smart washing your car at home

Current regulations prohibit traditional car washing at home, but that doesn’t mean you can’t smart wash it! This can be accomplished for the most part with supplies and cleaners you can find around the house, with a few exceptions.

Here is a list of supplies you will need to gather:

Bucket

Clean, soft towels (microfiber if possible)

Soft brushes (old [sanitized] toothbrushes are a detailer’s best friend!)

Iron with steam setting or clothes steamer

All purpose biodegradable cleaner

Spray bottle with tap water in it.

Window cleaner (you can also use plain tap water mixed 4:1 with rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle)

Waterless car wash product (can be purchased online at our website or at local retailers such as Sam’s Club or Whole Foods)

Vacuum Cleaner (a wet/dry vac works best)

Cleaning the exterior:

Cleaning your vehicle’s exterior in a sustainable way is a simple process when you have the right supplies! There are a wide variety of waterless car wash products available for purchase online, including the Smart Wax One we have available for purchase at our website. Sam’s Club also sells a waterless car wash product in their automotive care section.

Other than the waterless car wash, you will want to grab your bucket with some water in it, a soft wheel brush, some towels and your all purpose biodegradable cleaner.

Now, just follow these steps to clean your paint and rims:

1. Start with the paint by spraying a section of your car’s paint with the waterless car wash. Now, while that is starting to work, you can spray some product on your microfiber towel to wet it before wiping all the dirt away. Having a damp towel to start with helps relieve the surface tension and prevent scratching.
2. Start at the top of the panel and work your way down in an “s” pattern (you want to avoid a back and forth pattern)
3. Make sure to be thorough and wipe all surfaces from top to bottom, wringing out your towel as you go when it gets completely saturated.
4. Take another dry microfiber towel and dry panel to a shine.
5. Repeat steps 1-4 for all the panels of your car. Don’t forget the roof!
6. If you have any streaks, you can use the spray bottle of water* to mist a little on the paint and then buff to a shine.
7. Next you are going to clean the wheels and tires. Get your all purpose cleaner, diluted according to the instructions on the bottle for heavy duty cleaning, and your bucket/brush ready.
8. Spray the tire (the black rubber part) as well as the wheel itself thoroughly with cleaner and use your wheel brush to break up the brake dust and dirt from the surface of the tire and wheel.
9. Take another towel and wipe the tire and wheel clean and dry, making sure to get the surfaces from all angles.
10. Repeat steps 8-9 for all four tires.

*You can pick up a final detailer product from wal-mart or an auto parts store with shine enhancers to get an even better shine on this step, or you can order some Smart Detail from our website

Cleaning the Interior:

Now that your exterior is clean and shiny you can move on to the interior, your home away from home. On the way inside, take a sec to wipe the door jambs with one of your towels left over from wiping the paint dry. The towel should be slightly damp already, but if you need additional cleaner for extra dirty door jambs you can spray them with your all purpose cleaner first.

You’ll need the following supplies for the interior: clean dry towels, that old (sanitized) toothbrush, steam iron filled with water or clothes steamer, all purpose biodegradable cleaner (diluted according to the instructions on the bottle for general cleaning), vacuum cleaner and spray bottle with water.

Follow these steps:

1. De-trash the interior (make sure you recycle!) and vacuum entire interior including floors and seats.
2. Mist some all purpose cleaner on your towel and dust all interior surfaces including dash, center console, steering wheel, door panels, seats and cup holders. It’s important that you do one section at a time for two reasons: a. you are less likely to miss something if you move in a organized fashion around the interior -and- b. if the cleaner dries on the plastic, vinyl or leather it can discolor and damage it.
3. For cleaning your carpets and upholstery you’ll want to make sure your iron or steamer is warmed up and ready to go, then mist the area you are about to clean with your all purpose cleaner.
4. Take a clean towel and mist it with water and cleaner and place over the area (or specific stain you are trying to target) Place the iron or steamer over the towel and steam for 30 seconds at a time, moving the iron around the whole time. The steam releases the stain, and often time lifts it completely out into the towel. If you still have stain or residue left over you can take your towel and gently rub the area after steaming it.
5. Repeat step 4 throughout your entire upholstered interior until all surfaces are clean and sanitized to your satisfaction.
6. You may want to re-vac the interior at this point to get any debris left over from the initial clean.
7. Now just check everything over and clean the windows.

Congrats! You just smart washed your car!

If you have any specific questions about any of these steps, products or procedures please don’t hesitate to shoot us a question at www.smartwashusa.com