Tips on keeping your car clean

The snow has stopped, knock on wood, and our cars want some TLC. Grab your sponge and bucket, a hose with a shutoff nozzle, and get to work. That’s the advice of Michael Deddo, a senior research chemist for Turtle Wax, who offers recommendations about how to better wash your wheels.

• What is the best way to maintain our cars?

Whether you have a new or old car, you must address all surfaces, exterior and interior. That includes starting from ground up with your wheels and tires all the way to your body finish, including exterior glass.

For wheels and tires, we recommend a high-quality wheel and tire cleaner that helps remove brake dust and keep brake dust (off) because sometimes it begins to actually pit and corrode the rims over time.

Those products are formulated to have the tough grease-cutting capabilities associated with dirty dishes, where today’s modern carwashes are more gentle so they don’t strip that protective layer of wax that you spent time applying. They’re such effective cleaners that all you do is negate all the work that you did previously.

• How often should we wash our cars?

I would say every one to two weeks, depending on where you drive and how it’s stored. When you wash your car and the water fails to bead or pull away from the surface, it’s time to reapply some protective barrier.

If not, the paint will begin to oxidize and lose that shiny appearance. Wax or detail spray is basically the sacrificial barrier between the clear-coat finish, or if you have an older car, the actual paint itself — and the environment.

• What about high-pressure washers?

Try and stay away from these. If your car is very dirty, depending on the angle of the high-pressure stream, when it hits the surface, you’re forcing dirt back into the finish. When it comes to wheels and paint, if you hit rust with high-pressure water, all of a sudden a big piece blows off.

If you keep your car well-maintained, a gentle stream of water will take a majority of the dirt off and all you’ll need is a gentle washing with a sponge or a mitt for the remaining dirt.

• What about bugs?

Paste waxes are more durable that liquid waxes. Wash frequently so bugs don’t stay on the paint. I recommend a bottle of detail spray and microfiber or cotton cloth in the car, so when you get to your destination, you can spend a few minutes spraying down and wiping it out.

• How about glass?

I recommend a lint-free cloth, specifically microfibers. It depends what kind of glass-cleaning product you’re using. Do not do it in direct sunlight, and make sure that the glass is cool.

You should clean interior glass every two weeks. If you let it go too long, it might need multiple applications to get it really clear.

• What about rust?

Be careful when washing, so that when the sponge or mitt hits rust, you don’t pick off pieces and drag it onto the rest of the paint. You need to be adamant about washing out wheel wells. That’s where rust usually starts. Rinse out the bottom of your car. Take the hose and spray underneath it. Undercarriage care is just as important as exterior care.

Washing shouldn’t be a chore. Look at it as protecting your investment, like a home. Your car is usually the second largest purchase you make. People who take care of their cars see more years of satisfaction out of it.