The decontamination stage of cleaning your car is a necessary component to ensure you get the most out of cleaning your vehicle. Whether you are car detailing enthusiast or a new car owner in general, we cannot stress the importance of decontaminating your car. In our latest post, we will provide you with some insight regarding safely decontaminating your car with some of the best cleaning products on the market.

What Is Decontaminating Your Vehicle?

The decontamination process regarding your vehicle can be divided into two key factors. The first process is known as the chemical decontamination stage whereas the second is the mechanical (often referred to as physical) decontamination stage.

The chemical decontamination stage revers to using chemical only products that aim to soften/dissolve and remove harmful particles from the surface. This process is often completed following the shampooing stage. Whereas the BlackJack - Tar & Glue Remover aims to remove contaminants such as tar spots among other contaminants that are difficult to remove.

The mechanical decontamination stage is often the process most people will think of regarding decontaminating your vehicle. This involves using a clay bar to physically remove contaminants that have been embedded over time from the coat of your car. Using a clay bar is an essential part of your vehicle decontamination as you are drastically reducing the risk of harmful contaminants remaining on your vehicle.

When we undergo the decontamination process for a vehicle, whether it be the chemical or mechanical (physical) processes - we aim to remove contaminants that have stuck to the surface of your car - usually in the form of Iron fallout and road tar.

Should you attempt to rectify this with standard washing techniques and products, this will not address this issue as these contaminants will not get resolved.

Why Is Decontaminating Your Car Important?

It is vital that you conduct the decontamination process for your car as simply washing your car (including the pre-wash stage) will not be enough to guarantee your car is free from contaminants. Harmful contaminants such as iron particles will naturally build up over time, this can even lead to your car getting scratched as a result of the build-up.

The reason for this is that iron particles are essentially metal shavings but on a microscopic level. Despite these being microscopic particles, as they naturally build up over time, this will result in them scratching the paintwork of your car.

The rate at which these types of particles attach to your car can depend on several factors. For instance, if you live near a train station, the metal shavings will naturally accumulate far quicker than if you were to live in a standard street.

Due to the harmful effects that contaminants have on your car, it is an invaluable asset of looking after the condition of your vehicle. This is coupled with the fact that the pre-wash, washing and finishing process will not guarantee the safe removal of said contaminants.

What Products Are Required For The Decontamination Stage?

In order to get the most out of the decontamination stage, we suggest that you use the following products that will garner the best results possible:

The first product that we recommend is the Toxin-Iron Fallout Remover. This offers superior fallout removal from all vehicle surfaces. The Toxin-Iron Fallout Remover gets to work by securing and removing iron particles and contaminants whilst turning a characteristic purple colour.

This Iron Fallout Remover is a super fast-acting gel-based formula that boasts long dwell times that strives to remove iron deposits. This is perfectly safe on all vehicle exterior surfaces and turns purple upon reaction.

In order to use our Iron Fallout Remover, we recommend that you first spray the Toxin onto the vehicle and/or wheel surface. Afterwards, if you find that the wheels are heavily contaminated - we suggest using a wheel cleaning brush. 

Lastly, you should then rinse off with a pressure washer. Doing this will reveal a contaminant-free surface.

We also suggest the BlackJack - Tar & Glue Remover. The BlackJack - Tar & Glue Remover quickly dissolves tar spots and glue residues that can then be rinsed away easily thanks to emulsifiers contained in the formulation. We recommend that you always apply BlackJack to a dry car for the best results as using it to a wet car dilutes the products.

In order to get the best results with your BlackJack - Tar & Glue Remover, you must first spray it around the required area. We recommend that you leave it for 2-3 minutes to sit in. Afterwards, you will see tar deposits start to bleed away and can simply be removed using a suitable microfibre towel.

Regarding glue residue removal, the process is similar in that we recommend that you spray onto the required area and allow a short time for the product to take effect between wiping the residue away with a suitable microfibre towel

One of the most important products regarding the decontamination stage is the Erase Clay Bar. The Erase Clay Bar is used to remove surface contamination that can not be removed with chemical decontamination products (like the Toxin & BlackJack). As you glide the clay bar across your vehicle, you should be able to feel these contaminants by lightly rubbing your fingers over the surface. For more information on how to use a clay bar, see our guide that covers this particular topic.

If you are unsure as to what a clay bar is, take a look at our post regarding what is a clay bar. Here we provide a breakdown regarding what a clay bar does to your car as well as highlighting how to use a clay bar whilst also covering the question of does a clay bar make a difference to your car.

Decontamination Kits

At Duel Auto Care, we host a wide range of decontamination kits to ensure you get the best results for this process. One such selection is the cleverly named Decontamination Kit. This kit features products that we have mentioned above. These are the Toxin-Iron Fallout Remover, the BlackJack - Tar & Glue Remover and the Erase - Clay Bar.

To complement the Decontamination Kit, we also suggest the Microfibre Bundle. This collection contains each of our microfibre products that are fit for each detailing purpose into one bundle. Microfibre cloths are vital components for your car cleaning as rather than smearing dirt particles among other contaminants, a microfibre cloth will actually lift these contaminants off the vehicle altogether. This is critical as this will prevent scratches from your car - simply leaving your car to look stunning.

Finally, we recommend the Duel Mega Kit. The Duel Mega Kit contains a large array of products and accessories from our range (excluding car scents). Featured in this kit is the full decontamination range.

How To Detail Your Car To A Professional Standard?

If you consider yourself a car enthusiast or someone who is simply eager to make their car glisten as if it has come straight out of a car showroom, a car detailing kit is an absolute necessity. Incorporating the various detailing kits that we host at Duel Auto Care will guarantee that you receive these results.

What Car Detailing Kits Do You Need For Your Vehicle?

Whilst browsing through the various detailing kits that are available for your car, you might find yourself being overwhelmed with the amount of information and options available - especially if you are a new car owner. Therefore, at Duel Auto Care, we host a wide range of decontamination kits, however - we have categorised them into three key areas for your car.

The first area of your car that you should focus on is the exterior of your car. Opting for an exterior detailing kit will ensure that your paintwork and other surfaces of your car will be absolutely spotless. Some of the kits that we host regarding your vehicle’s exterior are the wash & gloss kit, car wax kits as well as a comprehensive wash kit.

Upon detailing your vehicle’s exterior - you should then focus your attention on the interior of your car. The interior detailing kits that we offer at Duel Auto Care will make your interior shine like no other. Regarding the most popular kits for your car interior, we recommend that you start with the ideally named interior detailing kit. Featured in this is the Optical - Window & Glass Cleaner for the glass surrounding your vehicle, two microfibre cloths to buff and clean your solutions as well as the Satin - Interior Cleaner & Dressing. This Satin is perfect for areas such as the dashboard among other areas.

Once the exterior and interior of your vehicle have been attended to, you should then turn your attention to decontaminating your car. The decontamination kits that we offer serves as a vital component to thoroughly cleaning your vehicle. To undergo a decontamination service for your vehicle means to remove any and all contaminants that are otherwise extremely difficult to remove. More often than not, however, these contaminants are not even visible to the naked eye - whilst being incredibly dangerous for your car. For instance, a build-up of metal shavings can actually scratch your car if not dealt with as a matter of urgency.

The decontamination kit that we offer comes with the Toxin - Iron Fallout Remover, the BlackJack - Tar & Glue Remover and the Erase - Clay Bar. Ensuring that you have both stages of decontamination covered. To refresh, these stages are the chemical decontamination and the physical decontamination. Toxin and BlackJack are used for the chemical decontamination stage whereas the Erase-Clay Bar is used for the physical stage.

Incorporating these will guarantee that you have safely decontaminated your car. However, if you want to obtain the best clean possible - we recommend you choose our Duel Mega Kit. This kit features everything you need from pre-wash to decontamination.

How Often Should You Decontaminate Your Vehicle?

Now that you are familiar with car detailing, the products that you should use to get the best results, and why it is so important - you may now be wondering how often you should decontaminate your vehicle. Essentially there are multiple circumstances that will determine how often you will need to undergo the decontamination process. For instance, as mentioned above - depending on where you live, this may result in the need to decontaminate it more regularly.

Should you live by a train station, the chances of metal shavings attaching themselves to your car is significantly higher than normal, which means you may need to carry this process out more frequently than if you were to park your car in a standard street. The reason for this is that the fallout is generated by the motion of the train wheels on the rails.

Alternatively, you may also find that your brake pads produce a hefty amount of contaminants - this too will mean that you need to undergo the decontamination process much sooner. The reason why it is vitally important is contaminants such as iron particles can drastically harm your car by scratching it.

Another way to gauge this is by conducting seasonal decontamination for your vehicle. A good rule of thumb is to carry out a complete car detailing clean during every season, which will include the decontamination process - with the finishing process to boot.

Take a look at the various car cleaning products that we have available today, or alternatively - take a look at our other guides to learn more. For instance, if you are new to car detailing or a new car owner in general - take a look at our guide concerning how often you should wash your car.

Alternatively, you can read if iron fallout remover is necessary to assess whether the decontamination stage is absolutely essential.

Summary:

The above has been everything you need to know regarding safely decontaminating your car. If you require additional guides, why not take a look at the vast array of guides we have available at Duel Auto Care today. 

If you are a car detailing enthusiast or a new car owner in general, we host a wide array of high-quality car detailing products to choose from. Obtain a showroom-level finish for your car with us today.