April 28, 2023
Maintaining your car’s exterior helps your vehicle retain its look and value, but this takes more than just a regular wash or a trip to the drive-through car wash.
Much like simple preventative maintenance or getting the right car insurance, detailing your car’s exterior helps protect it and is key to keeping your paint job looking its best.
Depending on the services, it could cost $100-$1,000 to get your car detailed by a professional. Luckily, with some time, effort, and the right products, detailing your car at home can be much more affordable.
Compared to terry cloth, microfiber towels are less likely to leave streaks or lint. Because microfiber towels can be used on many surfaces, it’s best to buy a multipack when detailing your car at home.
Car wash mitts are ideal for holding a lot of soapy water.
Microfiber chenille wash mitts are designed for high water absorption, which makes it easier to apply soap to your car. Car wash mitts are also a good alternative for waxing or polishing your car since terry cloth towels or sponges can trap dirt and debris which may scratch your paint.
AAA TIP: Don’t store or wash your microfiber car mitts or towels with other materials. Shake your used microfiber towels to loosen any dirt or debris, then machine wash them with cold or warm water using a small amount of gentle, unscented laundry detergent or vinegar. Air dry or machine dry them on low heat. Do not use dryer balls or sheets.
A simple way to reduce swirl marks when detailing your car exterior is to use 2 wash buckets. One should contain car soap and water, and the other just has clean water where you rinse your tools. This helps you avoid reapplying the dirt and grime you've already cleaned from your car by isolating it in a separate bucket. If you only have 1 bucket, you can use a grit guard at the bottom to help filter out dirt and debris.
High-foaming car soap helps loosen more dirt and grime.
It may be tempting to use a household soap that’s readily available when detailing your car at home, but using dish soap or other detergents may strip away your car’s clear coat and wax. Use a high-foaming soap that's specifically designed to protect your car’s exterior and is pH balanced to avoid damaging paint finishes or other surfaces.
Since your car wheels are exposed to brake dust, dirt, grime, and other road contaminants, wheel cleaners contain stronger chemicals than regular car soap. If you have aluminum or powder-coated rims, choose a wheel cleaner designed for sensitive metals.
An automotive clay bar will help remove paint containments like tree sap, bug splatter, and road grime from your car exterior so they’re not sealed in when you wax your car. A detailing clay bar treatment is especially important if your vehicle is more than a few years old and hasn’t been recently detailed.
Ceramic or traditional carnauba wax can help preserve your car’s clear coat, which protects the paint from UV exposure, rain, snow, bird droppings, and other corrosive elements.
Maintaining your tires doesn’t end with making sure they’re in good condition. A good tire protectant can help prevent the rubber from fading, drying, and cracking.
Before you start, make sure your car is parked in a shaded area and is cool to the touch.
Thoroughly spray your car with water to wash off loose dirt and debris.
While most wheel cleaners can be sprayed on and rinsed off, if you have caked-on dirt and brake dust, you may need to use a brush or car mitt to remove the grime. Don't use the same car mitt to clean your wheels and your painted surfaces.
Follow the instructions on your car soap label to fill your first bucket with the correct water-to-soap ratio. Create as many suds as you can. Fill your second bucket with clean water.
Start washing from the top of your car and work your way down. Soak your car mitt in the first bucket and wash the first section of your car. Rinse off your mitt in the second bucket. Repeat for each section.
Use a hose to spray off all the remaining soap, then use microfiber towels to completely dry the car.
A clay bar before (left) and after a treatment.
Once your car is clean and dry, work in one small section at a time and spray a clay lubricant or soapy water on your car. Flatten the clay bar into a disc and lightly rub it over the surface 4 or 5 times, making sure the area always stays wet. Use a clean microfiber towel to dry the area. Fold the clay bar to a clean side, mold it back into a disc, and repeat the process until you’ve gone over all the painted surfaces.
AAA TIP: If you drop your clay bar on the ground, throw it away and continue with a new piece.
Again, working in small sections, apply wax on your car and wipe it off with a clean, dry microfiber towel in a straight motion. Wipe off any excess wax with a separate dry microfiber cloth. Read our detailed guide on how to wax your car.
Spray the tire protectant on the sidewall of your wheels.
Following the instructions on the bottle, evenly spray your tire protectant onto the sidewall of your tires. Wipe down each wheel with a terry cloth or microfiber towel. Let the tire protectant dry for 15-30 minutes before driving.
AAA recommends detailing your car at least 2-3 times a year, but this can vary depending on how you store your car and how often you drive it.
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