About Car Wash To Clean Your Car

If you use your regular car wash soap to clean your wheels, you may discover that they are not as bright and shiny as they should be. That’s because car wash soaps are not strong enough to clean away brake dust, road tar and road grime. To properly clean your car, truck or SUV wheels you may need to use a cleaner that’s formulated for your type of wheel.

The finish on your car’s wheel will determine the type of cleaner you should use. Most wheels are either painted, powder coated, anodized, polished and clear coated, chromed or polished with no coating. If your wheels are chromed, you can use an acid-based wheel cleaner. For all other wheels, use a non-acid cleaner. If you are in doubt, look for a product that is for “all wheels.”

Professional car detailers commonly use acid-based cleaners because they clean very rapidly. If you are not accustomed to using strong cleaners, you are well advised to stay clear. Acid cleaners can damage painted, polished and anodized surfaces. A good acid-free cleaner is the best alternative for most car owners.

How-to Clean Tires & Wheels

For proper cleaning you will need a large bucket, a tire brush, a soft wheel brush, a sponge, a garden hose and nozzle, spray wheel cleaner, and your favorite car wash soap. As an alternative to car wash soap you can use Dawn dish washing liquid.

Caution: I don’t recommend cleaners containing bleach. You’ll find it in a number of over-the-counter products for whitewall tires. In my experience it causes tires to gray and become very dull looking. It may also discolor your alloy or polished wheels, so be careful!

Here are a few tips that I find make wheel cleaning a bit easier:

1. Clean and rinse one tire and wheel at a time.

2. To avoid water spots, clean your tires and wheels before washing the car.

3. Use a bucket of soapy water along with your wheel cleaner. This makes your wheel cleaner last longer and the soapy water lubricates to prevent scratching.

4. If your wheels are heavily soiled, spray liberally with wheel cleaner and allow time to soak before scrubbing (up to three minutes), but never allow the cleaner to dry.

5. Use proper brushes with additional soapy water to agitate the tire and wheel surface. Follow with your sponge to remove any remaining dirt film.

6. Use your wheel brush and soapy water to scrub the fender wells. This small detail keeps your car looking sharp.

7. Be sure to rinse the tire, wheel, brake caliper and fender well thoroughly with water. All cleaners need to be flushed away.

After Cleaning Your Tires and Wheels

Be sure to dry your tires and wheels after washing. Cotton toweling works well.

Once dry, you can use a tire dressing to protect and beautify the rubber. For best protection and appearance, tires need a liberal application of tire dressing or tire gel after every other wash (twice a month). Apply dressing to the fender wells, too.

While it may be tempting to take the easy way out and go to the local car wash to clean your motor, there are many benefits to choosing to wash your car at home. Read the following reasons why you should say yes to washing your vehicle yourself at home.

Saving money. Weekly trips to the car wash can put a damper on your budget and when you add up the amount you spend over the course of the year paying someone else to wash your car the numbers really are eye watering. Choosing to wash your vehicle at home will help you save a considerable proportion of this money. You can then spend what you save on something else for your precious motor.

The ability to choose quality products to clean your car. When you visit the car wash, you are often completely unaware of the products that you are being used to do the job. Many of these products can actually be very harmful to your paint if used excessively over time. When you choose to wash your car at home, you can choose quality products such as specialty motor vehicle cleaning shampoo to help get the job done. They often come with guarantees that your car will be protected with each and every use.

Avoiding scratches and dings. Visits to the car wash can leave you with a vehicle full of scratches and dings that the car wash claims they are “not reliable” for. Don’t take the risk of bringing your car to a car wash only to leave needing repairs. Choose to wash the vehicle at home so that you can be sure to take extra precaution in protecting your vehicle from scratches.

Protecting your car. Do you know the people who will be washing your car at the car wash? Unfortunately, many people have fallen victim to theft at car washes. If you don’t know the people who will be cleaning the inside of your vehicle, don’t allow them the access to your property. How can you be sure that they will not take advantage of you?

As you can see, it can be very beneficial washing your car at home as opposed to taking it to the local car wash. Whether it’s saving money or protecting your car from theft, washing your car on your own is the answer to having a clean, beautiful car. Choose quality cleaning supplies such as specialty shampoo to help you get the job done. Will you take advantage of the benefits of washing your car at home?