We’re big fans of a freshly-detailed car or truck around here.

Problem is, we’re also really, really good at getting cars dirty.

So once again, we asked our friendly local detailing expert Jason Yard with Malco Automotive Products if he’d like to sit down and give us some car wash and detailing advice for a podcast episode.

See other car detailing tips and advice from Malco by clicking here.

He happily obliged, and we spoke for well over 30 minutes, covering a range of car washing and detailing topics. You can listen to the entire podcast episode below, or we snipped out 10 excerpts from our conversation as well, so you can get a good idea of the subjects we covered.

***

10 Car Wash & Detailing Tips from Malco Automotive Products

***

1. What Are Some Common Car Wash Mistakes People Make?

“Keeping as much dirt off the vehicle as possible to avoid swirling and scratching the paint.

“Those swirls, the slight marring, the car wash scratches, stuff like that—all of those are put into paint or clearcoat through dirt, really. The contact of dirt or abrasives through the paint.

“There are some duster and quick-cleanup towel products that people don’t realize have dirt in them from the time before or just sitting in the garage—and they’re putting those elements right back on the car and putting scratches on the paint.

“Another thing—if you have a dirty wash mitt or dirty water bucket, you’re putting scratches on your paint.”

***

2. How Often Should You Change the Water in Your Car Wash Bucket?

“It really varies on how dirty your car is. So if you’re starting with fresh, clean water, and you’re cleaning a car that’s not that dirty, you probably don’t have to worry about it as much.

“But if doing a lot of cars, or a really dirty car, then a very good method is to have two buckets—one is clean water just to rinse your car wash mitt, and the other has the car wash soap in it.

“So every time you hit the vehicle with your soapy wash mitt, you pull it off and dunk it in that fresh, clean water to rinse off the dirt, then you go back to your soapy water. That’s a good method—especially if you’re doing multiple cars.

“Another option is a dirt trap bucket insert. That helps to remove some of that grit and, for the most part, it keeps it at the bottom of the bucket so you’re not scooping it back up and putting it back on the car.”

***

3. What’s the Best Car Wash Process? Top-Down or Bottom-Up?

“The top-down method is preferred, because you’re pushing the dirt down.

“You always want to use as little contact with the vehicle as possible. So that means using more water, and using pressured water if possible, to spray that dirt downward.

“But most detailers will start with wheels—and maybe engine bays and wheel wells—to at least loosen the dirt, the brake dust, and the road grime. And then as they work their way around with chemicals and water pressure, they’ll start on the paint.

“Typically, once the wash bucket has seen a lot of dirt they’ll do the wheels last with a dedicated wash mitt, and do a final wipe down of the wheels with that dirtier water.”

***

4. Is there a Time of Day or Temperature That’s Best to Wash Your Car?

“It’s always a hinderance when you’re in direct sunlight. I always recommend that, if you can work in the shade, you’re going to have better results.

“Because even if you’re quick with washing and rinsing, you’re going to have streaks, and your water and even your soap is going to dry too fast.”

***

5. How Do You Choose the Best Wax for a Vehicle?

“How long do you want it to last? How much do you drive your car?

“Malco is very conservative when it comes to longevity promises, so if you’re just cleaning it up and you wash your car every week, a good spray wax will leave a nice, slick feel. It’ll look freshly waxed, but it’s not going to last more than a few weeks.

“For an intermediate step, like a cream wax, you’re going to get, maybe, six months out of it. And if you’re garaging it most of the time, it’ll definitely hold up that long.

“But if you’re looking to only wax your car once a year, a paste wax might be the solution.

“With each one, you get a little more difficult application, but you get more longevity because you’re actually working into the paint a little more.”

***

6. What Precautions Should Your Take When Detailing Interiors?

“Number one, the chemical that you’re using—make sure it’s safe for all kinds of vinyl, plastic, and leather.

“There are several different grades of plastics and vinyls these days, and there are also different grades of how they’re dyed—with certain chemicals, you can pull out the dye. We always recommend testing in an inconspicuous area if you’re unsure about compatibility.

“Another factor is heat. When you’re working in sunlight, if the outside of the car is 110 degrees, then the inside could be 150. And at that temperature, your vinyl or leather can have a reactionary effect if chemicals are sprayed directly on them.

“We generally recommend spraying onto a towel before wiping down a seat, dash, or whatever.”

***

7. How Should Your Clean a Car Prior to Long-Term Seasonal Storage?

“Number one, you’re looking for water spotting, bird poop, bug splatter—things like that can etch the paint, especially if your vehicle sits in a non-climate-controlled garage.

“Even light water spotting needs to be polished out. And if you catch it early enough, it’s much easier to remove those things. They’re much harder to remove the longer they sit.

“A coat of wax is a good thing—it just makes it easier to clean the dust off later.

“For tires and interior, any time those things sit for an extended period of time, they’re going to dry out. A good interior dressing, leather conditioner, or tire dressing can put the moisture back in.”

***

8. Do You Have Any Tips for Removing Bug Guts or Bird Poop?

“We have a product called Bug Off, and there are several other manufacturers that make similar products, but our Bug Off really dissolves those bug guts.

“The key to using Bug Off is to saturate the bug splatters, but make sure it doesn’t dry on the surface—and also make sure you’re not doing it in direct sunlight. Because the way the chemical breaks down the bugs, it can also break down the paint if you’re not careful.

“Bird poop’s the same way. A good car wash will take most of that off, but if you leave it on, it can etch the paint. So anytime you see bird poop on a vehicle, get it off as soon as possible.”

***

9. What’s the Best Method to do Detailing Touch-Ups at Car Shows?

“Spray waxes come to mind. But one product I’ll mention is something we call OTG Waterless Car Wash. It stands for ‘On The Go’ and was originally designed for regions that have water use restrictions.

“OTG has some lubricants in it, and some waxes as well. What it does is allow you to spray-down a lightly dirty car, and it doesn’t impart scratches onto the paint because there’s enough lubricity in the product.

“You’re just pulling the dirt off and leaving behind a nice shine—it’s safe for plastics, glass, wheels, anything.”

***

10. What Should We Know About Microfiber Towels?

“Clean microfiber towels cannot be talked about enough, in my opinion.

“That’s what prevents scratches a lot of the time—having a clean microfiber towel that has a lot of plushness and isn’t full of dust, fibers, and stuff like that.

“One of the things we always recommend is keeping your microfiber towels clean by washing them with a non-fragrant, non-softener type of product. We have a Microfiber Refresh Detergent that’s designed to clean a microfiber towel without putting any kind of softeners, starches, colors, fragrances, or anything into the microfiber.

“That way, you always have a fresh one and, even if they’re not new, they’re still good for a lot of uses.”

Learn more on this topic from Malco here: How to Wash, Store & Care for Microfiber Towels

***

You can hear more from this interview in the OnAllCylinders Podcasts section.

If you want to learn how to wash and detail your car like a professional, check out the tech section at Malco’s website. It’s packed with more handy tips and techniques to help your vehicle sparkle like it’s fresh off the showroom floor.