This entry was posted on August 22, 2013 by CarAccess.

You love the look of your vehicle when it's clean inside and out. It gets really annoying when you accidentally brush up against a dusty car and get your clothing dirty. So let's take a look into the world of car washing and see what can be done to ensure it's done properly and not causing damage to the vehicle's finish. When you clean the outside you want to make sure that your floor liner, SUV floor mats, molded floor mats for your SUV or truck or your Thermo Blend car floor mats are clean too. You can use the same process to clean them as you would for the exterior.

Damage can be caused to the vehicle's finish by many things. Below is a list of culprits.
€Soap
€Material used to wash
€Material used to dry

Many people use dish soap to wash their vehicles. Dish soap might be fine for your dishes and your hands, but when it comes to the vehicle finish it can actually cause more harm than good. If you don't want to use a special automotive care soap, baby shampoo is recommended as an alternative. Baby shampoo contains conditioners that actually help with the trim and rubber found all over a vehicle.

Your sponge or cloth used to wash with is also very important. A cloth that is rough can cause damage to the clear coat which leads to further problems down the road. In addition, if your sponge happens to pick up too much dirt it can drag it across other areas causing scratches. It's important to rinse the cloth or sponge often when washing and make sure you're using a soft material.

Drying your vehicle presents a new set of challenges. First you want a cloth that absorbs the water quickly but doesn't damage the surface. Micro fiber cloths are now highly recommended for the drying process as they absorb the water and are super soft, providing a paint friendly surface to dry with.

In addition to the products you use, there is a right way and a wrong way to wash your vehicle. First, start at the top not the bottom. That much is pretty much a given. This not only ensures that the dirt and grime is removed from the top down to the bottom but it ensures that road dirt and grime is not moved from the bottom portions up to the top.

Make sure you are rinsing your wash mitt each time you put it back in the bucket to avoid keeping dirt on the mitt and possibly scratching the paint surface in the next area. Wash one area, then rinse that area to keep the soap from drying on the surface. When washing your vehicle in sunny or very hot conditions, water will evaporate quickly and the soap will remain on the vehicle. If this happens, don't think that simply rinsing will remove all of the dried on soap. You will need to rewash that spot again.

After you've washed and rinsed from top to bottom, you can either dry it using a micro fiber cloth or let it air dry. Sometimes you won't have that option in very hot or sunny weather, the sun will make the decision for you.

Whatever choices you make when washing your car, just be sure to follow the few simple do's and don'ts provide here. You will find that your car looks much better after each wash when you perform the task the right way.