For a lot of people, their car is their prized possession. With the prices that some people pay for their cars, this is very understandable. But no matter how much you pay for your car, it will always end up getting dirty.
It’s completely unavoidable, and even if you refused to drive your car, it would still end up covered in dirt and dust. So no matter how much you might hate cleaning your car, it simply has to be done.
In this guide, we’re telling you everything you need to know about washing your car, and why you should aim to wash it at least once every other week to upkeep proper maintenance and appearance of the vehicle. So let’s get started.
How often should you wash your car?
As we have just stated, the desired figure when it comes to washing your car is ‘every 2 weeks’. Of course, some people will wash their car more regularly than this, and not all people will actually wash their car this often, in fact, the majority of people leave much larger periods between car washes.
So why should you wash your car this often? Well, the answer is simple, and the main reason you should wash your car this often is to keep on top of it.
If you do not wash your car regularly it is incredibly easy to fall behind on washes, and before long you will find that your car is incredibly filthy with all of the dirt from the road.
As well as keeping on top of it, regular washing is also good for the maintenance of your vehicle. Cars are a high-value purchase, and for many people, they will be the first large-cost purchase they make, so you must clean it regularly to avoid any damage to the vehicle.
It is also worth noting that the ‘every 2 weeks’ guidance is mainly aimed at people who drive their vehicles regularly. While your car will pick up dirt from being sat stationary while parked, it will pick up a lot more dirt by being driven around.
This will be impacted by the types of roads that you drive on as some roads will make your vehicle dirtier. For example, if you regularly drive on highways, it is common for dead bugs and insects, pollen, brake dust and even removing tar from the roads to end up coating your vehicle.
So to keep on top of cleaning your car it is best to clean it every 2 weeks as this will remove all of this dirt and debris from your vehicle, and keep it looking as shiny as new.
How to wash your car
So now that you know that you should aim to wash your car roughly once every 2 weeks, let’s take a look at how you should go about doing this. There are lots of different methods for cleaning your car, but this is the method that we recommend for the best results.
The first thing that we recommend doing is filling 2 buckets full of soapy water, fill the buckets so that they are completely full to avoid having to make your way back to the tap.
Once you have done this, you can begin washing your car with clean water from the hose. We suggest that you do this from the top down, beginning with the roof of your vehicle and working all the way down to the wheel traps and the underside of the car to ensure that everything gets a thorough rinse.
Once you have rinsed the vehicle, you should get a cloth or mitt and begin to wash the vehicle with the soapy water solution that you mixed earlier. Again, we recommend starting at the top, as this way the soapy water will run down the vehicle and aid the cleaning process. It is also best to do this in quarters of the vehicle, as if you attempt to do it all at once there is a fair chance that you will end up with streaks on your car’s surface.
After you have scrubbed the vehicle with the soapy solution, you should then rinse off this liquid with your hose pipe. The freshwater will help rinse the soap off of your vehicle and get it looking shinier.
It will also help avoid any soapy streaks on your car’s paintwork. You can then dry the majority of your vehicle with a large towel and it will look incredibly fresh.
Tips and Hacks for washing your car
While cleaning your car is a fairly easy job, as we have established, a lot of people actually despise having to do this task. There is a reason that so many car washes exist, and that is because many people would prefer to pay someone to clean their car rather than doing it themselves.
There is, of course, nothing wrong with doing this. But if you have always wanted to clean your own car and have avoided doing this because you are worried you will do something wrong, we’ve put together some tips to help you.
These tips are also hacks for cleaning some of the more awkward parts of your car, so let’s take a look at what they are.
- Utilize your car – if your car is on the larger side, for example, if you have an SUV, and you are too short to reach the top of your car, you should utilize your vehicle to make cleaning easier. If you open your car’s door, you can use the sill to help you reach the top of the vehicle.
- It’s all in the Details – pay attention to the smaller details of your vehicles, like the wing mirrors, when cleaning as this can make a huge difference in making your car look clean.
- Cooking Oil – if you find your car is covered with stubborn bug stains, you can use cooking oil to help release them from your car’s paintwork, rather than having to scrub.
Summary
In short, you should aim to clean your car every 2 weeks. This is important for maintenance, and can also keep your car looking like new for much longer.
