Car Wash 101

To detailing enthusiasts, car washing is something that should be done by oneself (i.e. not done by anybody else without proper knowledge on how to do it, usually including automatic carwashes). This is done to reduce the potential of inflicting swirls onto the paint caused by improper techniques commonly found. Car washing is also normally the first step in any detailing process and is the most often thing we do as a regular maintenance procedure, so why not take a look at how it should be done.

There are lots of online videos out there, and I'm sharing my favorite one so far here, that shows how to wash your car properly in a pretty comprehensive way. It's done by Mike Phillips, a celebrity in the car detailing world. I like his articles and videos because they are well composed and simply make sense. Enjoy this one!


One thing that I'd like to emphasize is the usage of a good wash mitt, because I see a lot of people use traditional sponge which can scratch paint (or even worse: chamois!). But if you feel like a lambswool mitt is too pricey to start with, there are actually other choices you might want to check out. How dirty is too dirty to safely use a rinseless wash? is another nicely written article by Mike Phillips which also lists some alternatives to choose from to replace the traditional sponge.