How to Professionally Clean Your Car

Cleaning your car is often considered a routine part of maintenance, but it involves more than just a hose and soap. Follow these steps to elevate your car wash to a professional level.

For a pro-level car wash, begin with essential decontamination. Surprisingly, washing your car without proper preliminary steps can be counterproductive. If your vehicle has encountered substances like bird droppings, tree sap, industrial fallout, or other debris, avoid an immediate wash. Washing without prior precautions may inadvertently force contaminants into the paint, potentially causing scratches or stains on the unprotected surface. Utilizing mild acids beforehand can effectively eliminate contaminants, safeguarding your paint during the subsequent wash

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If there's any oxidation present on your car's exterior, seize the opportunity to employ a rust-removing acid compound to eliminate it. Fireball's Iron Burn is an excellent choice for this purpose. Certain contaminants may prove more resilient than acids can address, and this is where clay barring becomes crucial. Clay bars are specialized tools utilized by detailers to safely remove larger debris without causing harm to your car's paint. Consider acquiring a clay bar from reputable brands such as Clay Magic for effective cleaning.

Certain cars may demand specific care for removing bugs from their surfaces. In such instances, it is advisable to locate a degreaser specifically designed for insect removal. When dealing with persistent bug splatters and stains, apply the insect-specific degreaser to the affected areas. Allow the degreaser a few moments to activate, then rinse thoroughly with water.

To safeguard your paint from unnecessary scratches and abrasions, employ a mildly acidic descaling shampoo like Fireball's PH3 Shampoo. This shampoo is designed to dissolve debris before the actual wash, eliminating the need for scraping against the paint. When anticipating a car wash but aware of potential contaminants threatening your paint job, cover your car in foaming PH3. Within a short period, the shampoo will effectively loosen the debris without any abrasive contact.

After allowing the shampoo to sit for a moment, proceed to wash the car. Use the Two-Bucket Wash System for this method. Set up two 5-gallon buckets, placing your chosen PH-neutral soap in the first and clean water in the second. The second bucket serves the purpose of rinsing dirt from your washing mitt, preventing the spread of dirt across the car's surface.

Dip your mitt into the shampoo bucket and wash the car, periodically rinsing the mitt in the water bucket every few panels to maintain its freshness. The dirt will settle to the bottom, leaving relatively clean water near the top, and Fireball's custom Grit Guard can assist in this separation. Once the entire vehicle is cleaned, proceed to rinse off the shampoo, paying attention to areas where trim features may create a wake along the surface during this step.

Once the car has dried to a reasonable extent, we recommend applying a protective coating. An excellent option for those new to protective coatings is Fireball's Easy-Coat lineup. Easy Coat is a water-beading solution that not only safeguards your car but also imparts a sleek, revitalized finish. Application is straightforward – simply mix it with water and lightly mist the car using a spray bottle. After allowing 3 to 5 minutes (dependent on temperature and humidity) for the coating to bond with the vehicle's surface, rinse the car once more. The coating will repel a significant amount of water, facilitating easy towel drying. For comprehensive details on using Easy-Coat, including the mixture-to-water ratio and insights into how weather conditions may affect curing times, refer to our website.