There are few things better than when you decide to treat yourself to a new car. Whether it be as a first-time owner or a veteran of the road who is after an upgrade. One of the main factors that plays into this joy is the showroom shine that sparkles in the gleaming sun. This shine will make your new vehicle stand out among the rest, which will naturally make you want to maintain the shine of the gleam. This can be completed by regularly maintaining the cleanliness of the vehicle.

Although, if you are not careful when cleaning your car, it is possible that you can end up rubbing dirt and grime into the paintwork, generating fine scratches and even swirl marks. Hence, we will guide you in getting the best results with car shampoo. Although should you want to obtain the best finish overall - you should not forget about the Pre-Wash Stage:

The Pre-Wash Stage:

As the name may imply, pre-wash marks as the first step towards guaranteeing you obtain the best clean possible for your vehicle. Although, it is worth understanding that this particular stage does not contribute towards not needing to carry out the subsequent process. As mentioned - the pre-wash stage serves as the initial process to getting the maximum results for your vehicle.

In regards to obtaining the best process for your vehicle with the pre-wash stage, see below:

The first process is to give your car a pre-rinse by using a pressure washer. After you have used the pressure washer, you are free to move on to The Nitty Gritty Pre Wash & Degreaser. This Pre Wash & Degreaser is a combination of grime-killing surfactants. Not only this, but the Nitty Gritty boasts exceptional cleaning power whilst remaining 100% safe with surfaces that are considered to be delicate.

This can also be used as an APC for grittier areas of your vehicle, for instance, the engine bays, door shuts as well as wheel arches. This multipurpose pre-wash and degreaser can also be applied with a foam lance as another way of applying the product.

If you are a new car owner, you may not have a firm grasp on how to get the best results with the large quantities of car cleaning products that are available to you. Allow us to explain, you start by diluting your pre-wash and degreaser - this can be diluted from 1:10 all the way up to 1:200 depending on your specific requirements.

Once you have diluted to your desired strength, you will then need to apply VIA a trigger spray or a dedicated pump sprayer. Can be applied via a Foam lance (if desired). You should then allow a contact time of 2-3 minutes. After this time, you can then use a pressure washer to rinse off.

The next stage of the pre-wash process comes in the form of utilising snow foam. A snow foam allows you to get a remarkable amount of soap coverage for your vehicle. Depending on how dirty your car is, you may find the need to complete more than one undertaking.

To get the best results for snow foam completion, you cannot go wrong with our Assault - Pre-Wash Snow Foam. This is a specially formulated snow foam product that boasts high-intensity cleaning power with astonishingly long dwell times.

However, if you are a new car owner and are eager to use your pre-wash snow foam accurately - you will need to use the following steps:

The first step is to implement 50ml of snow foam into your snow foam lance bottle coupled by adding the remaining 450ml with water. Once the measurements are made, you will then need to apply snow foam across the entire vehicle exterior. Should it be needed, however, we recommend that you use a detailing brush to agitate the snow foam.

Once the snow foam has been applied, you should allow some dwell time and rinse the vehicle with a jet wash. Now that these two pre-wash processes are complete, you are ready to find out about getting the best results with car shampoo.

Focus From Top To Bottom:

If you are new to car detailing or a new car owner in general, the likelihood of you browsing for guides concerning your vehicle is high, which attributes to why you are likely on this post, to begin with. However, you may be fooled by other articles about cleaning your vehicle as some of them will recommend that you start by cleaning your wheels first. This simply is not true and should be avoided at all costs. What these other posts fail to realise is that should you decide to opt for the pre-wash stage first. The reason being is this will cover your wheels (which are the dirtiest part of your vehicle) whilst also eliminating a fair amount of grime also.

To get the best start on your car wash, we suggest you firstly aim for the pre-wash stage, then the wheel stage - ultimately freeing you for the shampoo stage.

Use The Two Wash Bucket Method

The Two Wash Bucket Method is one, if not the safest way to maximise the results of your contact wash. The reason for this is that by utilising two separate buckets during your car wash - you are drastically reducing the risk of scratching the surfaces of your vehicle due to existing contaminants in your washing products.

As the name suggests, utilising the two-wash bucket method will require you to implement both a wash bucket and a rinse bucket. For instance, once your wash mitt has come into contact with the dirt and contaminants found on your vehicle - you should then place the mitt into the water of the rinse bucket to remove all of the excess contaminants.

Once satisfied, you can place the mitt back into the wash bucket, ultimately repeating the process until you feel that your car has been sufficiently cleaned. Take a look at one of our previous guides regarding the process of washing your vehicle VIA the two-wash bucket method.

In addition, we provide customers with our buckets and grit guards with labelled buckets so you can rest assured that you are completing the process of washing your car as efficiently as possible.

Washing Your Car

As mentioned above, during the process of washing your car, we advise that you start with the pre-wash stage. Doing this will allow for most of the dirt and grime to be safely removed before you move onto the wash stage and make contact with the paintwork.

We strongly recommend that you should avoid using items such as sponges to clean your car, however. Instead of using a sponge, you should use a wash mitt as these can hold fewer contaminants and are easier to remove (via the wash bucket method). Should you decide otherwise, you may discover that the sponge can leave scratch marks over the car.

If you are after a quality car shampoo for your vehicle, look no further than our amazing Bahama Blue - High Concentrated Shampoo. This amazing car shampoo features a perfectly foamy and efficient formula which is the ideal solution for all vehicle maintenance wash requirements.

It is worth noting that this high-concentrated shampoo is pH Neutral boasting unrivalled suds along with anti-maring properties and a delightful scent to boot.

Upon completion of your initial wash, conduct a final rinse to remove any excess shampoo or lingering dirt. Whilst it is drying, you can assess the outcome and determine if you need to repeat the process or not. Should you decide to complete this process again until you are satisfied, you can then move on to the next stage - the drying stage.

The Drying Stage

Indeed, most car owners will usually skip this stage entirely, especially during the summer, however - to get the best results we advise that you use a microfibre cloth or one of our Triple Twisted Loop Drying Towels. To get the best results, you should go around each section of your car to guarantee that there are no drops of water left whilst also ensuring that you have obtained a shiny, streak-free finish.

At Duel Auto Care, we host a wide range of microfibre products to choose from. Everything from drying towels, wash mitts and microfibre cloths and more.

Now that you have obtained the best results with your car shampoo, below we feature some additional information that will prove useful whilst undergoing the car cleaning process:

Why Is The Pre-Wash Stage Important Before Washing Your Car?

Regardless of the vehicle that you have, albeit a car or a motorbike - pre-washing your vehicle is a stage that simply should not be overlooked. The reason for this is that the pre-wash stage will have a significant impact on the rest of your car washing process and can actually dampen your expected results.

For instance, the products that we offer at Duel Auto Care are mainly chemical-based formulations that target the removal of as much dirt and grime as possible. A key difference between a pre-wash and a standard car wash is that a pre-wash will reinforce the results of a contact wash. By this, we mean that it will help to remove as much grime as possible prior to you making contact with the paint.

This coupled with the aforementioned fact of the pre-wash stage aims to eliminate as much grime and dirt as possible before you undergo the contact wash stage. As a result, if you fail to ignore this task - all of the existing dirt and grime that would have been removed will be picked up and sought through your wash mitt. As a result of the dirt and grime featured on your wash mitt, this will exacerbate the likelihood of your car becoming scratched across the vehicle - ultimately resulting in unsightly damage.

Can You Use Any Shampoo To Wash My Car?

In execution, you are ultimately free to use whichever shampoo you deem relevant to wash your car. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be obtaining the best results, however, as you will be missing out on an opportunity to get your surface to shine all the brighter.

For instance, if you decide to use standard hair washing shampoo for your car, however, these types of shampoos are meant made to remain on surfaces for a prolonged period. Worst yet, depending on the brand of shampoo you are using, this can result in the paint of your car deteriorating.

This is why we will always suggest that you use dedicated car shampoo for your vehicle’s shine and overall well-being. Another reason you should opt for a dedicated car shampoo that is beneficial for your car is that it will make your surface more resistant to rain, dirt and other contaminants - not to mention our dedicated features a luscious scent as an additional bonus.

Something that we find fairly surprising is that you may find other articles mentioning that specialised shampoos not being the best option for you. Rest assured that these articles are indeed false and at the very least - you should conduct some due diligence before making your purchase.

How Often Should You Look To Wash Your Car?

There are a lot of factors that will affect the condition of your car from a cleanliness standpoint. For example, if you tend to neglect washing your vehicle - you will be shocked at how quickly dirt and other contaminants will build up across your car exterior.

With this in mind and to place a definitive timeframe into the mix, we recommend that you should look to wash your vehicle every two weeks. Keeping this timeframe in mind will allow you to stay on top of your cleanliness, however, some circumstances may result in you needing to clean your car more frequently. If you are eager to find out more about how often you should wash your car, feel free to read our guide on this exact matter.

Summary:

These are the key tips to guarantee that you get the best results when it comes to washing your car with a dedicated car shampoo product. For more, take a look at the other guides that we have at Duel Auto Care today.