Those that are unfamiliar or uneducated on the topic of washing cars often underestimate just how much time, money or effort goes into properly washing or detailing a vehicle.
Whatever your reason for getting into detailing, learning the basics is key to success.
Mastering the basics will allow you to achieve the results you want, in as little time as possible.
There are many different types of car washes available to choose from. These range from automated washes to roadside car washes to complete details.
When cleaning cars there’s a lot more to think about than just the paintwork.
I like to break the car washing process into 4 different sections. Pre-wash, Contact Wash, Drying and Interior Cleaning.
Breaking it down into stages allows you to track the work that you have done and will let you focus on specific weaknesses when learning.
No matter how long you’ve been washing cars, you’ll always wonder if there’s a better way of doing something or you may just have some general questions that you want answering.
Below is a list of the most frequently asked car washing questions which will hopefully cover topics that we may have missed above.
Do you ever find yourself washing your car and begin to get annoyed by the dirt that sticks to the car? This is because you’re not using a pre-wash. Some of the best pre-washes will have your car 90% clean before you even do a hand wash. The best pre-wash for cars will attack the … Read more
If you’re someone that loves to keep their car clean, you’ll know how much of a burden birds can be (and I don’t mean girlfriends). I’m speaking about those with wings. The birds that see your clean car parked up and decide to poop all over it. Birds are a part of nature and many … Read more
When cleaning a car, it’s common for people to neglect the wheel wells. I’m guilty of it myself, more often than not, I just rinse them off as part of the pre-wash stage. Depending on the type of splash guards or wheel liners that you have, a rinse could be enough. If they’ve been collecting … Read more
Bilt Hamber is an award-winning car detailing and finishing product manufacturer. They’re a UK-based manufacturer that ships all around Europe. They’ve started to branch out into the States, but, it will cost you significantly more to buy a BH product in the US. Since 2010, Bilt Hamber products have been winning the “infamous” auto-express product … Read more
Pump sprayers can be used to apply most car cleaning products. Professionals often use them for soaps, snow foam, or even traffic film remover. In this case, I’m going to list what I believe to be the best hand pump foam sprayers for snow foam. Pump sprayers are great for those who don’t have a … Read more
The steering wheel is the part of your car which is touched the most. Thus it’s quick to get dirty and sticky. There’s nothing worse than sticking to your steering wheel every time you go to turn a corner. The dirt and bacteria that collects on a steering wheel can be from all sorts of … Read more
With ceramic coatings becoming more affordable and easier to use, companies are creating coatings for more and more surfaces. People have always toyed with the idea of putting regular coatings on alloys. However, the effectiveness is always brought into question. The problem is that your wheels reach much higher temperatures than the car body panels … Read more
While drying aids aren’t necessary, they’re very quickly becoming an industry standard. Using a drying aid will help to preserve the finish of your car. There’s no point washing your car if you’re just going to let it sit and collect water spots or even scratch it during the drying process. The best drying aid … Read more