Harry Gibson on July 10, 2024 No Comments
Washing your car is essential for proper maintenance. However, if done incorrectly, it can be rather ineffective and even damage your vehicle. Read this article to find out the common mistakes that can cause unpleasant consequences and the ways you can avoid them.
5. Washing the car from bottom to top
While the car roof is exposed to stubborn contaminants such as bird droppings or tree sap, the bottom part of the vehicle is often covered with more solid dirt such as road grime, mud, and tar. These substances tend to accumulate on the sponge during washing, potentially scratching the car’s surfaces.
To minimise such a possibility, it is highly recommended to start the washing process from the roof rather than the bottom part of your car. This will effectively reduce the chances of this dirt being spread to other areas of the vehicle with a sponge.
4. Using low-quality car care products
The quality of products designed for car washing varies significantly. Low-quality formulations range from those that are too aggressive and can damage the car’s finish to those that are ineffective and may require you to rub the surfaces more intensely.
Investing in high-quality products from reputable brands, such as Japanese manufacturer Soft99 (https://soft99store.co.uk/en/), will help you strike the right balance between high efficiency and gentle care, ensuring your car is thoroughly cleaned without risking scratches or damage to the paintwork. Neutral pH car shampoos are a perfect place to start if you need to clean your car of insect residues and road deposits.
The same goes for accessories: a soft sponge like the QJUTSU Ultrasoft Sponge with several layers and a foam-retaining structure is much better than bulky and hard sponges you can find in most supermarkets.
3. Washing the car in direct sunlight
Sunny weather, particularly in spring and summer, may seem perfect for washing your car. However, sunlight can heat your car, making the washing products dry out on the surface before you can rinse them off. Furthermore, heated car paint can chemically react with cleaning products, causing hard-to-remove stains.
2. Using automatic brush car washes
Automatic car washes with spinning brushes handle hundreds of cars daily, accumulating dirt particles in their fibers. These particles can easily scratch the paint of every vehicle that goes through them, leading to visible damage and even causing pieces of paintwork to chip off, leaving the car more prone to corrosion.
1. Not washing the car often enough or not washing it properly
One of the most common car care mistakes is failing to wash your car regularly and thoroughly. Without proper and regular washing, your car’s paint is at risk of becoming desaturated and covered with hard-to-remove swirls. Chemical contaminants such as tree sap, insect residues, or bird droppings can penetrate deeper into the paintwork if not washed off soon enough, leaving stubborn stains and even causing pitting.
Bottom Line
Ideally, a car should be washed at least once a month, and you should take proper care to gently clean its surfaces without damaging the paintwork. Such gentle yet effective manual cleaning can be achieved with high-quality products offered by car care market leaders like Soft99. For automatic washing opt for touchless equipment.
