Owning a car can be costly. Not only because the car itself is expensive, but also because the maintenance it requires to keep it up in top shape may also be as expensive. One example of car maintenance is cleaning it.

Many car owners would normally take their car to a car wash to have it cleaned. However, car owners can save more if they can do it on their own, which is why many car owners would normally wash their own car on weekends to save more on maintenance. However, there are several things in which car owners should be aware of before doing it themselves.

Proper way of washing one’s own car

Car washing isn’t only about hosing down one’s own car or lathering it with soap. There are steps or guides in which experienced car owners normally follow when washing their car. These guides help them clean their car while maintaining their car’s paint job. This is because there are some parts of car washing which can put their car’s paint job in jeopardy, such as fading or irremovable marks.

Here are some tips on how to properly clean a car:

Put car in shaded area – One mistake in which many car owners have done in car washing is leaving their car under the sun. Although it helps in letting the car dry much faster, this causes droplet stains in their car’s paint. This is the reason why it’s important to first place the car in a shaded area.

Prepare cleaning materials – After putting the car in a shaded area, prepare all materials which will be used in car washing. Some of the materials normally used in car washing include: 2 buckets of water (one mixed with cleaning agent), towels (a shammy towel is more suitable compared to typical towel), a sponge, and a hose (a pressure washer hose can be useful).

Hose down excess dirt – By using a pressure washer hose or a normal hose, hose down the car to remove excess dirt. If using a pressure washer hose make sure that it is set in a low pressure. High pressure water jets may ruin the whole paint job.

Clean car section-per-section – After hosing down excess dirt, lather sponge in bucket mixed with soap then apply a section-per-section cleaning. Professional car owners normally goes from the front of car, up to the back, while others go from the roof, down to the tires.

Keep car web – To avoid the car from drying too fast, hose down finished sections to avoid getting water droplet stains on the paint.

Use towel to dry car – After cleaning all sections of the car, from roof to tires, it’s time to dry it with the use of a towel, though many experts agree that using a shammy towel is much suitable compared to using a normal towel.