How to properly wash a car. How to wash a car at a self-service car wash: step by step instructions How to wash a black car with improvised means

Many car owners are wondering: "How and where to wash your car?". IN winter period it is better to use the services of a car wash or with the help. If it's summer, then you can wash the car yourself.

So you've made the decision to wash your car. To begin with, pay special attention to the means with which you are going to wash the body. The hose from which you will water should not have an iron tip to avoid accidental scratching of the paint surface. The brush should have long and soft hair. Many car owners mistakenly wash with foam rubber sponges. They are able to hold dirt in themselves, and the sponge turns into sandpaper. Then do not be surprised that they appeared on the body from nowhere.

Here are the basic rules for washing a car:

1. It is strictly forbidden to scrape off dirt that has long dried up.
2. It is forbidden to wash the body with synthetic detergents or soap.
3. Special attention give the glass. Never wipe them dry with rags. Any particle, for example, sand, will ruthlessly scratch it. If a scratch occurs on the windshield, the light beam will be refracted at a different angle, which can lead to blinding the driver at night.
4. sharp drop temperatures can cause cracking of the paint, so the temperature difference should be no more than 15 degrees.
5. Wash in places where there is no direct sunlight.

Having learned the above, we go directly to the sink:

1. Pour warm water over, wait a couple of minutes (this will allow the dirt to soften) and, using a brush, start washing. Dip the brush in the shampoo solution as often as possible, and in those places where you rub with the brush, pour plenty of water, preferably from a hose. You need to start from top to bottom, last turn wheels are washed. After washing, rinse the body with clean water to remove shampoo residue.
2. Wipe off any remaining drops of water by wiping with a dry, clean cloth.
3. Go to the salon. First, remove all mats, wipe them. While they are drying, vacuum the interior fabric material. To do this, you need a powerful car vacuum cleaner.
4. And the last chord will be wiping plastic parts with a damp cloth or sponge.

Let's talk a little about ourselves car shampoos. They are created on different bases: alcohol, alkaline, acid, etc. If you wash often, it is recommended to alternate them, especially when it comes to alkaline and acid shampoos.

Liquid detergents are used to clean paint and varnish coatings or upholstery of a car. Many of these shampoos contain anti-corrosion additives.

Pasty - necessary, both for washing and for the preservation of the body.

If there is dirt that is difficult to clean, from petroleum products, especially in engine compartment then you will need a powdered car shampoo.

All instructions for the use of auto chemicals are written on the label, strictly follow them to avoid irreparable consequences. Paint is a delicate matter.

Self-service car washes that appeared in large numbers did not leave motorists indifferent: 50 rubles for a couple of minutes of working with a “pistol” seems to be profitable and curious. But it quickly became clear that “self-washing” is less effective than a classic wash, in which the gun is in the hands of a professional washer… Why? This is for two reasons.

Professional washer high pressure- very powerful. It is much more powerful than any domestic, garage-dacha. And it's one thing when an instructed and at the very least trained washer-employee works for him, and another thing is for anyone who wants to, sometimes taking a gun for the first time. Careless handling of a water "knife" can cause serious injury, tear off the paint from the body, break the wipers, cut through the hood insulation. What if the kids take it to play? “Samomoyka” is open to everyone… All this may result in legal claims against the owners of the self-service car wash. Therefore, in high-pressure apparatuses on "self-washing" this very pressure is seriously limited.

Thus, they kill three birds with one stone - with a weak stream, the client cannot accidentally damage something in his body or in the car, the Karcher pump works in light mode with an increased resource, and the lousy washing abilities of such a gun force customers to buy extra, extra minutes of work. ..

The second reason Low quality washes in self-service areas - excessively economical concentration of detergent in automatic system. The first “self-washers” that appeared were generally washed with water under pressure, where shampoo was continuously mixed. This useless mode practically did not differ in “efficiency” from a jet of clean water from the same gun ... However, very soon, a full-fledged application of alkaline foam appeared in the mode selection programs, in which you can already fill the body with it, wait a minute until the shampoo works, and only then wash it off with clean water. This option turned out to be more effective, but still weak due to too low concentration of detergent.

Is "self-washing" profitable?

At the time of preparation of this material in the Moscow region, at car washes without particularly bright brand signs, the cost of washing a B-class passenger sedan was 200, less often 250 rubles. This is the price of contactless washing with concentrated shampoo and a powerful full-fledged high-pressure apparatus, followed by wiping the body dry. Moreover, this cost does not depend on the initial degree of contamination of the body, and in the end, after fifteen minutes of flipping through tattered magazines near the coffee machine, you have a clean and dry car.

If, however, a relatively dirty car is driven to a “self-wash” and for the same 200 rubles choose two cycles of 2 minutes each with chemistry and two cycles of 2 minutes of rinsing with clean water, then in the end after ten minutes of running around you will get not too clean and completely wet car, as well as damp shoes and trousers splashed with mud.

Yes, you can wash yourself at the very least. And the result will be clearly better than before washing. However, if the goal is a really clean body, then for a car of average pollution, and even more so - pretty dirty, “self-washing” is most often unprofitable! We don’t even talk about the surcharge for “application of wax” or other nonsense, dousing with “demineralized” water, which is designed to replace rubbing, leaving no traces of drying drops, and the like - this is pure money down the drain.

When is washing beneficial?

And in what cases is “self-washing” beneficial? And it is most beneficial only when paying for one two-minute fifty-ruble cycle. Not more! Yes, this option is not for washing dirty car clean. But this allows, without having your own high-pressure apparatus, to cheaply clean dust from a car that has stood for a long time, knock off fresh damp dirt after driving on primers, or remove snow from the body in winter. In these cases, "self-washing" is fully justified and makes sense.

And even better - stock up in advance a spray bottle in the trunk (universal two-liter garage-garden sprayers with a built-in pump are great) with washing chemicals diluted in the correct, and not liquid-pre-liquid, as suggested by "self-washing", concentration. By applying the composition in advance on the dry body of a lightly polluted car, you can wash yourself very well for a ridiculous 50 rubles ...

Conventionally, the “hundred-ruble option” can also be considered rational, when you pay for two washing cycles separately, fifty dollars, and not with one bill of 100 rubles. First, you knock down a tangible layer of dirt with water, then apply washing chemicals from your spray bottle, wait a couple of minutes and pay for another cycle - wash off the foam with dirt.

visual check

On hastily we have put together a simple device for measuring the force of a water jet from high-pressure washing guns. Structurally, it is a plywood "flag" on a rotating axis, which deviates at a certain angle from the pressure of the water jet. The spring of the household steelyard resists the movement of the “flag”, whose scale indicates the force of the water pressure.

The scale of the steelyard was originally marked with 10 kilograms, but in our case the units of measurement are conditional, not corresponding to kilograms - the standard spring of the steelyard was too strong, and we replaced it. This is not a problem, because we do not need to measure in kilograms, but rather “conventional units” are enough to simply visually assess the difference in the pressure of the Karcher jet in a traditional car wash and in a self-service car wash.

With this "device" we went to explore the nearby sinks. We hope readers will forgive us for the lack of photos. direct process- we felt sorry for the camera, because the spray flew in all directions quite plentifully ... One way or another, the uncomplicated device turned out to be quite efficient and clearly showed the difference between a “self-washing” and a traditional washing. The power of the gun at the self-service car wash turned out to be more than two times lower than at the conventional car wash! The first one squeezed out 4 “points” on the scale, the second - exactly 10. You probably can’t imagine a more obvious demonstration of the weakness and inefficiency of the “self-washing” ...

With the help of this device, we simply wanted to demonstrate visually, and not in words, the difference in the strength of the jet from pistols in a conventional car wash and in a “self-wash”. However, visiting several "self-washing" showed an even more curious thing: at different self-service car washes, the pressure can differ markedly from each other. At three different points, pressure of 3.5, 4 and 5 conditional "points" was noted. Actually, any of these values ​​​​is not quite suitable for normal washing, but, nevertheless, the difference between the minimum and maximum is very significant ... So if you really use the services of such a service, then at least find one where the jet is more powerful.

Not only that dirty car looks completely unpresentable, it can also become a reason for a fine, so it’s better to think about it in advance how to wash your car properly no streaks or leaks.

How to wash the car yourself and what is the best way to do it?

It would seem that it is difficult to rinse your car from the road dust that has settled on it? Nobody argues, it's really quite simple. But if dirt has stuck to the polished surface of the body, it will be much more difficult to get rid of it. Simply erasing will not work, due to the fact that twigs, grains of sand and pebbles, which are usually found in mud slurry, can easily scratch the smooth surface of the case. Therefore, you need to know how to quickly wash the car with your own hands in the garage or near the river.

First, you should douse the car with several buckets of water, or pour under pressure from a hose, which is not always available. Let's stop on buckets. Additionally, you will need a sponge, a soft brush and a microfiber cloth. First priority- soak the dried dirt adhering to the polished coating, for a greater effect, add a little special shampoo to a bucket of water. There is a special one that easily penetrates into any pollution.

On the surface of the body, there may also be bird droppings, as well as the juice of various fruits from trees growing along the roadside. All this must be poured with an intensive cleaning agent before washing. When we make sure that everything is sufficiently wet, we take a soft sponge and carefully remove all the dirt. Cleaning should begin from the roof, then moving on to the glass and then to the body, that is, in the direction of water flow. When there is no trace left of the stains, carefully douse the car with clean water to wash off the shampoo. Then the surface must be dried, then there will be no streaks left. At the end, you can use wax for polishing.

From time to time, especially in winter, the bottom and wheel arches should be washed. It is almost impossible to do this with a bucket, so it is advisable to purchase a compact sprayer with a compressor. With the help of such a device, from a rather voluminous tank of which water is supplied under pressure to the nozzle, it is possible to wash off almost any dirt in a non-contact way, including from the bottom. In winter, ice freezes there, and in wheel arches there is always enough dirt, especially in rainy weather. A good pressure will perfectly remove all this, all that remains is to check if it has been damaged, and if necessary, update it. Before you wash the bottom of the car, make sure that the water is cold, otherwise the temperature difference will damage the mastic.

How to wash a car without water and is it possible?

If you use traditional shampoos and use standard cleaning methods, saving on water is not desirable. Bright to that an example are washers who offer their services at traffic lights and in traffic jams. It seems to quickly put the car in order is great, but with a small amount of water, young people, before wiping off the dirt, smear it over the body, scratching it. The results of several such washes will be visible to the naked eye. Therefore, if you find yourself in a situation where there are no other options but to wash your car without water, do not worry - there are special shampoos that do not require an ounce of additional moisture.

The substance applied to the surface quickly liquefies the dirt, after which this specialized shampoo is wiped off with a microfiber cloth. Movements should be done in one direction, for example, on the hood - from the glass to the bumper, on the roof - from the middle to the edges. It is highly undesirable to circular motions with a rag, because by doing so you will smear the dirt, and not remove. One sink usually takes the 5th part of the bottle, in addition, you need several napkins, because after one is dirty, it is better to take another, clean one. You need to wash microfiber in an automatic machine, with a delicate spin.

Even knowing how to properly wash your car at home, you may not have such an opportunity. Some houses do not have yards, and the entrances go directly to the pavement of the street. Not all garages have access to water, as well as a sewer drain. Therefore, many people have to resort to the services of car washes. They always offer two options for processing vehicle: contact and non-contact. The first involves pumping with a jet of water under high pressure, the second - exclusively work with a washcloth and other improvised means.

If you decide to prefer cleaning from dirt in a special service, at the end of the procedures, make sure that the vehicle is dry, otherwise there will be stains.

Before you wash your car at a car wash, be sure to look around at the facility where you will be provided with a car cleaning service. If there are unkempt workers in dirty overalls, then your transport will not be in good condition at the end of the procedure. at its best. Carefully read the types of services, otherwise you risk not getting the result you expect if you say you want to make a marathon. Show workers hard-to-reach areas in advance, take valuables from the car and you can step aside, giving specialists freedom of action.

How to wash a car at home - this question is rarely asked in our country, and not because most car enthusiasts prefer specialized car washes for this, it’s just that many have been able to wash the cars of their parents, brothers, sisters or their own since childhood. And for those who have only recently become the owner of a car, we offer small educational program about how to wash a car at home without a pressure washer. For achievement best results wash your car in a shady place or on a cloudy day to avoid fading your car's paintwork too soon.

To wash your car you will need:

1. Special car shampoo
2. Bucket
3. Sponge with large pores
4. Glass cleaner
5. Wet wipes for cleaning plastic car parts
6. An ideally absorbent rag (it is better if this is a rag specially purchased for the car)
7. Hose with water (preferably).

1. Collect all detergents and arrange them nearby in close proximity so that you know where everything is and do not waste time looking for the right product.

2. Park your car in a shady place and let the paint cool if possible.

3. Remove all mats from the car - we will also wash them with the car.

4. Pour the car well from the hose with water, reaching the maximum water pressure with your finger. If there is no hose with running water nearby, then pour a full bucket of water, and then, wetting the sponge into it, simply squeeze the water out of it onto the surface of the body, only lightly touching it to the surface of the car so as not to scratch the paint with dirt particles on its surface.

5. Pour the shampoo into a bucket (do not forget to read the recommended concentration on the packaging of the car shampoo), then pour the same water into it so that foam forms on top. Use a shampoo designed for car washing only. Other detergents may damage paintwork car ahead of time, and products with abrasives ( washing powder, for example) and completely noticeably scratch the body.

6. Soak a sponge in a mixture of water and shampoo and start washing the car. Always start washing the car from the roof, successively going down. Be sure to rinse the sponge with a hose or other method before placing it back into the soapy water.

7. Open all the doors and gently wash the edges of the doors and doorways with a sponge soaked in car shampoo, without getting on the plastic parts and upholstery of the car interior.

8. After the entire car has been soaped, rinse it from top to bottom with a hose or bucket (without using a sponge). Then rinse with a sponge soaked in clean water edges of doors and doorways.

9. Rinse the wheels of the car well so that all car shampoo is removed.

10. Dry the car with a prepared rag, wringing it out as often as possible so that there are no streaks left on the body. Again, don't forget the edges of doors and doorways.

11. Proceed to washing the rugs: they should also first be poured with water to wash off the main layer of dirt and dust, then wash them with a sponge with car shampoo and wash off the foam. It is not necessary to wipe the rugs dry.

12. Spray glass cleaner on all car windows and mirrors, then wipe them dry with a soft, dry cloth in a rotating motion, checking that there are no streaks left on them.

13. Take out wet wipes one at a time and wipe everything until they are dirty plastic elements inside your vehicle. You can use any wooden thin stick to access the hard-to-reach places plastic panels(just put a napkin on its end and wipe the recesses). Large areas are best wiped with rotational movements.

Washing your car yourself can be a fun and rewarding experience. If you wash your car yourself, you will save money on car wash services. In addition, you can pay attention to especially dirty areas of the car. On conventional car washes use abrasive tools and products that can damage the paint, so self-washing will allow you to extend the life of the paintwork of the car. To wash your car yourself, you will need a flat paved road in the shade, as well as access to water and a hose. You will need to wash the entire car at a time, and this can take one to two hours (depending on the size of the car and how dirty it is).

Steps

Preparation

Park your car in the shade. If the machine is dried in the sun, streaks may remain on the surface. In addition, under the sun, the car will get very hot, because of which the water will evaporate faster, and the washing process will become more complicated.

• Make sure all windows are closed to keep water out of the car while washing, and fold down the antenna so you don't accidentally break it off.
• Take the wipers away from the glass and lock them in this position.

1. Put everything you need near the car. Prepare everything you need for washing: detergent, a large number of water (volume depends on the size of the machine), three buckets (two for washing, one for rinsing), a hose, microfiber cloths or towels for drying. You will also need cleaning mittens, a large sponge, a stiff brush, and another tire brush.

   • Be prepared to get wet and dirty in foam. Wear suitable work clothes: shorts and flip flops if it's hot, or long trousers and rubber boots if it's cold.
   • A special car wash can be purchased at an auto supply store. Dilute the product in a bucket according to the manufacturer's recommendations.

2. Fill the bucket with water. Pour the amount of detergent specified by the manufacturer into the water. This bucket will be used for washing. If the car is very dirty or you need a separate bucket for the body of the car and a separate bucket for the wheels, fill two buckets with water.

   Pour clean water into a separate bucket. You will need this bucket when you wash sponges and cleaning mittens. One bucket is enough for rinsing, even if you use two to wash your car.

   car wash

   1. Spray the machine with a hose to loosen the dirt. The pressure should not be too strong, otherwise the sand will rub against the paint with force and damage it. Try to water the machine from top to bottom on all sides of the machine. If you direct water upwards in the glass area, water may seep into the interior into the gaps between the body and the rubber bands.

      Wash your wheels first. Since wheels tend to get the most dirty, it's worth washing them first. Thanks to this, while washing off the foam, dirt from the wheels will not end up on clean areas of the machine. Wash the holes in the wheels with a long, thin brush.

      • If the wheels are already clean and shiny, wipe them down with a sponge or cleaning mitt when you've washed off most of the dirt.

   2. Wash your car with a large cleaning mitt. Before you start washing, soak a large mitt in soapy water to wash off any dirt that may have gotten on it. Do not rub the machine body with a brush, so as not to leave scratches.

      • Mittens with a long pile, similar to ropes, do not rub abrasive particles into the varnish. It is better to use such mittens as they will not scratch the surface. The mitten will need to be washed regularly and re-immersed in soapy water.
      • To get rid of traces of dirt on a mitten, simply wash it in the washing machine.

   3. Wash the car in parts, starting from the top. Go around the car several times, dropping lower with each new circle. If you wash the car from above, the water will flow down and linger in the lower areas. Thanks to this, you do not have to wash the same areas several times.

      • If the car is dirty, don't rub it too hard - let the foam eat away the dirt itself. Run the mitt over the case a few times, but don't scrub off the dirt as this can damage the paint.

   4. Wipe off bird droppings and insects. Droppings and crushed insect marks on the body can damage the paintwork and must be removed carefully. If the mitten cannot remove this dirt, rub dirty areas damp cloth. To make it easier to remove insect marks, fill a sponge with warm water, wet the stained area, let the water soak the dirt and remove the stain.

      • Use special remedy to remove insects and bitumen - it will cope with dried marks. Do not rub the surface too hard and do not use a brush, as this can damage the varnish. A few stubborn specks of dirt will be less noticeable than paint scratches.

   5. Rinse your mitt regularly. Rinse dirt from the surface of the mittens in a bucket of clean water. If this is not done, dirt and sand will accumulate in the mitten, and it will begin to scratch the surface. Rinse the mitten in a bucket of clean water, and when the water becomes cloudy, pour it out and pour clean water.

      Wash off the foam from each area. Once you've cleaned one area, spray it with water from a hose. Do not let the foam dry out as it will leave marks on the surface. Wash off the foam in the same way as washing the car, that is, from top to bottom.

      • Don't forget to clean the rubber bands around the doors, the doorways (the metal parts of the body around the doors inside the car), and the bottoms of the doors. If this is not done, you may be unpleasantly surprised to find dirt on the thresholds.

   6. Make sure that the entire machine remains wet during washing. As you move from one area to the next, water the remaining areas of the machine with a hose so that the water does not dry out. Thanks to this, there will be no water stains on the case. At the end, you will need to wipe off all the water with a towel, so it is important that the car does not dry out prematurely.

      Wash the bottom of the car last. The bottom of the hull and wheels should be washed last, as this is where most of the dirt is. You can select a separate mitten or sponge for the lower part, since the sponge will be covered with dirt more than in other areas.

      Clean the tires with a plastic brush. If sand or dirt from the roads you have driven has clogged your tires, it is possible that a mitten or sponge will not be able to wipe off this dirt. Scrub the tires with a hard bristled plastic brush.

      • You can also buy a special cleaner from an auto supply store that will remove the dirt from your tires.
      • You can also apply conditioner for vinyl, rubber and plastic surfaces on dark plastic parts and tires. You can buy an air conditioner at an auto supply store.

   Drying and waxing

   1. Collect water from the surface of the machine with clean towels. Don't be afraid to use multiple towels. Wipe down any surfaces you have washed to prevent rust from forming. Do not leave water on the surface - it may damage the paint or cause rust.

   2. Apply wax to a dry car. Wax or any other polish should only be applied to a clean and dry car. Wax can be applied in several layers. If, after you have applied the first coat, the water does not collect into droplets or form puddles on the surface of the machine, you should apply another coat of wax. Modern machines do not require the use of abrasive polishes, as they can damage the varnish.

      • Wax or any similar polymeric product protects the paintwork from the sun, so that the paint does not fade or fade. In addition, wax creates a barrier between the coating of the car and the dirt that flies from under the wheels of other cars. Polymer products stay on the surface of the machine longer. Not required to buy expensive remedy in the interior of cars - any similar product from an auto supply store will do.

   3. Treat areas with rust or chipped paint. Remove rust and paint over large chips if necessary. small scratches and rust stains can be treated with a rust remover. Rinse away dirt and other chemicals used to prepare the surface for rust removal and apply. Let it dry and set. Do not apply wax to a fresh area.

      • Any accessories that need to be glued to the body, including door and bumper trims and reflective stickers, are most securely attached to a clean, dry surface with a moderate amount of wax. Touch up damaged areas and glue accessories before waxing.
      • A special glass cleaner can clean windows better than a regular car shampoo, but the windows should in any case be thoroughly wiped with microfiber towels. Clean glass both outside and inside.
      • Wipe Windshield baby wipes to pick up debris and dirt.

   Warnings

   • Do not use glass cleaners containing ammonia inside tinted windows. Ammonia will corrode the tint, and it will begin to flake off. It is better to use a special tool that will not damage the tinting film.
   • Keep children and pets away from working area. Chemicals are toxic to children and animals. If children or animals have swallowed the detergent, call an ambulance as soon as possible.