You've invested a lot of money to keep your car looking and running great. But how often should you wash your car? And do you trust someone else to do it or do you manage the task yourself?
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| How Often Should You Wash Your Car |
How often should you wash your car
While it may be easy to let your car go weeks, months or even entire seasons between washes, it's certainly not something most experts recommend. Instead, you should keep a fairly regular schedule to ensure that your car is the best it can be at all times. We need to protect our car from all the unavoidable features of man and nature such as road grime, tree sap, bird droppings and acid rain.
Hand Wash Vs. Car Wash
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| Hand Wash Vs. Car Wash |
When it comes to washing your vehicle, you usually have two choices: you can use an automatic car wash or you can wash it yourself by hand.
Many people choose the first option for convenience and time. If you have a busy schedule, chances are you'll pay someone else to wash your car. You could even just walk into one of these fully automated beauties and hope for the best while swiping your credit card through an automated machine.
The problem with this is that these automated systems and their oversized chamois cloth often cause harmful damage to your paint. This can be a real problem if you care about your car. So, it's always best to take the extra time to hand wash your car whenever possible, even if it means fitting it into your overly busy schedule.
How often should you wash your car in the summer?
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| How often should you wash your car in the summer? |
Different seasons mean adopting a different regiment to wash your car. For example, in the summer, UV rays are strongest. That's when it's important to lather up your sedan or clean your convertible about once every two weeks.
However, there are different rules depending on where you live and how you store your car. It might be a good idea to go once a week if you're in a dry, extremely hot part of the country, like Arizona (AZ) or New Mexico (NM). However, if the area you live in is a bit more humid or simply has a larger population of bugs that can stick to the paint, you'll want to wash more frequently.
Another thing to think about is hard water. Arizona is known for having hard water, which is water with a high mineral content. This leads to water stains. On top of that, the hot Arizona sun helps bake on any dirt that lands on your vehicle, like bird poop and bug guts. This can damage the car's paint if not taken care of quickly.
What if you keep your car in the garage when you're not driving it? Well, you may not even need to go as often as every couple of months. Parking your car under a tarp or indoors is a surefire way to avoid having to wash it as often.
How often should you wash your car in the winter (to combat road salt)?
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| How often should you wash your car in the winter |
On the other hand, it's important to have a separate car wash schedule in the winter, and again, where you live plays an important role.
For example, if you live in an area like Minnesota, where there is a lot of ice and snow, you will need to wash your car at least once a week. The reason for this is the road salt, which can damage your car's paint and frame if not rinsed off periodically. In this case, the best schedule for washing your vehicle during the winter months is at least every ten days, but more likely every five to seven days if you commute often or are exceptionally exposed to salt. You can be a little more lenient if your car has a solid undercoat.
And that's not all. You should only wash your car when the daytime outside temperature is above 40 degrees. Anything below that can cause paint damage due to freezing, which is not a situation you want to face. Instead, make sure you get out and hand wash your car when you can and as often as possible.
How often should you wash the underbody of your car?
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| How often should you wash the underbody of your car |
This is one of those questions that you may not have really thought about, as most people don't think of the undercarriage as something to be cleaned. In reality, washing the underbody of your car is just as important as washing the exterior, but it doesn't have to be done as often.
Experts say the ideal time to have your vehicle's undercarriage washed is about once a season or four times a year. If you go off-roading, live in the country or find yourself in a muddy area, you'll need to increase that frequency to about six times a year. Also, if you encounter salt or brine on the roads in the winter, you'll need to pay special attention to the underside of your car at that time of year.
How often should you wash your car to prevent rust?
Again, the ideal frequency for washing your car is about every two weeks. However, some climates require more attention to the exterior of your vehicle than in other parts of the country.
If you live in an area that is close to coastal saltwater or uses salt on the roads in the winter, you should be especially concerned about rust. So, the best time to wash your car in this type of climate is about every ten days to two weeks. This will remove the corrosive salt and prevent rust spots or damage to your paint.
How often should you wax your car?
In addition to washing your car to protect your paint and remove dirt, you should also be concerned about how often you should wax your car. In most cases, this is a task that you should perform every three months or so.
However, if your car is particularly special, like a classic restoration, you'll probably want to wax it a little more often. There are tons of waxes out there designed for monthly, weekly and even daily use.
Waxing your car takes a little more effort than just washing it, but the benefits will certainly outweigh the time spent on the process.
Are automatic car washes safe on a regular basis?
The easy answer to this question is no. If you've ever stopped by an automatic car wash and seen the list of various warnings and fine print stating that you won't be responsible if your car is damaged, it's easy to understand why so many people choose to wash their cars by hand.
The simple fact is that these automatic car washes are not designed for all makes and models of vehicles. Plus, they're not staffed and they're usually not very well maintained, which often leads to malfunctions and other problems.
Instead, take the time to wash your car the old-fashioned way to eliminate problems, preserve your paint, and avoid having to repair expensive damage yourself.