Dirty Car: Clean it Yourself

I am often asked where I take my cars to get washed, and my general response is “my driveway.” Surprisingly, the next statement is often, “Oh, I don’t know how to wash my car.” What? I just assumed this was a right of passage passed from parents to children around the time they got their driver’s license and perhaps their first car, if not sooner, while helping mom or dad wash at home.

I find the process of washing my car a somewhat relaxing, even slightly meditative, activity. There is something about the removing of old dirt, thereby revealing that clean shine, which helps make my world a better place. Plus, when you do this bit of owner/car “bonding,” you have a much better chance of recognizing a paint defect or maintenance issue, since you are touching all parts of your car when you wash it.

Washing one’s own car is neither hard, nor technically complicated, but it does require a little bit of knowledge and a few inexpensive items to assure the results are the highest quality possible.

Here is What You Will Need to Wash Your Car:

1. A shady location to work in: Washing in direct sunlight makes it nearly impossible to avoid water spots on your paint.

2. A quality car wash soap: Contrary to popular practices, don’t use dishwashing soap, as it will strip off any of the wax coating you have on the car. It is also hard on some rubber and plastic parts. I personally use “ICE” by Turtle Wax, but there are many car wash soaps. I also use a spray bottle filled with undiluted car wash soap to pre-treat problem areas, such as a recent insect murder or sap from that pine tree that hates you. Just a couple sprays and soaking for a few minutes will work wonders.

3. A car wash mitt: I prefer the ones with all the microfiber “fingers.” These seem to hold the dirt they pick up away from the paint and also make cleaning in little nooks and crannies easier.

4. Two clean buckets: Or you can use a commercially available car wash bucket that has a plastic screen in the bottom to allow dirt to settle and keep it away from your wash mitt.

5. A synthetic chamois or car drying cloth: These cloths allow you to dry your car without pulling the wax off. Some detailers prefer to use a rubber edged, car drying squeegee, but they tend to be more expensive and I find I still need a synthetic chamois to dry areas the squeegee can’t reach.

How to Wash Your Car:

1. Start by liberally rinsing your car with the garden hose, starting at the top and working down. You can’t use too much water at this stage because you want to wash any loose dirt or grit from the paint before it gets rubbed with the wash mitt.

2. Next, fill one bucket with water and the recommended soap amount (I typically use more soap than recommended if car is way dirty or sappy) and the other with clean water only. Every time you remove the mitt from the car, rinse in the water only bucket before reloading with soap.

3. Now wash from the top down. Don’t use too much pressure on the mitt; you don’t want to grind in dirt that can scratch your four-wheeled baby. Keep your car wet as you wash. When you get to the tough stuff, such as bird poop and that dreaded sap, keep them soapy. Use the hose to wet the car as needed. Sap can be tough to remove; sometimes it takes a bit of gentle thumbnail pressure. Another sap trick I use is to get a small container of HOT water (not boiling but as hot as will come from your kitchen faucet) and sometimes this really helps the removal process.

4. Wash again! Before you get ready to rinse, go over the car one last time quickly to remove any lingering dirt and also to keep the paint wet and avoid water spots.

5. Rinse. From the top down, using gentle water pressure, thoroughly rinse off all soap. You should now see that clean car shine peeking through.

6. Dry quickly. As quickly as possible, use the synthetic chamois to remove the water from your car. Wring the chamois frequently so it doesn’t become overly soaked and stop picking up. This will assure no water spots.

7. Don’t forget the jams. Open the doors and trunk/hatch and wipe the areas around the doors and trunk that rarely see the sun but get oh so dusty and dirty. At this time, you may also apply a thin coat of “tire dressing” to the tires to keep them looking new. One good tip for tire dressing is to apply it to a sponge or soft brush first and then to your tires to avoid overspray and drips.

Now that the outside of your car is looking great, drag out your vacuum and give the interior a bit of cleaning and wipe off the hard surfaces with a lightly damp microfiber rag. It’s also a good time to clean the windows; Windex and paper towels will handle this chore with ease.

Not only can washing be simple and relaxing, it can also be a nice cost savings. If the average hand car wash is $15-$20 per week, that $1000 more per year you can spend on Christmas tree air fresheners or gas.

Jay Ramowski is a commercial helicopter pilot, automotive consultant and professional driver based in Charleston. Jay brings an easygoing love of all things mechanical and a particular passion for cars and the people who drive them. Have questions? Email Jay at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..