The Art of Car Wash: Do it yourself during COVID-19 Lockdown
Understanding the need of Car Wash
When a car goes through a car wash, the customer can see only the visible exterior of the car. It is very hard to find if the undercarriage is also taken care well or not. The undercarriage of a vehicle is just as important to clean and maintain as the exterior of the car.
Dirt and grime can build up under a vehicle can lower the performance of the car. An undercarriage has drainage holes that can get blocked over the time. A car wash specialist can reach the places a car owner could not clean on their own.
Step by Step Guide for Car Wash at Home
One thing a car owner can do it to maintain the car condition by regular wash at home. Here are the things you will need to car wash at home:
1. Car wash shampoo
2. Sponge
3. 2 buckets of water
4. Hose pipe
5. Microfiber glove mitt
6. Microfiber towel
It starts with the tyres as they are the dirtiest part of the car. They must be cleaned before moving up to the body. Firstly, spray water on the wheels using a hose pipe which will remove the dirt and grime from the tyres. Make sure to look at any wanted stones, nails or glass pieces stuck in the tyre. Most of the time they are the reason to a puncture. Be careful to not hurt yourself in the process.
After spraying water on the wheels, use a brush and scrub the tyres gently. Later, move on to rims. Pay more attention to the internal portions of the wheel. For alloy wheels, use the sponge to clean the spokes which will eliminate the changes of getting paint removed.
Most people do not know this basic and finish up with cleaning same part again and again. Therefore, it is recommended that you take the top to down approach. Start from the roof, windshields, hood, trunk and lastly the sides.
The Roof, Hood and The Trunk
Start with hosing your car with water. Do not apply too much pressure to avoid damaging the paint. If you have any tough stains, you could use the concentrated car shampoo. Take one portion at a time for cleaning. The idea is to remove the dirt from the paint. The best practice is to keep your hand movements from front to back is you are rubbing the horizontal surface of the car.
Here the hand movements go from top to bottom. First, gently clean the doors, fenders and wheel arches of your car. Do not forget to check under the doors, front and rear bumpers, under the wheel arches. As you come to the back of the car, you will find need to clean the exhaust tip as well.
Cleaning the glass process is just like cleaning any window glass at your home. After washing your car spray some glass cleaner on windows and clean it down with a newspaper. For more efficient cleaning, do not forget to clean the sides by rolling down the windows.
Most people do everything but forget this part completely. To spray water so that it can flow freely over the surface is important. It will prevent water droplets to cause spots on the surface.
Keep the towel flat on the surface and drag it gently without pushing much pressure downwards on the car. Repeat it until the surface is fully dried. For standing water, try to soak the water from the surface first. Rubbing the surface with wet surface can left some stains as well.
Good Car Washes Maintain Your Car’s Value
A regular car washes at home keep your car in good condition. But a professional car wash service adds years of life to your car and keep it more valuable so you can sell it for a good money later. Car wash including full service not only clean the outside of your car, but the inside as well. Many car washes also offer full detailing services, where every inch of your car enjoys a spa-like restoration.
While the professional car wash is an added expense when most of that can be done at home, but it will pay dividends in years to come. It is also true that a professional car wash cannot be matched with the car wash at home. One should get a professional car wash occasionally which can increase longevity and performance of our vehicles and its spare parts. The Tanforan Shell at touchfreewash.com is a 24 hour open San Francisco car wash centre.