How to Wash Your Vehicle by Hand
Washing your vehicle at home doesn't have to be a challenge. Whether your are taking the necessary steps to get your car, truck, or SUV ready to sell or just want to have a clean vehicle, we came up with some good steps and techniques to get the detailing job done and looking great!
Detailing your Vehicle How To Guide/Maintenance Tips
AG Premium Car Care Products will make your car, truck, boat, ATV, Dirt Bike, Motorcycle, RV, or Semi looking better than a good car wash. It’s a necessary step if you’re looking to sell your used car, but even if you're not, it's important for quality maintenance and knowing your ride is clean. The best car wash can happen in your driveway with a power washer, (if you have one), a hose, some AG Premium Car Care Unicorn Snow Foam Soap, cleaning mitts, Micro Fiber and a few buckets of water. Make sure the location you pick is not in direct sunlight or direct heat as the soap will dry onto the car before you can rinse it off. We always suggest detailing your vehicle in the early morning or late evening and don’t wash it near a dusty road or under a tree where buds, bugs and leaves can fall and stick to the car. Make sure your hose has a nozzle with enough pressure to spray the car, which is not necessary if you have a good power washer, and one that allows you to stop the water flow when you want. This way you’re not running water throughout the entire process or having to run back and forth to turn on and off the water while detailing.
3. The Wheels!
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Use a power washer or a hose with a nozzle that provides good water pressure to spray the wheels of the car. The wheels, being closest to the ground, contain the most dirt and debris so you want to clean them first.
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Spray around and inside the wheel wells, as well as the undercarriage to get rid of brake dust, dirt. (Also a great idea for winter where snow is prevalent, to clean the road salt away).
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Clean the wheels with our Unicorn Snow Foam Soap, or if they are really dirty you can always use our Twisted Apple All Purpose Cleaner.
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If your wheels are very dirty we would suggest using a mitt or chamois to scrub the tires and rims. Make sure to wash the mitt after each tire and rim set. (Do not use the same mitt for tires and rims as you would for the rest of the vehicle).
2. Prep and Foam
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Rinse down the entire vehicle with water to wash away dirt on the surface and to give your vehicle a good coating of water. Pay attention to all the cracks and crevices and make sure you cover the entire vehicle. Also, do not forget to roll your windows up!!
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If you do not have a power washer with a foam cannon use two buckets of water – one without soap and one with soap. Use our Unicorn Snow Foam Soap as it's specific to cars unlike household cleaners which could strip wax off the paint or damage the finish. The Unicorn Snow Foam Soap helps to allow the water to sheet and bead off, making the drying process quicker and reducing the likelihood of water spots.
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If you have a foam cannon, follow the directions on our Unicorn Snow Foam Soap, in making the right mixture. Too much will add a film to the vehicle.
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Always Follow the directions or instructions on the cleaner so you use the right amount of solution. You’ll use the Unicorn Snow Foam Soap bucket to lather up your mitt or chamois with soap for the car and the bucket of plain water will be used to rinse dirt and debris from the mitt after you’re done cleaning each area. It’s important that the cleaning mitt is free of dirt or else it can scratch the paint as you clean.
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Always work your way from the top of the vehicle down and start in sections. This means starting with the roof. The best way to use the mitt is to wipe once, turn it around and wipe once more. Don’t try to scrub or rub off the dirt. Once you finish each section, give the area a rinse so soap is not sitting for a long period of time. Clean the back of the car last, as this is an area typically with a lot of dirt buildup.
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If the mitt falls to the ground, rinse it very thoroughly before even considering using it on the car. Dirt and gravel could have gotten stuck into the mitt in and you don’t want to be rubbing that into the car’s surface scratching the paint!
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When using a power washer and foam cannon, make sure to spray the vehicle from top to bottom. Once the entire vehicle has been sprayed with the car wash soap, remove the foam cannon, and reattach the appropriate nozzle. Then start rinsing from the top down to wash away soap.
3. Rinse and Dry
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Once you’ve washed a section of the vehicle, remove the nozzle from the hose and use the free-flowing water to rinse the vehicle. Always start with the top and work your way down the vehicle, making sure not to leave any soap behind.
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If you are using a power washer, its always best to remove the hose from the power washer and use the free-flowing water to rinse off the vehicle.
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The final step in your vehicle detail journey is to use a dry chamois or a microfiber cloth to gently and thoroughly dry the vehicle. Avoid household towels as this can add unwater fibers to your clean vehicle. Start the process from the top and working your way down. Squeeze water from the cloth as you continue to dry until you’ve reached every spot and you’ve got a streak-free finish that shines!
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Your vehicle will always get dirty from the road dirt and grime to that one bird that decided it was a good time let go of waste right on the hood. That's why once your vehicle is dry, to use a good wax, ceramic coating, or Nano-tech ceramic like protector.