A clean car is not only nice to look at, but also has many advantages. Regular car cleaning maintains the value of the vehicle, protects the paintwork and prevents corrosion. To wash your car properly, you can of course simply go to a car wash or clean your car yourself by hand. Find out why washing your car by hand also has advantages and how quick and easy it can be with the right car cleaners in this care tip.
"Before you start with the right car wash, you should rinse your vehicle with water. This will remove the first coarse dirt such as sand. Sand grains can act like sandpaper under the sponge and scratch the paintwork of your car. Also, you should always wash your car from top to bottom."
For a particularly thorough cleaning, spray the car with the insect remover and let it work for three minutes. Then rinse off the insect remains with water. Remove the coarse dirt from the car. Ideally, you should use a high-pressure cleaner for this. If necessary, clean the rims and windows with the rim cleaner and window cleaner polish.
Prepare a bucket of car shampoo and another bucket of clear water. Use the multi-sponge to wash the car thoroughly from top to bottom. In between, rinse the sponge in the bucket with clean water. Rinse off any shampoo residue with clean water. You can use a high-pressure cleaner with low pressure.
Thoroughly remove the water from the entire vehicle with the Flexiblade. If any water drops remain, you can dry them by hand with a microfibre cloth. By drying carefully, you avoid water spots (also on all car windows) and achieve an optimal cleaning result. If water spots still appear on the paintwork, you can remove them with Spray + Seal.
Re-clean and dry inaccessible areas and details such as door pillars, interior doors, edges of the luggage compartment, etc. Stubborn dirt can be removed with special cleaners: Resin, tar or flash rust remover helps reliably. For thorough cleaning of car windscreens, we recommend the care tip for windscreen cleaning. Clean inaccessible areas and details such as door rails, interior doors, edges of the boot, etc. with the Clean + Drive turbo wax cloth.
When and how often should you wash your car?
When you should wash your car depends, of course, on the time of year and how often you use it. Most of the time, you can see for yourself when your car needs a thorough wash. As a rule of thumb, you should wash your car every two months to prevent damage and to avoid putting too much stress on the paintwork. In summer and winter, we recommend washing your car every fortnight. Insect remains and bird droppings must be washed off the car as quickly as possible in summer. This prevents the dirt from drying out in the sun and causing damage to the paintwork. In winter, on the other hand, salt residues, ice and snow must be removed regularly to prevent damage to the paintwork. But be careful: at temperatures below -10°C, you should refrain from washing the car, because the extreme temperature difference between the warm water and the material of the vehicle can cause damage to the paintwork.
You can clean the inside of your car anywhere, but there are a few things you need to keep in mind when washing the outside. There is no general ban on washing cars on private property, but you should always check in advance with your municipality or city to find out which rules apply in your area. As a general rule, it is forbidden to pollute groundwater! However, this is exactly what can happen if oil residues or other contaminants are released during the car wash and get into the groundwater.
That's not an easy question to answer. If you wash your car by hand, you can clean specific dirt and sensitive or heavily soiled areas more gently and sustainably than a car wash could. You can clean hard-to-reach areas in a targeted manner, and you can also work more thoroughly when drying your car by hand. However, it is important that you observe the relevant regulations on waste water when washing your car by hand. You can also clean your car at a self-service car wash. All the prescribed technical equipment is available there, but it is often not permitted to use your own cleaning products at these facilities. At car washes, on the other hand, you don't have to worry about anything: they have a water treatment plant in addition to the waste water treatment plant. This means that the dirt is properly separated from the water and disposed of, and the water is recycled. Regardless of whether you wash your car by hand or in a car wash: both solutions have their advantages and disadvantages, but when used correctly, they ensure a clean and professional result when washing your car.
Some of our car shampoos can be used with a pressure washer, but others are not suitable. You can easily read on our labels whether the high-pressure cleaner can be used. Pay attention to the recommended mixing ratios in the application text on the back of the label. This way you will get the maximum result when washing your car with a pressure washer.
