What to use
Dish soap strips wax, and bath towels and kitchen sponges drag grit across the clear coat. A basic kit is a bottle of car wash soap, two buckets, a microfiber wash mitt, a separate brush for the wheels and two or three large microfiber drying towels, about $50 in all. Work in the shade on paint that is cool to the touch, because soap that dries on a hot panel leaves spots that are tedious to remove.
The wash
- Rinse the whole car thoroughly to float off loose grit before anything touches the paint.
- Clean the wheels and tires first with their own brush, since brake dust is abrasive and should never reach the mitt.
- Fill one bucket with soapy water and one with plain water for rinsing the mitt.
- Wash one panel at a time from the roof down, rinsing the mitt in the plain bucket before each reload of soap.
- Leave the lower doors and bumpers for last, because they carry the most grit.
- Rinse, then dry at once by laying a towel flat and pulling it across the panel. Open the doors and trunk and wipe the jambs, where water collects and runs out later.
Protecting the paint
Wax or a synthetic sealant keeps water, sun and grime off the clear coat. Traditional wax lasts about three months and a sealant closer to six. Apply a thin coat to a clean, dry car with a foam pad, one panel at a time, and buff it off with a clean microfiber once it hazes. You can tell protection is gone when water stops beading and lies in flat sheets. Bird droppings, bug remains and tree sap are acidic and can etch the finish within days in summer heat, so soak them with a wet cloth and lift them off promptly rather than scrubbing.
Inside
Remove the floor mats and the trash, then vacuum from the top down, with the seats slid forward and back to reach the rails. Wipe the dash, console and door panels with a barely damp microfiber. Do the glass last with two towels, one to clean and one to dry, and use an ammonia-free cleaner, since ammonia damages window tint. Go easy around touchscreens, which want a dry or slightly damp cloth and nothing else.
Note In snow country, run the car through a wash with an underbody spray every week or two in winter. Road salt does its damage underneath, on brake lines and suspension parts, where you never see it.
