A common mistake owners make when waxing their vehicle is that they use too much wax, and sometimes they may have a tendency to be sloppy and excessive with the application. The end result is dried, hard to remove wax on moldings, in the cracks, edges of pin striping/decals, and around emblems. This unsightly wax can often be very difficult to remove for most owners, and more often than not they decide to just live with it. Luckily a lot of the newer waxes and sealants on the market today are safe from this and will not leave white residue behind. Optimum Opti-Seal is a very good example of such a product. Regardless, we still need to remove the dried wax which is currently detracting from the overall appearance of the car.
While there are several methods that can be used to remove this white residue, I find that the use of an All Purpose Cleaner (APC) and a good detail brush works best. I’ll do this by thoroughly washing the whole car first. Then I will spray an APC like P21S TAW on the affected areas and let it dwell for a few seconds and then gently agitate the areas using the detail brush. I also like to dip the brush into my wash bucket to get some soapy water on it too. Repeat if necessary.
Keep in mind however, that the cleaner will most likely remove wax from all painted areas it comes in contact with (areas where you WANT wax!), so you may want to re-apply wax to those areas in particular once you’re finished.
Hope this helps.