Your automobile is your pride and joy if you really love cars. It is your little baby, and you do not want anybody else detailing or cleaning it. This is good do-it-yourself project but you have to be careful about a few things. you need to be mindful and do certain steps and avoid other mistakes as well.
- Wear Soft Clothes and Do Not Wear Jewelry. The reason why is you don’t want to accidentally scratch the car surface. Zippers and jewelry could leave a scratch you do not want on your car.
- Do not use a Sponge. A sponge is a great device to use on the kitchen floor but it has an abrasive surface. You are better off using a surface mitt, or something else that is made of gentle cloth.
- Be Careful About the Water. You should never use dirty water on the surface of your car. If you are doing the entire vehicle, you would wash the wheels and tires first, and then dispose of the water. When you are working on the body, you can have one bucket for the car shampoo/water mixture, and another filled with clean water. Once you have finished cleaning, you would use clean water to remove any soap suds. The car has to be completely dry before you apply any polish
- Do the Work in a Cool and Shady Spot. The hot sun can evaporate the water while you are working and leave water spots that don’t look too good. It is better to do the cleaning when the weather is cool outside, and in the shade of a tree or house. The surface of the car must be cool as well. If hot the temperature will force the evaporation that will leave water spots. A good rule of thumb about temperature is to do the work in the morning.
- Never Use Dish or Laundry Detergent. Dish and laundry detergent contain chemicals that may not work well with the paint on your car. The car wash shampoo is what you need, because it has the ingredients that you need to have to do the cleaning without damaging the finish.
- Use a Buffer Instead of Polishing by Hand. You may feel that you are adding a special touch when you polish your car by hand, but what happens is that you may get an uneven result. You might also accidentally produce streaks. A buffer applies the right amount of pressure to the car wax and can make the body sparkle. Think of it as what you do when you polish your shoes. A buffer always makes the shine stand out. The car polish should be done in wide circular counterclockwise motion.
- Go Easy on Car Wax. A thin sheet of wax is all you are going to need, The biggest problem with applying too much wax is that it can cause streaks and leaves an unsightly appearance which you have to fix.
- Pay Attention to the Bird Droppings and Other Debris. This is part of the cleaning which has to be done as soon as it is noticed. Bird droppings contain acid that can eat into the paint of the car. The same may be true in any other debris and sticking to the surface. You do not want to be in a situation where you have to use a sander to get rid of these eyesores. Water can be applied to eliminate them.
- Use a Soft Towel to Dry Your Car. Having the car dry in the sun runs the risk of having watermarks appear. You want to drive the servers off of the soft towel. Always be careful that something which is abrasive does not touch what you’ve just completed doing.
You should also clean your car in winter, to remove salt that may have come from the road. Be careful doing this in cold climate, and you may want to do most of the work in your garage. You really do not want to have dirt and debris accumulate on your car. The matter how good it looked when it was first purchase, the paint job is going to dull over the years if proper attention is not paid.
