If you love your car as much as I do you will invest time to give it the best care. Technically to just wash a car you only need soap, water and some rags but to properly detail the car and maintain the condition for a long time you need more than that.
It’s true you can save all this time by just taking the care to the closest wash, but no one is going to treat your car with love like you will. Taking care of your own car is part of the joy of owning one. Washing your car at home can be a good physical activity and you can take time to perfect every inch of your car and get it back to its brand-new status every time.
The following are some essential you should invest in if you plan on detailing and washing your car at home.
Buckets
You’re probably wondering why a bucket is of such importance and plus the fact that everyone might have a bucket at home makes it more confusing as to why it’s on this list.
Well, if you visit a good car product store or a best online store for car cleaning products you’ll find that there are dedicated buckets for washing your car. Why you need a dedicated bucket? Let me tell you.
So basically, if you’ve washed your car at home you’ve probably seen that the water gets quite dirty with all the dirt. A dedicated car washing bucket has a dirt trap to hold the debris and dirt and make sure you are rinsing using clean water.
Soap
I’ve seen many people use regular shampoo. This isn’t recommended as it can damage the paint job of your car. Look out for dedicated washing liquids for cars that are made to protect the paint.
There are three main types of car liquid: wash and wax, general use and strip.
General use soap is for the normal weekly washes while wash and wax is more of a kill two birds with one stone kind of situation. If you don’t want specifically to detail your car you can use a wash and wax soap, but the level of protection won’t be the same when compared to a fresh coat of wax from a polish.
Strip soap is used to remove a layer of wax to apply a new one or remove deep swirls.
Pressure Washer or a High-pressure Hose Nozzle
No matter how much pressure you apply some dirt and stains just don’t go away and something is satisfying about watching the jet from a pressure washer go to work.
However, since these can be quite expensive you can opt for the cheaper hose nozzle fitted to the end of a normal hose.
Car Vacuums
A car vacuum is a must have to get all the food bits and dirt in the deepest corners. You can also use them to clean your carpets and seats if they are made of cloth. For leather seats you will need an interior detailing solution.
Exterior, Interior, Windows and Wheel Detailers
These are all sperate products. Make sure not to get an All-in-one product because you need specific solutions to address different parts of your car.
These are some of the basic essentials you need before washing your card at home if you want a professional job done. Remember to use the best products for your car because it’s one of your biggest assets.