How Often Should You Wash Your Car
If you happen to ask random motorists how often they wash their cars, you will most likely be given a variety of answers. Although this seems to be a debate for many, everybody has a unique way of answering this question. Some will tell you that washing their cars on a daily is a habit to them. Others will tell you that they at least do the washing once or twice per week. We also have a group of people who think that washing their cars so often is unnecessary, as most of them are out in the mud most of the time. However, the question remains; how often should I wash my car?
Why Does Having a Clean Car Matter?
Keeping in that your car is a significant investment you have, maintaining it through various ways such as replacing tires, changing oils, replacing the transmission fluid, and repairing brakes are vital. You want your car to last and serve you for many years to come. So, you can do anything to protect the vehicle.
Washing your car regularly is an effective and straightforward way to boost your car’s appearance and give it a beautiful look whenever you are on ride. The presence of the vehicle is the first thing that people notice and judge. If your car has dirt or faded paint, that is a reflection that you have not taken care of your vehicle. A proper routine to regularly wash your vehicle is an excellent way to avoid this.
What are the Most Common Car Hazards?
As you drive, you expose your car to different dangers that affect the look and, more importantly, the functionality of the vehicle. Your car will naturally get dirty through regular use, and this is affected by various factors.
For instance, if you drive in coastal areas where roads get salted during winter seasons, the salt will probably be accumulated to the undercarriage of your car, which might lead to damages. For those living in wooded areas, sap from trees can fall and lead to corrosion. Other such as bug splats and droppings from birds might lead to faded paint for your car. Generally, there are endless hazards that your car is exposed to. Washing your car regular times is essential to minimize most of them.
Factors to Consider to Determine how Frequently you Should Wash Your Car
While you might just be using your car to drive to the office, others use their vehicles to carry out different activities. To determine the number of times you should often clean your car, and the following should always be considered:
- Your Location If you happen to be living in the city, the worry would be the level of pollution the city has every other day. Let’s an example you stay near a processing factory or a construction site, chances are, when driving around these areas, your car will be dirty due to mud and even cement. Taking a ride along roads with trees, you expose your vehicle to insects, bugs, insect droppings, fallen twigs, and leaves.
- The way you Store Your Car If you usually just park your car outside, with no shade of garage, the vehicle is exposed to environmental dangers and other possible hazards. A car garage will help you minimize some of these dangers, which will significantly affect how often you will need to be cleaning your car.
- The Nature of Your Drive Daily If you take several hours driving, the chances are that your car will be exposed to dirt and other particles resulting from the dust. Others include bugs, tree leaves, and other droppings that can damage the paint of your car, hence, affecting the look of your vehicle.
- Weather Areas with heavily industrialized section will probably expose your vehicle to acid rain. This can affect the car surface and ruin your paint. For those living in wet areas, mud is unavoidable. Many feel like having to wash their cars frequently in these areas is not necessary. For those living in hot and humid places will be comfortable to remove their vehicles regularly.
How Then Should You Consider to Whether Wash Your Car Once or Twice Weekly?
Once you have taken the above-discussed considerations, it becomes easier to determine how frequently you should wash your car. To come up with an active schedule, you will need to evaluate the following factors:
1. When to Wash Your Car Once Weekly
If you notice tree saps, bird droppings and splattered bugs on your car, you will need to remove them as soon as possible. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you will need to wash the entire vehicle. But if you wait for too long, your car will finally be covered with droppings and other particles, and this can be hectic when washing. It is recommended you act on it to reduce the work. Additionally, if your car is exposed to excessive rains, heat, and long drives, getting it washed every week is enough.
2. When to Wash Your Car Your Car Once or Twice Monthly
If you’re busy with your car, you will not be exposing it to the environmental hazards out there. You might even not be using your vehicle for a month or two, but ensuring the integrity of its surface is maintained, doing washings once or twice a month is recommended. Make it a habit to be removing dirt from your car, whether the vehicle has been in use or not.
How to Wash Your Car Without Damaging the Paint
The biggest worry when washing your car is about protecting your vehicle’s clear coat and paint. If you happen to be washing your car improperly, then you do damage to it. If you continue the same action for long periods, you will be causing more damage to the car.
If you wash your vehicle two or more times weekly, here are some useful tips to make sure that you don’t cause significant harm to it:
– It is recommended that you should always do hand washing for your car. In any case, if you do automatic washes, make sure that you only use touch-free.
– Whenever possible, only use vehicle-safe water and soap when doing your washes. When doing scrubbing, try to be gentle and use microfiber cloths and sponges to avoid scratches.
– When drying, use a microfiber cloth to wipe the vehicle thoroughly to avoid leaving any watermark, but again, make sure you don’t overdo it for the areas you had already dried.
– Wide up your washes using paint protection or wax for your car.
Do not Forget the Interior.
If you take most of the time to clean the outside part of the car, it only makes sense if you go ahead and clean the interior. During your daily drives, your car might have let in dust and other particles from debris. That’s why it is recommended that you should clean the car’s interior during your general washes (Check out our Interior Detailer here!).
To do this effectively, you can use a vacuum that has a hose to clean up the floors and seats of the car. While doing this, you will probably find old fries which requires to be removed. In case you come across any stains or spots on your seats, use upholstery cleaner to clean them up as well. The type of cleaning agent to use depends on the make of the places for your car, whether leather or fabric. Don’t forget to use a leather conditioner to clean the seats after every three months.
Doing the Waxing is Important
Car experts recommend that you should give your car a good waxing at least three times a year. Before doing any waxing, your exterior should be thoroughly cleaned. As one of your car’s maintenance routine, include car washing in your list. Whether you wash your car yourself with a bucket of water and soap or take it to the car wash, your main objective is to protect and maintain its pain fresh. It’s therefore, recommended that you wax your vehicle every time you get it cleaned (Looking fora spray wax on steroids? Click here!)
What are the Benefits of Regular Car Washes?
Just like your body needs regular washes, so does your car. Most car owners tend to give priority to some activities such as replacing worn-out tires and oil changes. Having discussed several factors that determine how often you should wash your car, you need to make sure that you main the vehicle’s look.
Here are some of the benefits of regular car washes:
1. Extend the Lifespan of Your Car
A car that is washed regularly will always maintain the beauty and the look of your car. Additionally, clean cars maintain a sweet smell and look shiny throughout, something you are proud of. For you to keep the look of your vehicle, it is recommended that you wash it frequently.
2. Prevention of the Exterior Damage
Excessive dirt that accumulates on your car body might lead to corrosion and rusting of the car. Regular car washes provide a solution to this as you have the chance to remove some dust and protect the coating of your car, and it will last longer.
3. Enhances Safe Driving
I believe that you won’t be comfortable in a car that is covered with debris and dirt on its windows. The reason is that you won’t have a clear vision when driving. Having a good view of the road is very important for a safe drive.
Summary
From our discussion above, the number of times you should often wash your car is determined by several factors such as the weather in your area, the location itself, the nature of the storage of the vehicle, frequency, and the distance you drive your car. All these factors should be put into consideration before you come up with an active car washing schedule. It is now your time to make sure you do what it takes to protect your car and make it last longer. If you’re looking for products to keep your car clean I would check out some of our Fan Favorites. Good luck!