5 steps to properly washing your car

Check the Weather First

Always endeavour to wash your vehicle in a cool shaded area or at the start or end of the day. Full sun in the middle of the day, as well as hot temperatures, can produce water spots, car wash residue, and reduced lubricity of your car cleaning products, leading to a less than satisfactory result.

Step One — Cleaning the Wheels

Start with washing your wheels first, as these are usually very dirty from a build-up of mud, dirt, brake dust, and road grime. A formulated wheel cleaner product is a useful addition to car cleaning in these situations. This enables effective removal of baked-on brake dust and contaminants, which are harder to shift than dirt on your paintwork.

The application of wheel cleaner 2-3 minutes prior to agitation with a brush or sponge enables deep cleaning and easier rinse off with a hose or pressure cleaner.

Step Two — Pre-soak + Bug & Tar Remover

Depending on whether or not you are using a snow cannon, this step can be done in two different ways.

With a Snow Cannon & Pressure Washer

Using your snow cannon, you will need to fill up the snow cannon bottle with your snow foam of choice and water as per the instructions on the back of the bottle. Depending on the product, snow foams will have different directions as to how much to use. Once mixed, ensure you shake the bottle to mix the water and snow foam product together.

Connect your snow gun and pressure washer up and begin. Thoroughly spray the entire car using the gun starting from the car's highest point, working downwards panel to panel. Something important to remember is to make sure you don’t let the foam dry on the car, as it will cause bad streaking.

Once finished using the snow cannon across the entire car, make sure to rinse the car off using your pressure washer, ready for the next step.

Doing It by Hand

Before you begin to wash your car, it is important, if not using a foam cannon, that you adequately hose the car down to soak and remove any bonded dirt and contaminants. This is important as it helps remove any loose dirt and contaminants from the surface of the paint.

Bug & Tar Remover

Using bug and tar remover before washing your car, commonly known as a pre-soak for your vehicle.

This is to be used prior to washing the whole car and it is recommended to wash the affected area lightly before applying the bug and tar remover. Spray the affected area with the bug and tar remover, then leave the product on the area for 1 to 2 minutes before gently wiping off with a microfibre cloth. Rinse the panel clean with tap water to finish.

Step Three — Washing Time & the Two Bucket Method

It is important to work from the top of your car down, starting with the roof and working panel by panel downwards. Always ensure you dunk your sponge or wash mitt frequently into your wash bucket to remove dirt before beginning on the next panel.

Once you have finished washing a panel, make sure to put it in the rinse bucket first, ensuring you have thoroughly squeezed it, ensuring any dirt or contaminants have been removed before putting it back into the wash bucket. This is an important step as it reduces the chances of getting unwanted scratches and swirl marks in your paintwork. Repeat this step until you have thoroughly washed every panel of your car.

The Two Bucket Method

To do the job correctly, you’ll want to use at least two buckets for your car wash. Use one bucket for the wheels and another one for the body work in order to minimise dirt transfer. If you want to be super thorough, you can use a third bucket that is solely used to clean your dirty towels and chamois.

Using this method will reduce the possibility of scratches on your car’s surface from dirt that is transferred from your bucket to the car.

Step Four — Rinsing the Car Off

When you are finished washing your vehicle, you need to thoroughly rinse with clean water to remove residual dirt and car wash foam. A garden hose or pressure washer can be used in this step but always remain vigilant to water ingress when directing high-pressure water against weather seals and cavities.

Step Five — Drying Your Vehicle

There are two ways to dry your car, either by hand or by using a drying system.

Drying by Hand

We recommend starting with your glass first as there will be less water on your towel first, ensuring a streak-free glass. After doing your glass, similar to washing your car, work from the top of your car downwards, working panel to panel, ensuring you don’t miss any spots, including your side mirrors. Drying with microfibre drying towels reduces the chances of swirls and scratches in your paint.

Using an Air Blower

Alternatively, you can use an air drying system to greatly reduce the chances of putting scratches and swirl marks into your paintwork. Whilst the wash process still requires a mitt, the drying process no longer requires a drying cloth!

You’ll want to start with the glass and then work your way through your panels, going from top to bottom as you would with other steps in the cleaning process. Make sure you slowly go over each section to ensure that the car is evenly dried.

Make Car Washing Easy at Repco

Once you have finished washing your car, you may want to check out your local Repco store or shop online to see our full range of accessories to keep your car looking immaculate. Whether you need car polishes, ceramic polishes, car wax, tyre shine, or a fancy air blower, we’ve got you covered for car care.