purify S. Thanks to its high ceramic content, this premium shampoo provides the paint with a high gloss and protection that lasts significantly longer. For the most effective and gentle wash, we recommend using a
wash mitt. It can be made of either microfiber or natural wool. A microfiber mitt is more durable and lasts longer, while a natural wool mitt is significantly softer and, thanks to its long fibers that absorb dirt, much gentler on the paint. Both options have their pros and cons, so it’s entirely up to you which one you choose. In our article, you can see the
Auto Finesse Ultra Soft Wash Mitt made of sheep’s wool. Now we finally get to the actual car washing process. First, rinse the body with water, and only then start washing with shampoo. Dip the wash mitt into the bucket of shampoo and start washing the car from top to bottom; the lower sections tend to have the most dirt, and this method helps dissolve it more quickly. As soon as you feel the mitt needs cleaning, dip it into the bucket of clean water and then back into the bucket of shampoo, repeating the process until the entire car is washed. Then rinse the entire car with a strong stream of water. Of course, don’t forget the wheels. If you wash your car regularly and have some kind of protection on the wheels, shampoo alone will suffice. To avoid getting your often more expensive main wash mitt dirty, we recommend using a
wheel mitt, which is smaller and cheaper. If the wheels are heavily soiled, you’ll need to use a wheel cleaner; forget the procedure described above and clean the wheels ideally before you start washing the body.This will prevent the already washed car from getting dirty again. We offer a wide variety of wheel cleaners; for example, we recommend
Stjärnagloss Hjul, which removes all dirt, brake dust, and surface rust, and is gentle on the wheel finish thanks to its pH-neutral formula.
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3. Drying
After washing, it’s time to dry the car’s body. The key, of course, is a high-quality drying towel that is gentle enough on the paint while also being highly absorbent. Don’t shy away from investing in a quality towel, as it will pay for itself many times over—not only because it makes the job much more efficient, but also due to its durability and the ease with which it makes drying the car. We recommend the top-of-the-line
Duplex Drying Towel from the South Korean manufacturer Purestar, which represents the pinnacle of current technology. Despite its relatively small dimensions of 45 x 75 cm, it can easily dry even larger cars. This is made possible by its high weight of 1100 g/m², which allows the towel to absorb up to 2.5 liters of water. The towel is made of very soft and durable microfibers, and together with its seamless design, you can count on maximum gentleness. If this size doesn’t suit you, the towel is also available in a 70 x 90 cm size. With the Duplex, drying is truly a breeze, and not a single drop of water stands a chance. As for the drying process itself, there are two methods: pressing and pulling. The first method is the gentlest on the paint; you place the towel on the car body, let it soak up the water, and then move it to the next wet spot. It’s a bit more labor-intensive, but you can be sure you won’t scratch the paint. The second method is more popular because it’s faster and less demanding. You place the towel on the car body and pull it toward you, which dries the paint perfectly. In general, avoid circular motions with the towel. For hard-to-reach areas such as door sills, the radiator grille, or the space behind the door handles, you can use the
smallest version of this towel, which allows you to easily reach almost anywhere and can also be used to dry the wheels. The small size is also ideal because it minimizes the chance of the large towel touching the ground and getting dirty, which could scratch the paint. For true connoisseurs, we also offer the option of drying the car without a towel using the
Carbon Collective Air Force 1 electric dryer. This is the gentlest car-drying option available, ensuring contactless drying and thus eliminating the risk of scratching the paintwork. The powerful dryer quickly removes all water from the paintwork, even in hard-to-reach areas such as the radiator grille.
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4. Fine-tuning with a detailer
After drying, water spots and other small particles of dirt that weren’t removed or noticed during washing may remain on the car’s body. You can remove all of this quickly and easily with a
detailing spray. Nowadays, detailers are an essential tool for anyone with a serious interest in car maintenance. Their use is very versatile and isn’t limited to application after washing the car. Detailers have significant lubricating properties and can also be used between regular washes to remove dust and small particles without the risk of scratching the paint. Their most interesting feature, however, is their ability to give the paint an extreme and deep shine, hydrophobic properties, and even long-term protection. Modern detailers boast durability of up to six months and can even be used in place of traditional paint protection products, such as waxes, sealants, etc. So which detailer should you choose? After testing dozens of detailers from all the brands in our lineup, pretty much everyone at our company settled on
Infinity Wax Rapid Detailer. And we have several reasons for this. First, it’s really fast—just spray it on the paint, wipe it off with a microfiber cloth, and you’re done.It leaves absolutely no streaks, and as soon as you wipe it off, you’ll see it disappear from the paint. Plus, it adds an incredible shine—the paint literally glows—and after application, it feels unbelievably smooth and slippery. You can also count on protection lasting up to two months, and we can’t forget the absolutely amazing scent. We’ve already outlined the application method: simply spray the detailer onto the paint and wipe it off with a cloth. For this purpose, we recommend a microfiber cloth with longer, plush fibers, such as the
Purestar Plush Edgeless Buffing Towel. Thanks to its very soft, plush microfibers and edgeless design, this towel is ideal for safe use not only with the detailer. And that’s it. We’re wrapping up our article here, and we hope it’s been helpful and makes washing your car a little more enjoyable.
