Whether you enjoy the job of cleaning your car every couple of weeks or it’s a chore to you, these are items you must have to keep your car clean.
A clean car is something you can be proud of, admire, and enjoy whenever you’re out on the road. When you take the time, money, and energy to wash your car properly, you’ll feel great about it and have a car that offers better fuel mileage and visibility out on the road. Let’s look at some of the items you need to keep your car looking its best.
Start With a Bucket and Sponge and You’ll be On Your Way
You’ll want a bucket that’s about five gallons in size and a large sponge to give you a place to keep plenty of soapy water for cleaning your car. This seems like a no-brainer, but there’s more. If you want to really get that car clean, use two buckets. One that has your soapy water and the other with fresh, clean water. This allows you to rinse your sponge in the clean water and remove the dirt from it before getting more soapy water to put on your car.
The Grit Guard Seems to be an Unknown Secret
Whether you use a single-bucket process or go with two, you’ll want a grit guard for each bucket. This little item sits at the bottom of the bucket and stops dirt and grit from getting back onto your sponge. This can be extremely important when you want to keep your car clean and don’t want to put the dirt back on the car after you’ve removed it.
Find the Right Soap for Your Car
There are many different car wash soaps on the market, and they all advertise some benefits for your car. Some are a wash and wax in one bottle; some offer protectants. The best thing to look for is a soap that’s pH neutral. This will ensure you don’t have hard water spots when you’re done washing your car. If you select the wash and wax in one bottle, you won’t have as much protection and shine as you would with a separate polish and wax for your ride.
Get Down and Dirty With Your Wheels
Your car’s wheels get extremely dirty. They become covered in brake dust and road debris, which makes them hard to clean and keep looking their best. You’ll want to remove this dirt with the right cleaner, which is designed specifically for your wheels. Using the right cleaner and a wheel brush will ensure your wheels look their best. Spray the cleaner on the surface and get rid of this nasty mess. You should always test the cleaner on a small part o the wheel to ensure it won’t damage the finish before proceeding.
How Will You Dry Your Ride?
When you want to keep your car clean, you’ll want to dry it off after you’ve cleaned it with soapy water. This means you need to use a chamois and some microfiber towels. These items will help you dry off your car and make it look great. The best microfiber towels have a high GSM count, ensuring you don’t see as many scratches or swirl marks in your paintwork.
Keep Some Detail Spray on Hand
If you don’t want to get the bucket and soap out every time your car gets a little dirty, keep some detail spray around. This is a great product that can be sprayed on the paint, trim, and glass to give your car a clean and shiny appearance after you’ve been out on the road. This spray, coupled with one of your microfiber cloths, will give you a nice clean, shiny finish between your washes. You won’t feel like you need to wash your car nearly as often.
Polish and Wax Your Car With the Seasonal Changes
You should polish and wax your ride every six months. Depending on the area you live in, you’ll want to do this when the spring begins and then again when the autumn leaves begin to fall. If you’re living in the south, where winters aren’t harsh, you might wait a little longer in the spring because you can go deeper into the fall. Regardless, a good polish and wax will protect your paint, and it should be applied every six months when you want to keep your car clean and looking great.
The Tire Shine Spray Should be Sitting Next to the Detailing Spray
Tire shine is great for your tires and makes them look wonderful, but once you head back on the road, they will get dirty. If you want to keep your tires looking great at all times, you’ll want to spray your tires with this product every few days, probably when you get out the detailing spray and give your car a quick clean.
Keep Your Windows Clean with the Right Window Cleaner
The right window cleaner for your car isn’t the same one you use in the house. Cleaners with ammonia are great inside the home, but not for your tinted windows. Purchase a cleaner that’s meant for car windows and let your windows shine the way they were meant to. You’ll be glad to have clean windows that offer much better visibility when you’re out on the road. This is one of the most important aspects of cleaning a car and being safer while you drive.
Get That Inside Clean
You spend most of your time inside your car, so why not make this area clean and enjoyable. Using the right interior wipes and cleaners will help you have a great-looking car on the inside to enjoy. You might want to take your car to a car wash with some high-powered vacuums to get all of the dirt and pet hair off of the upholstery, but you can do this at home as well. Either way, find the right items to give your ride the clean and fresh look and feel that you want to enjoy.
When you want to keep your car clean, these ten items are necessary to offer the look and feeling you want every time you take a drive.
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