6 mistakes you make when you clean your car

Believe it or not, car cleaning is an essential skill that you need to learn if you want to do it correctly. It's more than just washing your car with a wet, soapy sponge and rinsing it with water to get rid of the dirt. If you don't clean your car properly, you risk damaging the paint, making it look dull, or causing rust buildup.

However, car detailing is not that complicated if you know the mistakes you should avoid. Even if you take it on a car wash, it's better to have a clue of the things to watch out for. If you’re clueless about it, here are six mistakes you probably make when you wash your car at home.

First things first, don't use any household cleaning products to wash your car. This includes dish soap, glass cleaners, abrasive household cleansers, and bleach.

Many household products have ingredients that will strip off the protective wax from your car, making it more exposed to scratches and damage. For instance, most glass cleaners contain ammonia, which can cause cracks in your car windows and mirrors.

So, what is your best option? It's simple, just use dedicated car wash products that are specially formulated to clean your car. More succinctly, if you want to clean your car's body, use a dedicated car shampoo — and if you want to clean the windows, use dedicated car window cleaners.

Here are the best car soaps to get the job done yourself.

If you’re cleaning your car, avoid using old towels, rags, T-shirts, or brushes that are abrasive to your paint. Even cleaning the interior with paper towels wouldn't be a good idea. Instead, it's better if you use a microfiber cloth with no rough edges to clean your car.

In addition, have different microfiber cloths or sponges for a specific purpose. In other words, use a different microfiber towel for drying your car and another one for waxing. Similarly, don't make the mistake of dipping your microfiber cloths or sponge in one bucket — you should have at least two buckets, one for washing and rinsing.

The same reason you should avoid parking your car under the scorching sun also applies to why you shouldn't clean your car in direct sunlight. For starters, you’re more likely to scratch the paint if you clean your car after the surface becomes heated by the sun.

It's also more difficult to get rid of bird droppings, mud, and dirt stuck on your car's surface if they’re exposed to high temperatures. Beyond that, you could have soap residue and water spots if the soapy water evaporates before you’ve rinsed it off. If you can't avoid washing your car in direct sunlight, it would be better to clean it after 5 p.m. or early morning before 9 a.m.

If you’re doing a thorough cleaning of your car, we recommend you start with the interior. This is because you will keep off dirt, dust, and debris from blowing back to your car's exterior after you’ve cleaned it.

Here's how to clean your car's interior:

Step 1: Remove any trash from your car.

Step 2: Remove the floor mats to clean them. Here is a guide on how to clean your car mats.

Step 3: Vacuum the interior.

Step 4: Use a microfiber cloth with dedicated car interior soap to clean the dashboard, center console, door panels, and steering wheel.

Step 5: Wipe your interior windows using a microfiber cloth and a car window cleaner product.

Step 5: Vacuum and clean your car seats with a dedicated cleaner. We recommend the best car leather cleaners so you don't ruin your car's leather interior. But if your car seats are fabric, use upholstery cleaner.

Step 6: Use an air freshener to make your car smell nice. Here are the best car air fresheners to buy for a pleasant drive.

Before you start cleaning the exterior, rinse it with water to get rid of any loose debris and dirt. Next, wash the rims and tires using a dedicated brake dust and wheel cleaner so you don't blow the loose debris and dust onto your car's surface. Once you’re done with that part, clean your car from top to bottom, starting with the roof, while rotating the microfiber towels.

Of course, don't forget to clean your car windows, side mirrors, headlights, and rubber moldings during the process. Here are two popular methods to clean your headlights.

Lastly, wax and buff your car — but we don't recommend you apply too much wax.

You probably don't know this, but an automated car wash with brushes could scratch your paint. This usually happens when the automated brushes accumulate leftover dirt and debris from other cars passing through the machine.

If you find the time, it would be better to wash your car at home — as long as you follow the right steps. But if you don't have the time or the patience, a brushless car wash would be a better option than an automated car wash.

That's it! Now that you know the mistakes to avoid, you should find it easy to detail your car. Better yet, you can supervise the cleaning process if someone else is doing it for you. Just remember to use products that are specifically made to clean cars, and use plenty of microfiber cloths.