What To Avoid When Cleaning A Car Wrap Vehicle
Harsh cleaners
Before we give you suggestions on how to wash a wrapped vehicle, its best to start with what you should not do to it. First, avoid the regular carwash soaps. Using traditional car soap, for instance, on the wrap will likely fade it.
Instead, use a soap that is specifically made for wrapped cars to maintain the beauty, design and texture of the surface. These car wrap cleaners will cleanse the vehicle thoroughly and still keep the brightness and strength of the material so the car can continue to look great for a long time.
Another effective way to avoid using harsh soaps on the car is to use waterless car wrap wash liquid. It eliminates the danger of leaving watermarks on the vehicle or harming the surface using high water pressure. It also makes it easy to clean away dirt and grime, because it breaks the dirt down, and all you have to do is wipe it off gently. Lastly, it leaves a protective shine on the car that keeps the car cleaner for longer by keeping off dust.
Buffing
Secondly, you must avoid buffing. Of course, you may ask, where is the harm? Its just a cloth shine job. While it seems harmless, buffing a car wrap surface is not. The thing to note is the car surface is rarely free of small debris. You may not see it, but its there.
Rough cloths
Harsh stain removal
Waxes or polishes
Avoid heat and rough pressure
The Car Care & Maintenance
The primary contributing factor to the car wash is how you store your car. Do you cover it, and do you have a garage to store it? If you can prevent it from getting affected by environmental threats, then you can maintain a shiny car. Make sure that you use a clean cloth to wipe the car daily. If you do all of these, then the requirement of the car wash will be minimal.
The Appearance Of Your Car
Your eyes can be the best judge. Check out the appearance of your car. Do you see a visible layer of dust and spots on the glasses and other places? You might even witness dried out mud from the rainy weather or a rust accumulation on your car. If you can not simply wipe and clean the car anymore to maintain a flawless appearance, it is time for the car to get washed.
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Do You Put Water Directly In The Foam Cannon
Yes, you will put some water in the foam canister and then mix it with the wash soap in order to create the diluted soapy solution that you will be using to wash the car. However, the water supply will be coming from the garden hose which is attached to the pressure washer, not from the cannon canister itself.
Once you dilute the wash soap, you dont have to open the foam canister again until the next car wash this eliminates the struggle of continuously having to fill up your wash buckets and add more suds to the bucket.
Is It Better To Wash Your Car At Home Or At A Car Wash
No matter if you have been on a stress-free road trip, just cruising around some of the famous routes in the US, or you have been driving around the neighborhood, your car will eventually get dirty. Thats when you should give it a good and thorough cleaning. However, the question is, should you DIY the whole process or use the commercial, automated wash?
Both commercial and self washes have advantages and disadvantages, and choosing one over the other will depend solely on your needs, schedule, and budget:
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Park Your Car In The Shade
You should try your best to wash your car in the shade and out of direct sunlight. This will keep your car wash shampoo from drying before you can rinse, as well as preventing water spots from appearing on the surface of your car and windows. Youll also want to try to wash your car on a relatively calm day, since wind or even a breeze can kick particles of dirt back onto your wet car.
Once your car is parked, make sure all windows and sunroofs are closed. If youre able to, pull the windshield wipers away from the windshield until they click and are in the propped position.
Dry The Car Using Clean Microfiber Towels
For this process, use a clean microfiber towel to dry your car. Again, do NOT dry using a circular motion. You can set your microfiber towel flat on the cars surface and slowly drag it toward you, letting the towel absorb the water as it goes. Shake and turn your towel frequently and grab a new one if it gets too wet. Alternatively, if you have one, you could also use a leaf blower to effectively remove all the water from your car.
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What Kind Of Pressure Washer Should I Use
It is okay to use any type or brand of pressure washer with foam cannons. The two options of pressure washer that you can decide between are gasoline-powered pressure washers and electric powered pressure washers.
An electric-powered pressure washer offers less psi than the gasoline-powered pressure washer which in turn makes them a little safer for use on your vehicles paint job.
The higher the psi, the riskier it is to use on your car. Psi in the low 2000s offers plenty of pressure to effectively and safely spray the foam for your car wash.
However, some gas-powered pressure washers have adjustable pressures, so this would be a good thing to check on your personal pressure washer before deciding to rush out to get a new one or giving up on the idea completely.
Touch Free Automatic Car Wash
We all love to watch our cars go into an automatic car wash and come out of it all sparkly clean. Have you ever wondered how your car gets cleaned in an automatic car wash without any human hands on it? Such are the marvels of the modern world. Lets find out what happens inside that Tamworth car wash you just took your car to.
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Fill A Bucket With Soap And Water
Take two of the buckets from your pile of gear, then fill them with water. Next, add the prescribed amount of car wash soap to each bucket. You now have your washing buckets ready.
The second wash bucket is for your wheel wells. Its recommended that you keep the water for your wheel wells and the water for your cars body separate. Your wheel wells typically have more dirt and grime on them. You dont want to rub that dirt and grime over your cars body. If you do, you risk scratching your car.
Time Of Day Avoid The Sun And Conserve Water
Washing your vehicle in the sun or in the heat can cause the cleaning product to dry before youre able to wash it off. If you do find yourself washing your car in the sun, make sure to work panel by panel to ensure a quality car wash. This will also help you to not overuse too much water and keep water spots to a minimum. If possible, we recommend washing your car early in the morning, before 10 AM, or in the afternoons after 4 PM. Alternatively, you could wash your vehicle in your garage, carport, or another shaded area.
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Sit And Wait For The Carwash To Finish
After youve done all those precautionary measures for your car, theres nothing else to do but sit and just let the automated car wash do its job.
In the car washing process, the track system will be moving your car forward. Due to the force and motions of the water pouring from the water jets as well as of the brushes wiping your car, you may experience a slight shaking in the car and hear a bit of noise.
Can You Use Any Soap In A Foam Cannon
Technically you can use any soap you want in a foam cannon or foam gun, however, you need to keep in mind that some car wash soaps will foam more than others.
Keep in mind that you should never use soaps that arent intended for car washing as they may produce undesirable results.
You can use the typical car wash soap, not necessarily foam cannon specific, but it may not foam quite as much and be as effective for pre-wash purposes like a snow foam soap would. Snow foam soap is the best product to use in foam cannons in order to help break down and remove the dirt and grime that accumulates on the surface of your vehicle.
A snow foam will give you the best results and the finished product will be comparable to a car wash. Another thing to keep in mind is that a good portion of snow foam products come scented, so when you are purchasing your snow foam, make sure you pick a scent that you will enjoy as it produces quite the aroma.
The Chemical Guys offer fun scents of snow foam such as watermelon and honeydew, but also more mild scents for those that want them.
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How To Wash A Car In 8 Easy Steps
- 1: Gather Car Washing Products
- 2: Fill First Bucket With Water And Soap, Fill Second Bucket With Just Water
- 3: Hose Off The Car Before Beginning The Washing Process
- 4: Wash The Wheels
- 5: Wash The Entire Car Using a Wash Mitt
- 6: Rinse The Car Using The Hose, Pressure Washer, Or Foam Gun
- 7: Dry The Car Using Clean Microfiber Towels
- 8: Clean Glass Exterior With Glass Cleaner
- Extra Credit: Once Dry, Wax The Car
You now know how to wash a car like a pro! Sure it takes a little elbow grease, patience, and time, but the reward is so worth the effort.
Some Notes On Car Wash Soaps And Car Washing
- Don’t use dish soap: Seriously, please, do not break out the dish soap to wash your car. While this was common car care practice years ago, times have changed, and so has automotive paint. The paint on your car is a lot more delicate than you think, and harsh chemicals are not its friends. You really don’t want to damage that clear coat. If you need to strip wax from a car, there are special car wash soaps just for that.
- Bust out two buckets: That’s right, use two buckets when washing your car by hand. One bucket is exclusively for your car wash soap and water, and the other is only for rinsing and washing off your sponge or wash mitt. It keeps dirt and debris out of the soap bucket so there’s a lesser chance you pick up unwanted materials to potentially scratch the vehicle’s paint while washing.
- Try to wash out of direct sunlight: Water spots can be a real nuisance. Working in the shade or when the sun isn’t baking the car can keep water and soap from drying prematurely. If you can’t avoid the sun, it’s not the end of the world. Some quick detailing will clear up any unwanted water spots left behind on the car surface.
- Wash your car regularly: It’s simple enough, but a basic car wash done right can do wonders to extend paints longevity. By keeping dirt, dust and debris off the paint, you’ll thank yourself in the long run. Plus, c’mon, there’s nothing like a clean car.
This stuff smells so good.
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For Newer Cars: Go With Soft
The aforementioned types of car washes dont use the abrasive brushes, which are typically utilized in older car washes. Modern cars, unlike older cars, usually have a thin layer of clear coating on the base paint. That makes newer cars more vulnerable to damages that could not be buffed out.
Older cars, on the other hand, only have single-stage paint and dont have a clear coating. So they can tolerate older car washes abrasive brushes.
Wrong Chemicals Buy Appropriate Cleaners Waxes And Treatments
Dish soaps and household chemicals tend to oxidize the paint job, strip the clear coat, and make the paint dull looking. This also leaves the paint, rubber, and metal surfaces unprotected against moisture, road grime, and debris. Youll want to focus your efforts on car wash approved products, at NuWash we recommend using plant-based, eco-friendly products that provide a phenomenal clean to your car and ensure your paints health.
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How Does An Automatic Car Wash Operate
The basic principle in automatic car washing is the same as in hand washing. You first soap up the surface, scrub, rinse and then dry out the water from the cars body.
In an automatic car wash, you drive into the car wash area and park the car in the wash bay. After turning off the car and leaving it on neutral, your job is done. In the washing bay, sensors send a signal to the digital control system that the car is in position, and the car wash process begins.
First of all, any dust and dirt on the surface are removed by jets of water sprayed from many orifices powered by a huge pressure washer. Then the car is sprayed with car shampoo solution, using pressure washers again. The car then passes through a mitter curtain, which is a series of strips of soft cloth hanging from a frame at the top of the tunnel. The frame is motorised to move such that the strips of cloth rub the surface of the car gently back and forth. A foam applicator then applies the deep cleansing foam on the cars surface through nozzles.
After this, the car moves through a set of scrubbers which are soft cloth strips attached to long vertical poles. The cloth strips lash against the car, cleaning it with the foam. The foam is then removed with a blast of clean water from a set of nozzles, taking away all the dirt and grime with it. The car is then rinsed with clean water once again to remove any traces of soap or dirt.
Always Rinse Before Moving Onto Wax And Clear Coat
Soap doesn’t chemically react well with the solutions used to maintain your clear coat or the high pressure wax most car washes use. You need to rinse it off first, that’s why the car wash puts the rinse feature after the foaming brush in the order of their features. You should always rinse between your wash and paint maintenance.
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Drive Through The Carwash Entrance And Pull Up To The Car Wash Track
When you navigate to a car wash area, follow arrows or signs that lead to where you should stop your car.
The process usually starts with you driving forward to align your car with the car washs track system, which will be guiding your car throughout the washing process. Lights and arrows would then signal when youve finally positioned your car onto the track.
Once positioned, if your car has a manual transmission, set it in neutral, if its with automatic transmission, set it in park. Then, remove your hands from the wheel and your foot from the brake.
Best Car Wash Soap In 2021
A trusty no-rinse wash? Something affordable? We’ve got our top picks for the best car wash products available today.
Cars get dirty . Even if you baby your vehicle as much as possible, dirt, dust, grime and all sorts of other crud will inevitably find their way onto the paintwork. A nice and simple hand wash is the easiest way to keep car paint looking clean. But before you grab an old bucket and reach for the hand soap or dish soap, we have some recommendations for the best way to save your car’s finish while getting rid of dirt particles. You see, standard hand soap or dish soap aren’t made to clean off road grime and can damage your car’s paint job, even if you avoid a pressure washer and wipe everything down gently with a microfiber towel. With the number of cars that motor through the Roadshow garage, we have to keep them looking top notch, so we’ve rounded up our six best car wash soaps.
There is an absolute abundance of car wash soaps on the market, and we’ve narrowed it down to six of our top car cleaners. There’s something for everyone, from concentrated soap that can be worked into a rich lather to a waterless wash that gets rid of tough dirt and keeps your car’s paint surface gleaming. And only once your car is squeaky clean can you break out the carnauba wax to keep everything super shiny and protect your car’s finish. Keep scrolling to learn more about our picks. We update this list periodically.
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Finding A Good Car Wash
Before you go wash your car, you should find a good car wash. If you can, find a newer or modern self-serve car wash. These will have newer and better equipment like higher pressure washers, animal hair foam brush, heated water, credit card reader and clean, large bays.
And I did say YES to the Foam brush find out why later in the post.
You can use Google maps or other reviews online to find a highly rated one. Make sure to read some reviews good and bad comments. Then check the busy times too. Also, they should be well maintained by the owner and staff.