StorageDirect

As car storage is one of our services at Storage Direct, we know how to look after cars. Here are some great tips for keeping the outside of your car looking like new.

How to Clean the Outside of your Car to a Professional Standard

There are several things you can do to clean the exterior of your car and give it a professional appearance. Here are some tips for cleaning the exterior of your vehicle.

Regular Cleaning
The first thing you’ll need to do is clean the exterior of your car on a regular basis. Don’t allow weeks and weeks to go by without cleaning your cars exterior. You’ll keep the polish and wax on your exterior fresher if you remove dirt and debris each week from the surface of your car. It’s advisable to have a weekly cleaning of the exterior of your car. In the winter months you may need to go to a car wash to have this done.  In winter the salt and debris from the road can damage your paint and exterior surfaces so you need to clean your vehicle as much as possible.

Tires
A pressure washer can help you clean out the dirt and debris from your tires as long as the pressure is designed for cleaning tires. Check with the manufacturer to be sure. Clean the tires with cleaner that's not acid-based as the wheel alloys may oxidize or pit. The acids may also damage wheels that are coated. A degreaser is also a good option for the wheels. Try to clean the wheels on the vehicle before you clean the surface of your car. Remove dirt and debris of the inside of the fender neat the wheels too which can easily accumulate.

Hand Wash
You need to use some elbow grease and hand wash your vehicle. This is the best option for getting all the dirt off your vehicle and making it look professional. This will also help you become familiar with the surface of the vehicle and help you find problem areas where dirt accumulates. Make sure you use a car cleaning solution and not dishwashing liquid. Your car isn’t a plate and the dishwashing liquid strips wax and protective coatings from your vehicle as it cleans the car.

Paint Cleaners
Once the car is cleaned therе may be areas of the paint that have debris or dirt still on them. A paint cleaner can help you remove these imperfections from the paint surface. Paint cleaners will remove old wax and allow you to get under the debris to remove it off the paint. The cleaner will also remove scratches from the paint as well. You can buy paint cleaner for your car from your local automotive store. Ask how to use them if you don't know how.

Polish
You’ll want to polish your car and you may want to buy a hand help polisher or oscillating polishing machine which makes this task easier. The polish helps to smooth out he surface of your car and make it look great as well as make it look newer. Once you do this a few times you’ll get the hang of it and there are videos online that will show you how to polish your car professionally which can help.

Wax
You’ll want to add some wax to the surface as this helps keep small scratches off the paint and keep the surface looking great for several months. You may want to use two coast of wax for best results.

Take your time when cleaning your vehicle and you will have an exterior that looks just as good as a professional job. Make sure you clean your car on a regular basis to keep the exterior looking great. Refer to your local car care center if you have any questions about cleaning your vehicle at home.