Exterior Car Cleaning

For some a car is strictly a mode of transportation, and exterior car cleaning consists of an occasional trip to the drive-through wash. Others find intrinsic beauty in automobiles and want to keep theirs looking like new. The process may be tougher than you think.

Tips on: Car Cleaning

Tip: Skunk Odor Removal from Car Exterior
If you are unfortunate enough to encounter a skunk with your car, you can remove the odor by dissolving one cup of dry mustard in a bucket of water. Use this solution to wash your car. Use a mop to wipe the wheels and underbody, repeating if necessary.

Tip: License Plate Rust Removal
To remove light rust deposits for your metal license plate, you can try using WD-40. If that doesn´t work, you can try using a pencil eraser, but don´t rub too hard because it can cause fine scratching. If all else fails, you can use a commercial rust remover, such as Bar Keepers Friend, but this may damage the paint.

Tip: Cleaning Blackwall Tires
To get blackwall tires looking like new, rub on a thin coat of brake fluid and wipe dry.

Tip: Cleaning Wheels Covers
To clean your car´s wheel covers, spray them with foaming aerosol bathroom cleaner, leave it for 30 seconds, then wash off. This should effectively remove all street dirt and road oils.

Tip: Cleaning Car Windshields
The best solution for cleaning windshields is 1/2 cup baking soda mixed with a quart of warm water. This will clean insects off the windshield and clean the wipers. Apply with a piece of mesh onion bag wrapped around a sponge.

Tip: Oil Spill Stain Removal from Driveway
To soak up oil spills or drippings from automobiles, sprinkle the area with kitty litter. Leave it on the spot for several hours, then sweep up the litter with broom and discard. Wood chips or shavings also work well for this purpose.

Tip: Hard Water Stain Removal from Car Exterior
To remove hard water stains on your car, try rinsing your car with white vinegar, using a solution of 3 parts soft water to 1 part white vinegar, increasing the vinegar content as needed. Be careful to only wash your car in the shade, or in the evening, as the sun will dry the water quickly and cause more spots. You may also want to try using crumpled newspaper for polishing your car, as it will leave a nice shine and prevent spots. You may want to treat your car with a commercial product, such as Rain-X to stop the stains from returning.

Tip: Tree Sap Removal from Car Exterior
To get tree sap off your car, you can try Goof Off (or a product similar to that), or WD40. Spray the product on the stain, rub, and rinse well. For a homemade treatment, try using mayonnaise in a similar fashion. You may want to test the product you choose in a hidden area to ensure that it won´t harm the finish on your car.

Tip: Fly Spot Removal from Car Exterior
To remove fly spots left on your car in the summer, mix equal parts of ammonia and warm water, and scrub with a sponge.

Tip: Rubber Removal from Car Exterior
To remove rubber from spinning tires off of the paint on your car there are a few things you can try: 1) Try mixing equal parts of ammonia and warm water and scrub with a sponge. 2) Try rinsing your car with white vinegar, using a solution of 3 parts soft water to 1 part white vinegar, increasing the vinegar content as needed. 3) Try Goo Be Gone, Goof Off or WD40. Spray the product on the stain, rub, and rinse well. You could also try mayonnaise in a similar fashion.

Tip: Bumper Sticker Removal
You can remove bumper stickers by saturating them with hot vinegar, salad oil, or nail polish remover. Lighter fluid is also effective, but since it is flammable, use it with caution. If any residue remains, you can remove it with WD-40 and scrub with nylon netting or a stiff brush.

Tip: Cleaning Spoked Wheel Covers
A spoked wheel cover can be cleaned in the dishwasher on the pot-scrubber cycle.

Tip: Permanent Marker Removal from Car Exterior
Permanent marker is not easy to get off a car´s exterior without damaging the paint. However, there is a product called Stoner Xenit Citrus Cleaner which claims it can do just that. I haven´t tried it, so I´d advise doing a little more research on it first.

Tip: Bug Removal from Car Exterior
To remove splattered bugs from your car, use a dryer sheet instead of a brush. The dryer sheet is gentle enough that it won`t scratch your paint, yet rough enough to remove the unwanted pests. Just wet the sheet and wipe firmly.

Exterior Car Cleaning

“It looks like new! I can’t believe that car’s seven years old!” Would you like to hear that from your friends? I’m sure all of us do, but keeping our car looking like the latest models is tough, even with today’s longer-lasting finishes.