How to hand wash car wash like a pro
You’ve just had the hail damage repaired on your vehicle and you are ready to get it back to looking new again. Follow these simple steps to properly wash your car like the pro’s at The Hail Shop USA.
Gather the materials you will need to wash your car.
-
- A pressure washer, car wash nozzle or a garden hose spray nozzle.
- 2 Heavy duty buckets. You can pick-up a 5 gallon bucket at your local hardware store for under five bucks. You’ll use one for soapy water and one as a dirty rinse bucket. It is also great for storing your car washing gear.
- A sponge.
- Microfiber wash brush, microfiber applicator, and microfiber cloths. Microfiber will both remove dirt and wick away water simultaneously. Plus, it reduces friction between the towel and your car for a safer way to dry without scratching.
- Streak-free window glass cleaner.
- Car washing foam. Car washing foam eliminates dirt, grime and environmental contaminants with massive amounts of dirt fighting, sudsy foam. We like this one sold on Amazon
- Butter wet wax.
Wash your car like a champion
- Spray down the vehicle. Use a pressure washer, car wash nozzle or a garden hose with a spray nozzle (wide spray setting) to rinse most of the dirt, grime, and grit off the entire exterior panels.
- Start at the top. Use your microfiber wash brush and extremely sudsy water with your car washing foam to clean the vehicle. Use a side-to-side motion, never circular motions. Start at the roof and then the hood, and then work your way down. After you wash a panel, make sure you rinse your microfiber wash brush in your dirty water bucket to remove any sentiment to avoid scratching your paint.
- Wash and then rinse. Repeat. After each individual panel is washed, rinse it to avoid soap streaking. Empty your dirty water bucket between every other panel you’ve washed.
- Wash the wells. Dust, debris, and dirt love to live in your door wells and crevices so do not forget to wash them. Use a sponge to clean these areas.
- Don’t air dry, hand dry. When you leave a car to dry naturally, it can result in a streaky finish. To avoid streaking, make sure to dry each panel using a microfibre cloth or towel. If you have a leaf blower handy, this can be a great tool to blow out in between the wells. If you don’t, use an old towel to wipe these areas dry.
- Clean the glass. Give both the exterior and interior glass a good cleaning with your steak-free glass cleaner. Use a clean microfiber towel to clean all glass and windows.
Pro-tip: Designate washing zones by color coding your microfiber cloths. For example, use only blue microfiber cloths to clean glass. Use orange for interior detailing and yellow for exterior detailing.
- Wax and polish. Once the car is clean, waxing the with Butter Wet Wax will help it look even better, protect the paint from ultraviolet rays, and adds a protective barrier from the elements.
The nations #1 provider of Paintless Dent Repair & Auto Hail Repair.
If your vehicle has hail damage, Auto Hail Repair with the professionals at The Hail Shop USA.