Washing Your Car

I came across a little fact the other day that just blew my mind. By not having your car washed and waxed properly and regularly that will decrease the average fuel efficiency of your car by about 7%. Considering that the cost of gas seems to be rising on practically a daily basis, every little bit that can help reduce the amount of money you spend on gas is something that should be embraced.

Washing a car is fairly simple. Here is a list of what you should have on hand before you begin.

• Large soft, lint free cloths or wash cloths, sponge
• Chamois
• Water hose
• Car wash soap
• Old clothes
• Two large buckets

Washing your car is going to take a few hours, so be sure that you can dedicate the time that is needed to properly accomplish the task.

1. Prepare. Get your water ready. In one of the buckets place a small amount of the car washing soap, roughly one or two capfuls. Fill the bucket about ¾ of the way to the top. Fill the other bucket with plain water.
2. Rinse. Using either the hose, or a washcloth and your rinse bucket, rinse off all the lose dirt and grime from the car.
3. Wash. Work your way around the car, starting on one side. Work up a lather with the soapy water and one of the washcloths or a sponge. As you are working the soap into a lather, be sure that you are using soft, gentle pressure to avoid causing any damage to the vehicle's paint. You want to work on only one side at a time to avoid the soap dry ing you can rinse it off. If that does happen, simply wet down the dried area and rinse the soap away.
4. Rinse. Once you have "soaped" up an area of the vehicle, rinse the area with either the hose, or through the use of more washcloths and some clear water. Make sure that you have completely rinsed off all the soap to avoid the soapy, dirty mess dry, taking more time to clean.
5. Dry. After completely rinsing off all the soapy water, take the chamois and begin to dry the vehicle. As you are doing this make sure that you are using only a gentle and steady pressure. Work from the top down, using circular motions. This is ensures that you do not have any spotting after you have finished.