Cars are an investment, so it makes sense that many owners want to save money and manage their car's exterior at home. However, the internet is full of misleading and often damaging myths. Here are a few products you should never use when you clean or detail your car.
1. Laundry or Dish Soap
At first glance, washing your car with laundry or dish soap is a good idea. Because detergents are excellent at removing grease, oil, and dirt from various surfaces, many believe that they are good at cleaning cars. However, such products also strip the finish off your car. This compromises the paint's protection and risks oxidation and rust.
While laundry or dish soap won't wash away the entirety of your car's finish in one go, it will certainly begin the process. Cleaning your car with such products is a good idea only if you are willing to wax your car after every wash.
Additionally, laundry or dish soap can leave residue. Even if the car becomes extraordinarily clean, it will have unseemly patches of soap, looking as though you didn't clean the car at all.
The best alternative to laundry and dish detergent is a pH-balanced soap made especially for cars. Look for a product that contains surfactants: they will remove dirt and carry it off the surface of your car instead of dragging it around. Consider finishing the wash off with a glossing conditioner.
2. Recycled Clothing and Towels
Many car owners save old T-shirts and bath towels to clean or dry their cars with. Unfortunately, these cloths are unfit for the job, because they leave tiny scratches on your car's clearcoat. Sponges and paper products have the same effect.
Even if your recycled items feel soft, most of them include polyester, which is a synthetic fiber. Polyester is essentially plastic, which means that it's abrasive and will certainly leave marks on your car. Sometimes these scratches are visible, and sometimes they are not - either way, they damage your clear coat, which will drive you towards an inevitable and expensive repair.
When you see swirls on your neighbor's car, they're likely damage from polyester fibers. As attractive as the swirls may seem, a compromised finish is never good news for car paint and requires attention. While many car repairs can be done at home, this is one that will require professional polishing. The more you harm the finish, the more likely your car paint will experience oxidation and rust.
3. Expensive or Specialized Wax
The phrase "you get what you pay for" applies to many things, but it doesn't apply to car wax. A jar that costs $50 or even less will likely perform just as well as one that costs more. You may have experienced an expensive wax job at a boutique car shop. Consider that the price you paid was not only for the wax but also for the experience or service - the price doesn't necessarily reflect the quality of the wax.
There are also rumors that paste wax is superior to liquid wax. While paste wax often looks shiner, it often doesn't last. Rather than cost or type of wax, your first concern needs to be longevity. No matter how much you paid, one wax a year simply isn't enough to keep your car in good shape.
The recommended frequency of waxing will depend on your environment. Naturally, if you live in a harsher climate or experience a lot of air pollution, you will need to wax your car more. You can gauge this on your own: next time it rains, examine how raindrops gather on your car. If they're beads, your car is in good shape. If the beads are elongated, or the water is in strips, your car needs to be waxed.
In addition to waxing frequently, use a quality paint sealant every season.
We can advise you on quality products as well as answer any other questions you have about cleaning and detailing your car.
