Are you worried that dry car washing will scratch your car or produce sub-standard results? As long as you avoid the following 8 mistakes, you’re sure to achieve amazing, long-lasting results every time you use a waterless wash and wax product on your vehicle.
1. Use any old rag to clean your car
To maximize the results of the spray on wax and car wash, use a 100% cotton terry cloth to wipe off the formula after spraying it on your vehicle, then use a microfiber towel to buff away any remaining wax haze. Other types of cloth or rags just don’t work as well.
2. Rubbing too hard
After spraying the waterless wash over your vehicle, gently rub it in a circular motion with a cloth towel. Don’t rub too hard because you could end up scratching the surface of your vehicle. For best results, clean and lift.
3. Using waterless cleaners on an excessively dirty vehicle
If your car is covered in mud or sand, rinse off the dirt first before applying the dry car wash. Waterless wax is effective on light to moderate dirt, but you can’t expect the formula to remove an extremely thick layer of dirt.
4. Not letting the solution absorb long enough
Are there scuff marks, tar, sap or bug marks on the surface of your car? Let the car wax spray soak into the surface of your car for a few minutes before wiping it off with a rag.
5. Not changing towels
For best results, keep a few extra terry cloths and microfiber towels on hand in case the ones you’re using get too wet or dirty while working on your vehicle.
6. Not storing your microfiber towels
One of the benefits of using a dry car wash is that you can store the microfiber towels you use to polish off the wax haze in a sealed Ziploc bag. You can reuse microfiber towels between washes to clean your car and keep it beautiful and shiny.
7. Wash your car once every blue moon
For best results, you should aim to wash and wax your car once a month. Cleaning your car regularly will protect the paint and prevent it from being damaged by road salt, bird droppings, dead bugs and other harmful elements.
Fortunately, washing and waxing your car will only take up to 30 minutes if you use a spray car wax that doubles as a waterless cleaner. The more often you use a waterless cleaner on your car, the shinier and stronger its protective coating will be.
8. Use waterless detailing products that do not contain carnauba wax
A variety of waterless wash and wax products exist, and their active ingredients vary widely. For best results, use a dry car wash made with carnauba wax. Carnauba wax is the preferred ingredient among auto detailing experts because it protects the paint, creates a hydrophobic surface and deepens the shine.