Want to ensure that your car’s paint job stays free of scratches and full of shine?
You may not realize it but the health of your car’s paint and clear coat has a lot to do with how you wash your car. There may be things you’re doing that inadvertently scratch and dull the look of the exterior.
Follow these simple steps if you want to minimize the occurrence of hairline scratches and a lackluster appearance.
- Use two buckets to wash your car – one with soapy water and one with plain rinse water. Using one bucket may cause you to carry over debris and wipe it against the surface of your car paint. A rinse bucket will help prevent this by dislodging pieces of debris from the wash cloth.
- Also, it’s a good idea to rinse your car off before you wash it to free the exterior of as much debris as possible before you wipe it.
- Buy a proper car washing liquid and stay away from using your dish liquid. The degreasing properties in dish liquid might work great when you’re scrubbing a pot with stuck-on debris, but those same degreasing agents break down the clear coat that protects car paint.
- Buy anti-scratch microfiber clothes to wash and dry your car.
- Immediately wash off substances like spilled coffee, soda, bird droppings and sprinkler water. These substances may seem pretty harmless, but they can actually permanently damage car paint.
- Don’t skip getting your car waxed. Doing it just a couple of times a year will make a big difference in protecting your car’s paint and clear coat. Detailing is also highly recommended.
- Tell your friends not to write wash me on your car when it’s not clean. Dirt is abrasive and when rubbed in it can cause small scratches.
