What is the Proper Way to Wax a Car?
When you wax a car, you're doing more than having a car vanity project in front of your neighbors. While it might make your car look shiny and new, waxing a car also can help protect against weather-related disasters that can wreak havoc on our cars. But no matter how many times you want to wax your car, it's the technique that matters in making your car look its best. It also matters what the weather is while you apply it.
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Things You'll Need
- Soft, lint-free fiber cloth
- Car polish
- Clay bar
- Car wax
- 2 lint-free towels
- Newspaper for car trimmings
Instructions
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Preparation prior to waxing
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1
Check the weather outside and see if it's cloudy and below 75 degrees Fahrenheit, though not near freezing. The reason this is important is because car wax needs moderately cooler temps to harden correctly. Warmer temps won't make it harden at all. An extremely cold temp makes it harden too much, making it impossible to wipe off.
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2
Wash all dirt off your car before you apply your car wax. Doing this prevents the wax from mixing with dirt and leaving streaks on the car's finish. In order to get all the dirt off your car, you may have to wash it several times.
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3
Wipe your car with a soft fiber cloth after washing to avoid water spots. Use a lint-free cloth so lint won't accidentally mix in with the wax.
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4
Apply polish to your car's finish if the paint job on your car is worn. However, using a clay bar is equal if not even more effective at removing dirt off your car (see Resource 1). Clay bars usually come with a bottle of gel lubricant that helps remove car surface contaminates easier.
Waxing technique
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5
Select one section of your car---likely the hood---and apply your car wax to a lint-free towel. Apply the wax to the car surface while wiping in a circular motion.
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6
Add another application of wax in a circular motion on a different, nearby section of your car. As you add that application, the first application will be dry and ready to be buffered. Repeat this process for all other exterior sections of your car.
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7
Use a soft, dry towel to wipe the wax rather than a buffer. Buffers are usually more difficult to clean, even though they still are commonly used. Wipe the wax with the cloth in circular motions, albeit slowly to make sure all the wax gets absorbed.
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8
Continue to buff the car with another soft towel in circular motions to remove any excess wax on the surface.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Wrap newspaper around the trimmings of your car or exterior areas made of plastic to avoid getting wax on these surfaces. Wax usually leaves a stain on plastic and can't easily be removed.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit car image by sasha from Fotolia.com
