All vehicles deserve to be treated like a dream vehicle. The easiest and most cost-effective way to keep your vehicle looking its best over time and free from topical damage is through consistent and thorough vehicle washing.

This article will explore how to properly wash your vehicle.

Vehicle Washing Products and Tools

To thoroughly wash a vehicle there are a few essential tools and products required.

Essential Vehicle Washing Tools & Products:

1. Dedicated Car Wash Soap
2. Microfiber wash mitt or towels (3-4 towels) for Topical Surfaces
3. A Dedicated Bucket for Vehicle body washing
4. A Dedicated Bucket or towels for Wheel Washing
5. A Large Microfiber drying towel
6. Access to Fresh Water (preferably with low mineral levels)
7. Soft bristled brush for wheels for crevices and barrels

This is the list of essentials needed to accomplish traditional DIY vehicle washing. Pressure washers, air blowers, and other gadgets, while convenient and more efficient, are not vital to basic vehicle washing.

Additionally, for alternate types of vehicle washing, a car wash soap, a bucket, and a mitt may be substituted for a diluted waterless or rinseless wash solution in a spray bottle with 3-4 plush microfiber towels and a drying towel.

Reminder: never use mitts or towels from the wheels on other vehicle surfaces. Wheels tend to pick up and carry some of the most toxic chemicals and substances from the road. Additionally, the fine metal particles of brake dust are very hard and will scratch and potentially ruin other surfaces they contact.

Basic Vehicle Washing Principles

Any form of effective vehicle washing shares common principles. The following guidelines will allow you to have the greatest success in your DIY vehicle washing.

1. For all vehicle cleaning processes: start and work from the top of the vehicle moving downward. This allows water to run off and rinse surfaces most effectively. It also allows for an efficient drying process.
2. To avoid excessive water exposure, wash vehicle wheels and wheel wells first. This minimizes any water contact to other surfaces. Also, wheel cleaning can be more intensive and time consuming than other processes, so do it first when the ground is dry because you may have to sit to reach and reclean excessively dirty areas. (gloves are highly recommended)
3. Avoid washing and drying your vehicle in direct sun. Also, allow vehicle panels to cool as much as possible before water exposure.
4. Before washing, rinse your vehicle surfaces, from the top down. This removes a large quantity of loose topical dirt and debris that may scratch or harm the finish when contacting a wash mitt or towel.
5. Always wash vehicle surfaces from the top, working downward. Surfaces on the bottom of the vehicle are the most contaminated and carry larger particles and stones that may scratch other surfaces. Never bring wash media from the bottom quarter of the vehicle onto other surfaces.
6. Fill a bucket 2/3 full of water , adding the appropriate amount of soap, according to the manufacturer’s suggested dilution ration.
7. When washing, divide the vehicle into mini sections. Sections will be as large as you can reach swaying side to side.
8. Dunk the wash mitt (or towel) into the bucket, ensuring you have lots of soap to lubricate and clean the section in front of you. If you have a foam cannon, foam the entire vehicle after completing the initial dirty vehicle rinse.
9. When washing a section, place light pressure on the mitt as it touches the surface. Heavy pressure is unnecessary to remove topical dirt and has potential to grind surfaces.
10. Wash in a motion that mimics the aerodynamic flow over the vehicle. Maintain these directional stoked as much as possible.
11. After washing the immediate working area, you can reach by swaying side to side, rinse your wash mitt off using fresh hose water. After rinsing, dunk your mitt or towel back into the soap water to clean, then move to the next area in need of cleaning.
12. After completing the wash step, immediately rinse your vehicle from the top down to remove all soap residue.
13. After a thorough vehicle rinse, immediately dry your vehicle, from the top down, with a large plush microfiber drying cloth to ensure all surfaces are free of water. This will eliminate water spots created from leftover water.

Frequency of Vehicle Washing

Vehicles should be cleaned regularly to look their best and to ensure that potentially harmful contamination is removed from surfaces.

Vehicles housed in a garage overnight, or those not driven every day, may not require washing as frequently as vehicles which are constantly exposed to the elements.

A solid policy for daily driven vehicles, or vehicles kept outside, is to wash the vehicle once every two weeks.

Final Thoughts on DIY Vehicle Washing

The more you interact with your vehicle the more you can care for it and potentially spot any issues from leaks, dings, glass, or any other mechanical related maintenance issues.

Washing your vehicle is a simple and easy means of vehicle interaction and inspection. Once you develop a routine and process for washing your vehicle you will become efficient, and the time to wash will decrease until you fully optimize it. Also, vehicle washing is satisfying and allows you a low-cost way to appreciate your vehicle.