5 car cleaning practices that damage the look of your car

Regular car cleaning is essential for maintaining the look of vehicles. However, using wrong materials or techniques does more harm than good. Here are some practices to avoid if you want to leave your vehicle with a finish that is as close to showroom perfection as possible.

1      Washing with household detergents.

Household detergents, including dishwashing and laundry products, are formulated to remove ‘everything’ from surfaces. Therefore, protective polymers on paintwork are removed by abrasive household detergents. This effect causes an increased risk of oxidation which gives vehicles a dull look. In addition, undissolved washing powder particles leave fine scratches when rubbed on your paint, similar to rubbing sand on your paint. Avoid these harmful effects by washing vehicles with Autodazzle Paint Cleanser.

2      The use of clothing fabrics.

Clothing fabrics such as cotton from t-shirts and ‘dusters’ leave lint on your paint. Additionally, dirt is directly deposited on the surface of clothing fabrics because their smooth surfaces poorly trap fine particulates. Therefore, a t-shirt is likely to scratch the surface of your paint with fine particles when rubbed on paintwork. We recommend a Microfibre Cloth for car care as the deep pile surface picks and traps particles. This prevents grinding particles into paintwork.

3      Cleaning without lubrication.

Never dust off or clean a vehicle without a lubricant such as water. Lubrication lifts contaminants from the surface of paintwork.  Lubrication prevents damage to paintwork that results from grinding dirt and grit into it. In cases where water is not readily available, use a quick detailer, spray wax (Autodazzle Quick Shine) or waterless wash.

4      The use of flammable solvents.

In addition to being flammable, volatile solvents such as kerosene or petrol remove wax and protective polymers from your paint. This increases the risk of oxidation and haziness. There are safer, more suitable products available such as spray detailers and waxes (Autodazzle Quick Shine) for restoring a deep gloss to your paint.

5      Washing in direct sunlight.

Always wash your vehicle in a shade to avoid premature drying. Premature drying caused by heat from direct sunlight creates water spots on paintwork. If you cannot wash in a shade, keep the vehicle wet at all times and quickly dry with a microfibre towel after thoroughly rinsing.

Recommended tools:

• Microfibre Cloth
• Autodazzle Paint Cleanser
• Autodazzle Quick Shine

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