Washing a vehicle requires the use of appropriate equipment and techniques to achieve a quality result. If you wash a vehicle poorly, you may leave missed dirt, water spots, circular marks on the paint, or even scratches. These can be difficult and expensive to repair.
The advice below is intended for those with little experience washing vehicles. A professional may use specialized equipment or different techniques. If you use equipment or techniques that you do not fully understand, you may end up with a very poor result.
What do I need to wash a vehicle?
You’ll need each of the following to wash a vehicle properly. Each is explained in more detail below.
- A suitable location
- Access to water
- A bucket
- A long hose with a nozzle
- At least one wash mitt
- At least one sponge
- A commercial wash solution or dish soap (see explanation)
- At least one small towel
- A spray bottle with a mild detergent
- At least 4 large towels
Your location must be in the shade for the entire wash and dry. If the sun shines on part or all of a vehicle while you’re washing it, you’ll have to work harder to keep it wet to prevent water spots. Direct sunlight will also reduce the amount of time you have to dry the vehicle before water spots appear. Washing a vehicle in a temperature that would cause water to freeze is much more difficult and is beyond the scope of this post.
You’ll need access to an abundant supply of clean pressurized water. If you try to wash a vehicle with an inappropriate water supply, such as a few buckets full of water, you’ll likely scratch the paint by dragging dirt across it. If you live in an area with very hard water, you may wish to visit a self car wash for access to softened water.
Your wash bucket must be free of chemicals and abrasive materials and must be large enough to allow dirt to settle to the bottom. I use a 5 gallon bucket that I bought new and that I don’t use for anything except washing vehicles.
Your hose must be long enough to reach completely around the vehicle being washed. The nozzle must be easy to operate and unlikely to damage to cause damage if it touches the vehicle. You should consider a plastic trigger nozzle with no exposed metal. Although plastic nozzles have a short life span, they are much less likely to scratch paint than metal ones.
Your wash mitt should be specifically designed for washing a vehicle. Sponges, especially dish sponges, are too abrasive and tend to trap dirt. It is extremely important that your wash mitt be free of dirt. The mitt must never touch the floor or ground. If it touches the ground, it should be immediately swapped with a clean mitt or thoroughly cleaned and checked. Using a wash mitt that has been contaminated with any abrasive material is likely to result in scratched paint. You may wish to keep several clean wash mitts available in case you accidentally drop one.
Your sponge should be specifically designed for washing a vehicle. You will use it to clean the bottom of the vehicle to avoid scratching the top of the vehicle with dirt from the bottom. As with the wash mitt, you should avoid placing or dropping the sponge on the ground.
If you will wax the vehicle after you wash it, you can use dish soap. Dish soap will strip both dirt and any old wax from the vehicle. If you’re not planning to wax the vehicle, you should use a commercial wash solution designed specifically to remove dirt without removing wax.
Your small towel should be soft and clean. It should not touch the floor or ground. Ensure that it does not have any designs on it that are made of hard substances. Old sweatpants cut into pieces work well.
Your spray bottle should contain a mild detergent, such as Windex or Fantastic. Avoid harsher chemicals, such as bleach, as they can remove paint from the vehicle’s surfaces.
Your large towels must be very soft and must not contain any designs that are made of hard substances. Old towels work best as they leave considerably less lint on the vehicle. It is absolutely critical that the towels be clean and that they not contact the floor or ground. A dirty towel can easily scratch paint, especially on a relatively dry vehicle.
How do I wash a vehicle?
If you’re using a commercial washing solution, mix the proportion of soap and water indicated in the directions in your bucket. If you’re using dish soap (see the caution above), add about 2 drops the size of quarters to the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket and fill the remainder with water.
This post will be modified at a later date to include instructions on cleaning tires for beginners. This is more difficult than it sounds since many of the chemicals that can clean tires can also damage paint and rims.
Clean each of the vehicle’s rims before you wet the body of the vehicle. To clean a rim, first rinse one of your small towels with your hose, then wet the rim, then spray your mild detergent onto the towel. Some rims are sensitive to mild detergents sprayed directly onto the rim while many are not. I usually spray my towel to be safe. Wipe the dirt from the rim. Rinse frequently and make sure that the rim does not dry. Check the rim carefully for missed dirt, then thoroughly rinse the rim to remove any soap. Do not dip the towel you use to clean the rims into your bucket as doing so will add dirt to the bucket.
Rinse the entire vehicle before you begin washing it. Rinsing the vehicle cools and lubricates the paint which makes dirt easier to remove. To wash a section of the vehicle, dip your wash mitt in your bucket and move it around. Gently move the wash mitt over the paint. Do not rub with your wash mitt to remove any stubborn dirt, as this can cause scratches. (A future post will describe how to remove bird droppings and some other common stubborn dirt without damaging the paint.) Rinse your wash mitt, then return it to your bucket. Rinse the section you washed thoroughly before moving to the next section. I recommend that a beginner wash a vehicle’s sections in the order below. Wash only the sections indicated below. If you wash part of the vehicle that has been exposed to a significant amount of dirt, such as a wheel well, you are likely to drag that dirt across the rest of the paint.
- Hood and grill (but not lights or front bumper)
- Trunk, including back and lights (but not rear bumper)
- Roof, windshield, and back window
- Driver’s side front panel (above molding)
- Driver’s side door(s) , including windows and mirrors (above molding)
- Driver’s side rear panel, including window (above molding)
- Passenger’s side front panel (above molding)
- Passenger’s side door(s) , including windows and mirrors (above molding)
- Passenger’s side rear panel, including window (above molding)
Clean your wash mitt and hang it in a safe location to dry. Never place it on the ground. Switch to your sponge and clean the remaining sections of the vehicle in the order below. As above, rinse each section before moving to the next. Do not use your sponge to fix any missed spots above the moldings. If you’ve missed an area above the molding, dump the water, rinse the bucket, replace the soap and water, and use your wash mitt to correct the mistake. Dipping your wash mitt into the bucket after you’ve already cleaned some of the vehicle’s bottom with your sponge risks scratching the paint.
- Rear bumper
- Driver’s side doors (under molding)
- Passenger’s side doors (under molding)
- Driver’s side front panel (under molding)
- Driver’s side rear panel (under molding)
- Passenger’s side front panel (under molding)
- Passenger’s side rear panel (under molding)
- Front lights and bumper
- Painted parts of wheel wells (Be very careful not to drag dirt from the moldings onto the rest of the paint.)
Rinse the entire vehicle thoroughly. Ensure that all soap is removed. The vehicle should be wet when you begin drying it. If any part air dries before you dry it, water spots may appear.
How do I dry a vehicle?
As a beginner, it’s best to dry a vehicle with the help of another person. Each person should use one of the large towels. One person should work over each section of the vehicle in the same order as above, gently pulling the towel over the paint. The other person should follow closely behind with a second towel. The first person should not try to dry each section completely and should be careful not to get more than a half section ahead of the second person (to prevent water spots). If the first person’s towel gets very wet, they should take the second person’s towel and the second person should take a new towel. If either person’s towel touches the ground, it must be immediately replaced. If any section of the vehicle remains wet one person can take a new towel and gently drag it over the vehicle’s surface.
Use one of the wetter towels to wipe dirt and water from each door jam. It is usually best to start at the driver’s side front door and work around the vehicle, ending at the passenger’s side from door. Don’t forget the trunk jam and the gas door. Use one of the dryer towels to dry the rims and the painted part of the wheel wells. Don’t let either towel touch the exterior paint.
Feel free to post comments with any questions. If I’m able to come up with instructions for a beginner, a future post may detail how to properly wax a vehicle.
