How Often Should You Wash Your Car?

Whether you’re driving a brand new luxury car or an older, high mileage vehicle, if you’re reading this, it’s likely because caring for your car is important to you. How well a vehicle holds up over time is directly linked to the care and maintenance it receives – under the hood, bumper to bumper and inside the car. 

While there’s not an absolutely perfect recommendation for how often you should wash your car, some factors will naturally necessitate washing more. So what’s the minimum?  And how does washing your car prolong its life?

Let’s start with the paint. Your paint job is like your skin. The better you protect it from environmental factors like the sun’s rays, pollution, road grime, pollen and weather, the better it will look over time. Paint preservation is all about chemistry. The right combination of detergents, shine agents and protective wax needs to be used for your unique situation. In general, the more layers of protection you employ to clean your car and maintain a nice shine, the better your car will age over time. When you look at cars all day long, it’s easy to see how basic maintenance and care impacts the longevity of the vehicle. 

Our monthly pass packages offer an easy way to protect your paint for one low monthly price. From $15.95 per month for our most basic package up to $55.95 per month for the Platinum Wash, our monthly pass options offer something for everyone. If you park outdoors, park under trees or spend a lot of time commuting, consider a higher level of care for your paint job to look its best over time.

The weekly wash minimum. We know it’s important to wash your car, but how often should you visit the car wash? Is it possible to overdo it? Some sources recommend washing at least twice a month at a bare minimum. To some, washing every two weeks seems excessive, while to devoted car lovers, it may seem too minimal.  Bottom line: If you’re washing just once a month, you can’t expect that your paint job will hold up as well as a car that gets washed once or twice a week. 

At Snap Clean, we generally recommend washing once per week. We recognize that how often you wash your vehicle depends on where and how often you drive and how you store your vehicle. In North Texas, where most of us can’t easily commute via mass transit, we are heavily reliant on cars to get to employment centers. As a result, road grime is a very real factor in how we care for our cars, and many car owners must park outdoors at home and at work, exposing their vehicles to the sun’s rays, pollen, bird droppings, dust and rain. A car that is washed weekly and parked in a garage will feel different to touch than one that bakes it the sun all day and never gets a bath. The more care and coverage you can give your car, the better. 

Interior maintenance prolongs vehicle life. When you shop for a used vehicle, certain things tend to be dead giveaways for how a car has been cared for even if the dealer has had the car detailed to make it look decent. Cleaning your interior surfaces and fabrics directly impacts its resale value. Sometimes perception is all that matters. If you’re thinking of trading in a vehicle, you want it to look as though it has been well cared for over the years, not just slapped through the wash for a quick sale. 

Begin by regularly clearing out clutter, tossing trash and removing items that don’t belong in the car. If you can store something somewhere else, why keep it in the car? Following a decluttering session, thoroughly vacuum and wipe down all surfaces. When you visit Snap Clean for your weekly wash, make sure to take advantage of our towel service, spray cleaner and vacuums to thoroughly clean your interior. Wipe down the dashboard, clean the interior of all windows, wipe out cupholders and vacuum all your upholstery. Repeat this process weekly to keep your car looking its best.

We rely on our cars to get us around, haul kids to school and sports, take family vacations, commute to work, tackle projects and more. A clean car not only ages better, it also just feels better to drive. Make every ride a more pleasant experience and protect the investment into your vehicle by giving it the care YOU deserve.