Sunday, August 8, 2010

Don't use dish soap to wash your car...

All this time I was raised in a family that would grab the dish soap to wash the car.

Don't do it.

Buy some inexpensive (and boy is it really cheap at Walmart, like couple bucks) concentrated car wash which you can use a cap full (or two, read the bottle) for an entire bucket of suds.

It will make your car cleaner, faster, and will help the clear coat and paint look nice for longer.  Your car is many times the second highest payment you have next to your house.  For some of us, it is more than our house payment.  Think about that while you are dumping the dish detergent into that washing bucket....dumb thing to do.  You want her to last and stay pretty buy her the proper things she needs to stay that way.

And because I see so many people doing this the wrong way...I'll make a quick guide...

How to wash a car:

There are two rules which people argue over.  Windows and tires, first or last?  I do them last.  Why?  Because if I mess up and make a mess I get to rewash a section of the car and make it even cleaner.  If you do the tires and windows first, you will end up re-doing them or in the very least re-coating or re-drying them so why not just save them to the end, and if you get a little tire cleaner on the corner panel you have an excuse to wash it again...so I am of the "save the windows for the end, and the tires for the last" group.  That really comes down to personal preference and ALSO plays into whether you use a tire shine.  Because I do, I like to treat the tires last and make them really shine.  Be ashame to get the tires all shiny and then gorram screw over that job with some car washing...(if you like Firefly you'll get my slang, if not, forgetaboutit.)

FIRST: rinse the entire car....the whole thing.  Use a spray wash if you have one but don't keep it is one spot as you will hurt the paint.  Start at the top and work your way around and down.  Get all the grim and mud and other debris (which will scratch if you wash with it on the car) off the paint with spray water first.

SECOND:  Wash in sections.
[wrong way:  My family history is "soap the whole thing down, let it sit for a minute while you drink a cold one, then rinse it off."]
  1. Of course by that method the car has dried a lot and it is not optimal at all.  THE RIGHT WAY is to do the car in sections.  Top of the car...wash it, then rinse it toward the back and/or sides (keep that grime off your front car hood is my key point here).
  2. Rear trunk lid of car...wash it, then rinse it toward back.
  3. Front hood of car (the "most important to look good") wash carefully and thoughly....rinse it from windscreen toward front of car.
  4. Front passenger corner panel...wash it good, then rinse it.
  5. Front bumper area...wash it good, then rinse it.
  6. Front driver corner panel...wash it good, then rinse it.
  7. You can cheat and do both passenger doors at once if you don't have a real dirty car and then rinse both. IF the car is dirty or it has been awhile, take each and ever door by itself.  Don't forget the door jams.  Yeah, get the water away from that door and open it and clean the trim.  Have a "not going to touch the paint" rag there to do them.  These get debris and small pebbles and other stuff you just don't want on your wash cloth, the cloth that "is going to touch the paint."  I buy two toilet bowl scrubbers (one for tires outside that never sees a toilet, one for inside to use for the real purpose).  Some people use the "softer" type toilet brush on the whole wheel (rim and rubber tire).  I'm guilty.  Not the best thing to do as you CAN scratch your rim.  So don't do it because I do, follow at your own risk.  I have never scratched a rim with my soft bristle toilet brush but you might.  Now, I've scratch a rim on a curb, but that is another story entirely. 
  8. Then the front bumper area...wash/rinse, then the side panels again if they need it, wash/rinse, then the back corner panel passenger side...wash/rinse, then the driver back corner panel....wash/rinse, and finally the rear bumper area...wash/rinse.
  9. Make sure your gas cap is on and on really good.  Using a cloth you don't want to ever use on your  paint again (or will take the time to wash out exceptionally good) wash out the gas tank fill area and lightly spray off the soap.  Lightly...you don't want water in the tank.  Don't use pressure washer for this part in case your cap doesn't seal as tightly as it once did.
  10. Next we give the whole car a good and full over-all rinse.  If you have purchased a "spot free rinse" now is the time to use it.  I don't use it because I hate the film it leaves behind and also I plan on wiping down the whole car anyways, so no spots could form if they wanted to.
  11. Next do the windows.  Pay special attention to NOT using Windex with ammonia if you have tint on your windows.  Use something mild....even a wet rag with nothing but water and some "elbow grease"....but whatever you do don't put anything with ammonia on your tint.
  12. Lastly I do tires....rinse them real good even up in the wheel wells...wash them real good with some Comet (don't get it on your rims). A good washing rinse, not just letting water flow but put a rag and rub them while rinsing to get the dirt and grim from the grooves.  Then some Armor All product of your choice on them to make'em shine.
  13. Stand back and take an overall look.  If something isn't clean go do it again.  If ANY tire cleaner or product that doesn't belong got even the slightest bit on your paint...get it off now...rewash/rinse/dry.
You should now have a very beautiful car...and as my Papawl and Deddy always told me "a clean car just rides better."

A list of good stuff and product companies:
     http://www.armorall.com/ (the greatest car care company on the planet can't go wrong it seems)

     Blue Coral WC102 Concentrated Car Wash. 20 oz. (cheap and works, enough said)

     SOFT bristle toilet brush--use only on the tire not the rim or "at your own risk."
     A good shop vac (wet and dry preferably), if not you can always steal your wife's like I do now.
Some good washing rags....and to be honest an old T shirt is great for this.  I know sponges have really started to become a fad but the first small pebble you get in your sponge that leaves a long line in the clear coat that you have to polish out for over an hour...you'll throw that sponge away.
     A moderate sized bucket.  Back at home we always used the huge five gallon jobs.  A pain to use and work in "sections" and probably why my Dad didn't do it.  Get a small or moderate sized bucket that you don't mind keeping with you so you'll do it right.
     GEORGIA PACIFIC 29985 Disposable Shop Towels
     As funny as this might sound, newspapers clean glass real well with Windex IF you DO NOT have TINT on them.  If you do have TINT, find another way to clean them or just use a wet lint free cloth.

Happy Car Washing...to those of you with black cars...we salute you!

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