Nothing makes your car look cool as a shiny finish. A car needs some washing after a few weeks or so of use. Daily use can easily rake up dust and road grime. Not to mention road tar and, if you’re (un)lucky, some bird dookie bombs. Taking it to the car wash might be a tad too expensive for a regular guy so why not get that typical Sunday morning (or afternoon) experience of tidying up you car.

The process usually takes two major phases – washing and polishing. Here are some pointers to help you make your car looking neat and shiny.

Washing

• Hose of the whole car’s body to get any loose dirt off.
• Using a soft sponge and a bucket of water mixed with car detergent, wash the surface. Make sure that the solution’s very sudsy. Never use regular detergent, some home solutions contain harsh chemicals like bleach that can ruin your car’s finish.
• Be gentle when removing caked on grime. Trying to scrub them off might scratch your car’s finish. Loosen them up with the sudsy detergent solution first. You may also want to try commercial products specifically for removing tar, tree sap, and bird droppings.
• Don’t forget to scrub the tires and rims too.
• Rinse off the detergent with a good hosing.
• Dry with a chamois or any soft non-abrasive absorbent cloth. Make sure you get to dry all the nooks and crannies (door sidings, under the skirts, door handle recesses, etc…)

Polishing

• Make sure you pay attention to type of chemical you’ll be slathering on your car’s surface. Cleaner-polisher chemicals usually contain a mild abrasive that actually rubs off the top surface of the paint. Only use this if the top layer of paint looks weathered. For a typical shine maintenance, good old wax is my best bet.
• It’s usually time to wax the car when water no longer beads on the surface. It’s usually once every few months or so.
• Run your finger on the dry surface to make sure you don’t have fine grit or sand stuck on the paint. If you still feel some grains there, you might have to use a clay bar to remove these grits.
• If you’ve got some light scratches on the finish, you might want to use some touch-up paint (available usually where car care products are found). Just be careful on how you use them (follow the instructions). Make sure it’s dry before waxing on.
• Apply the wax as indicated by the manufacturer. The most typical procedure is to dampen a sponge and apply a coat of wax. As soon as the wax starts to dry, you have to wipe and buff it off using lint-free and non-abrasive cloth. It’s good workout too.
• Never work or under direct sunlight. Remember, wax melts.