To me other than driving the car right after you fix it, the satisfaction achieved by washing your own car is priceless.  Looking back on your clean car is just a great feeling of accomplishment and pride.

After reading what I do, you’ll probably think it’s over kill.  But, I have used this procedure for 25  years.  I have found it to work very well for me.  So, take what you find valuable.

I’ll first provide the list of supplies that I have ready, and then provide the steps that I use whenever I clean a vehicle.

Equipment needed:

1. Have clean, beach sized, good quality terry cloth towel.
2. Have a clean size terry cloth hand towel, will  be used to dry of wheels and miscellaneous chrome accessories
3. Three different sponges.  One for the upper portion of the car, one for the ding protector down, and one for the wheel wells, wheels, and tires.  Be sure to remember which is which.  You don’t want to mix them up.
4. Good quality car soap
5. Bring floor stain like brush
6. Toothbrush
7. Tire dressing
8. Bumper dressing
9. Window cleaner with no-lint clothes
10. Bug & Tar Remover; I only use this for really, really stubborn spots.  I hardly use this since I don’t what to remove too much surface wax and especially don’t want to hurt my clear coat.

Comments:

• When washing your car, think of your car’s paint like it is your skin.  For example, after being in the sand, do you just start scrubbing or do you rise off first?
• Do your best not to scrub too hard.  By going too hard, you will increase the probability of swirling your paint.
• Don’t use dish soap.  It is too strong.  That type of soap will remove your wax job and is made to clean dried on tomato paste from pots and pans.
• Don’t go cheap on supplies.  To achieve the best quality work, get quality soap, sponges, towels, …
• Rinse your car well.

Procedure:

1. Put on sun screen, wear a hat, and wear sun glasses
2. Wear shoes that you don’t car about getting wet.
3. Wear clean clothes
4. Don’t wear anything that could scratch your car.  For example, Levi’s have rivets in them that could cause you to scratch your car while leaning against it.  How do I know this?  You don’t want to know!  But please heed my advice.
5. Try to have you and your car in shade.  You don’t want the soap or water to dry on your car.  
6. Ensure you reserve enough time to do the job right. I take an hour since I take my time.
7. Put the recommended amount of car soft in a bucket.  
8. Fill the bucket with water.  Purists utilize warm water.  I don’t need to do that since I live in San Diego, CA.
9. Dunk the sponge allocated from the top part of your car.  Wring out the sponge in the soapy solution to get it very wet and full of soap.
10. Rinse off car from roof to tires utilizing a wide soft spray.  Think about it.  If you had sand on your would you spray your skin with a direct stream of water?  I wouldn’t.
11. Spray up inside the wheel wells.  This will soften the mud and dirt up inside them.
12. Look at your car in sections:
    1. Roof
    2. Hood above bumper/bumpers
    3. Tail above bumper/bumpers
    4. Driver Side above ding protectors
    5. Passenger Side above ding protectors
    6. Driver Side below ding protector
    7. Passenger Side below ding protector
    8. Wheel well, wheel, and tires
13. Utilize the following steps to clean sections a-e section:
    1. Rinse off area
    2. Be sure to not let the soap dry on your paint.  You need to be quick enough to clean a section or break up the sections further to not allow soap to dry on your car.
    3. Wring out the sponge in the soapy solution.  Try to get all dirt out of it each time you dunk it into the soapy solution
    4. Apply soap to the windows in your section 
    5. Apply soap to the surface with soft to medium pressure in a circular pattern
    6. Overlap your sections slightly.  This way you will avoid holidays
    7. Rinse off area
    8. Visually inspect the area to determine if you should repeat process for current section.  You usually only have to do this if you don’t wash your car regularly.
14. Wring out sponge in soapy solution and wring out excess solution.
15. You might have to add more soap and water to your bucket.
16. Change to second sponge used for below the ding protectors
17. Utilize the following steps to clean sections e-g section: 
    1. Rinse off area
    2. Be sure to not let the soap dry on your paint.  You need to be quick enough to clean a section or break up the sections further to not allow soap to dry on your car.
    3. Wring out the sponge in the soapy solution.  Try to get all dirt out of it each time you dunk it into the soapy solution
    4. Apply soap to the surface with soft to medium pressure in a circular pattern
    5. Overlap your sections slightly.  This way you will avoid holidays
    6. Rinse off area
    7. Visually inspect the area to determine if you should repeat process for current section.  You usually only have to do this if you don’t wash your car regularly.
18. By this point, only the wheels, wheel wells, and tires have not been clean.
19. Wring out sponge in soapy solution and wring out excess solution.
20. Change to third sponge used for wheels.
21. You might have to add more soap and water to your bucket.
22. Spray up inside the wheel wells.  This will soften the mud and dirt up inside them.
23. For each wheel, perform the following steps:
    1. Spray the wheel, tires, and wheel well with water
    2. Thoroughly wring out the sponge and shake out both brushes
    3. Use the brush to scrub tire
    4. Use the sponge to clean the wheel
    5. Utilize the tooth brush to clean the nooks and crannies of the wheel
    6. Use the sponge to clean out wheel well
    7. Rinse the wheel, tires, and wheel well with water
    8. Visually inspect the area to determine if you should repeat process for current wheel.  You usually only have to do this if you don’t wash your car regularly.
24. Wow.  Now the car has been completely scrubbed clean.
25. Completely rinse car from top to bottom.
26. Use the beach towel to remove the water following this procedure:
    1. Wring out towel and fold accordingly to make task easy
    2. Dry window in current section
    3. Push the water off each section
    4. Section order:
       1. Roof
       2. Hood
       3. Tail
       4. Driver Side, from top to bottom
       5. Passenger, from top to bottom
27. Wring out beach towel and wash
28. Using the hand terry cloth towel, dry of each wheel
29. At this point the car should be completely dry
30. Rinse out all bucket, brushes, sponges, and towels thoroughly.
31. Wring out sponges and towels and hang to allow to dry
32. Apply tire dressing to all tires.  Be sure not to apply too much since this will cause it to splatter on car the first time you take off.
33. Apply bumper dressing
34. If necessary, clean windows
35. Stand back and admire your work.

I know that this seems quite complicated.  I feel it’s because I am an engineer and told you the gory details to the job.  I’m sure reading this you felt that I was treating you like a child.  I didn’t intend to.  I just wanted to be thorough.

I hope you find this useful.