Tips on how to wash your car
Written by Eddy Fiuza
I want to share with you some valuable tips. These tips will help guide you on how to safely wash your car. Some of you would rather leave the car washing and detailing to the professionals but if you want to do it yourself, here are some tips that can help guide you to do a safe do it yourself car wash.
Before you get started on washing your car, make sure that all the components such as paint, engine bays, rims, rag tops, etc. are cool to the touch. Shaded areas are a must. Choosing soaps and conditioners with the right PH is very important. Don't ever use dishwashing liquids 
because it will strip off the wax, leaving your car’s paint exposed to environmental attacks. Using a two-bucket system will not guarantee clean water. Foam guns are in my opinion are the best to use. You put the soap into the reservoir and mix it with some deionized water and you’re good to go. You can then easily foam your car in sections as you soap and wipe off areas.
Owning a deionizer to create soft water is the way to start. A good deionizer will remove harmful mineral ions from hard water such as sodium, calcium, iron, copper, chloride and bromide. Deionization is a physical process that uses specially-manufactured ion exchange resins which bind to and filter out the mineral salts from water. Because the majority of water impurities are dissolved salts, deionization produces a high purity water that is generally similar to distilled water, and this process is quick and without scale build up. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deionization)
Not only should you use a deionizer but you should also consider the following tips you may have never thought of. Before you connect your hose to the main water source, install a small screen trap that will capture small grains of coral, lime, metals, or copper sand. These traps are the same ones used in most kitchen or bathroom faucets to trap those elements. Why is this important? The size of these types of elements cannot be seen going pass your water hose as you wash your car but these millions of particles will start to scratch your paint and cause all types of issues.
It’s also important to make sure that you use a tarp for the engine bay if water can get inside. Start by washing the tires and rims. Make sure not to use any rim cleaners that contain acids. If you have a pressure washer you can first spray the tire and rims with non-acid rim cleaners. Then put the pressure washer to a medium setting enough to see the brake dust and grime come off from the tires and rims. By using a good wheel well cleaner you can also pressure wash it at a low volume. Also when a power washer is not available use a good tire brush.
Pay close attention if you have a rubberized undercoating. These are best cleaned with a wheel well brush. Start with washing your car in sections from the roof down by using a foam gun if available. If not, use two 5-gallon buckets and good quality, soft automotive foam 
mitts. Make sure you have several foam mitts. It's a good idea to replace foam mitts often and use one for the bottom of the car and another for the top. You will also need some boar’s hair brushes or foam brushes for the tight areas such as the tail lights. For door jams, use a separate brush only. Do not dip door jam brushes in the same bucket that you are using to wash the car. Never shoot from your spigot forced water because this will only create water beads. What I do to remove the soap is to have the water slowly come out straight from the water hose. This way you will see the water sheet off of the painted surfaces and you’ll have less water beads to dry.
Always start from the roof down and start rinsing after you have soaped and cleaned each area. The soap suds will help loosen some of the dirt. Make sure you remove all the soap. Once you have done that, I would begin in sections starting with the roof first providing that your tires and rims were cleaned first. You can always go back and do a final rinse to the entire car including the wheel wells, rims and tires.
As you start your roof, start to foam the area and use a foam mitt. I also like to continue to use more foam while working each area. I don't like to wash the paint in a swirl motion. Always sweep the area in one straight direction. For example, if I start in the middle of the car roof I 
sweep in one direction causing the dirt to slide down the front or back window and allowing the water with soap to drain down the valleys. If you choose to sweep towards the front window, the water and soap will drain from where your windshield wipers are. Then I would foam again and rinse. I only like doing one section at a time so that the soap won't dry on the car. I like to rinse with the spigot off so the water sheets off.
Now it's time to dry the car. Don't use terry cloth towels. In today’s market there are many quality, microfiber drying towels, but I recommend an electric leaf blower with air filters on the sides. Use the leaf blower to start drying the car always from the top to the bottom. Once the surface of the car is dry, open the doors and engine bay and start blowing the water from inside the door jams, engine bay, rims etc. Once everything is dry, you will need a good microfiber towel to apply some detailer’s spray to the painted surface. For rocker panels, use another microfiber.
For windows, don't use products that have ammonia. Use microfiber towels for the windows as well. You will need two, one to wipe and another one to dry. Also this is the time to clean the wiper blades with some alcohol and paper towel. Now that everything is dry, it's time to inspect all the rubber moldings, rubber seals, and weather stripping as well as add conditioners that are designed for these parts. It's also time to put a good tire gel that conditions and preserves the rubber tires. The rims also need protection such a rim’s wax or sealant. This will prevent the rims from future damage from brake dust and many other elements. When a good rim sealant is applied, it prevents less brake dust from accumulating on the rims. Finally, after all that work, enjoy your nicely cleaned car.
Eddy Fiuza
Passion for Detailing
1441 SW 10th Ave, # 204
Pompano Beach, FL 33069
office 954-786-3234
cell 954-415-5170
fiuza@bellsouth.net
www.passionfordetailing.com