When the sun finally comes out, there’s no greater feeling than giving your pride and joy a good wash!
After spending hours washing your car and finally getting the paintwork to serious *ting!* levels, all you’ll want to do is show it off to anyone that cares to look.
Then it starts raining.
All of that hard work can soon become futile, with the UK’s unpredictable weather and famously filthy roads and motorways quickly turning your shiny dream machine into a scruffy old banger again.
But fear not! There are a few ways to make sure your car doesn’t go back to being dirty as soon as your turn the engine over. Here are a few car cleaning tips on how to keep your car shinier for longer.
Blast away the dirt and grime
Grab your bucket of warm soapy water and start scrubbing off the thicker dirt and grime. Add some traffic film remover to a separate bucket of water – this really works hard against the dirt that doesn’t come off straight away with just elbow grease, which will make your car cleanliness last a lot longer.
Save yourself plenty of effort by using a Karcher Pressure Washer to clear off mud and dirt first. With additional lances and nozzles for different kinds of washing, as well as a 500ml bottle of car shampoo and car washing brush add-on, the Karcher K2 Full Control is perfect for the job.
Wax on, wax off…
Once you’ve given your car a thorough wash (and a polish, if it needs one), break out the wax! Car wax works by forming a hard protective layer over the paint, which fills in the bumps you can’t see and makes an even deeper shine. Because it leaves your paintwork so smooth, water will just bead up and run off (in a really satisfying way), and dust and dirt will be less likely to stick to the bodywork.
Apply a couple of layers of wax every now and then after washing your car thoroughly. When water stops beading up and running off the paint, you’ll know it’s time to do it again, and the cleaner your car is when you put on the wax, the longer it will last! When your car is waxed, it’s a much quicker job to rinse off dirt with a hose or pressure washer and dry with a chamois, instead of having to do a proper wash.
If you can’t seem to get your windscreen or windows to match the same level of shine as your paintwork, then check out our Duxback treatment. This special glass treatment causes water and liquid grime to bead, so it’ll be much easier to wash off.
Look after your wheels
To keep your wheels looking just as clean, give them a coating of wax too. This makes brake dust (that black stuff that builds up) less likely to stick, and makes them much easier to clean. Just remember to keep the wax off any plastic trim on your car, as it can leave white marks.
The devil is in the detailing
In between washes, a detailing spray or waterless wash is a great way to bring the shine back to your car. Simply spray onto the bodywork and wipe off to reveal a mirror image of your own smiling face!
With these tips and tricks, you should now have a car that glistens and glows for way longer! For more great cleaning products, don’t forget to check out the rest of the Halfords car cleaning range, and check out our How to Clean a Car guide for further tips.