How Often to Wash Your Car

At Snap Clean, we encourage our customers to wash and wax their vehicles on a regular basis – ideally once a week. But, let’s just face it…most people don’t take impeccable care of their vehicles. Ever shopped for a used car? If so, you know that almost nothing beats the look and feel of a brand new paint job that hasn’t been abused or neglected for years. Got a car that you’d like to keep looking its best? Read on for some of the risks and benefits of neglecting vs. washing your car.

Surface contaminants – If you’ve ever washed your car and noticed it still felt a little rough to the touch, even after a premium car wash, your car may have surface contaminants stuck to the paint job. The majority of surface contaminants will come off with a regular car wash. However, when a car doesn’t get washed regularly, surface contaminants can eventually adhere to the clear coat. Like an old sticker left adhered to a windshield baking in the sun, these micro-level contaminants, dirt, dust, even paint or commercial products used nearby will just get stuck on the paint job. The longer you leave them, the more difficult they are to remove.

Water marks – Water itself will quickly evaporate after it stops raining and your car dries. However, water spots will not. That’s because water spots are made by rain collecting all that gunk and dust in the air. So, every raindrop means a tiny deposit of dust and dirt that needs to be removed promptly with a good quality detergent and soft cloth wash technique. Water spots are a fairly simple short-term thing to remove from your car. If you’ve had several days of rain, visit Snap Clean at your first opportunity to quickly and effectively remove water spots. If it’s been a while since rain left all those spots on your car or you’ve neglected your vehicle, you may need a clay bar or surface cleansing mitt to remove ingrained dirt.

Pollen – In North Texas, pollen is one of those things that can seriously gunk up your paint job. When everything blooms during the spring and summer months, a thin yellow dusty haze lands on everything that stands still. At Snap Clean, we presoak your car before it ever enters our tunnel to remove these larger particles. Then our soft touch technology and shine agents go to work to deep clean and apply a protective layer to the surface of your paint.

Long term value – The benefits of a regular car wash go further than just driving a car that looks nice. In the long run, regular car washing and waxing can contribute to the long-term value and well-maintained look of your car. A car that has been well cared for and washed regularly will have a softer touch and a longer lasting shine. The clear coat will be intact because surface contaminants have been removed with regularity rather than allowed to become adhered to the paint job because of heat, humidity and general neglect.

At Snap Clean, we pride ourselves on helping you maintain a great-looking vehicle at a reasonable price. Check out our monthly pass packagesfor a great and affordable way to keep your ride looking its best!