Proper washing techniques and products unveiled.

Never skip drying! Drying your vehicle after washing is necessary to prevent water spots. Water spots are caused by mineral deposits that etch the outline of a drop of water into your vehicle’s paint. Water has minerals, whether or not it’s from the hose or the sky. As the water evaporates, the minerals remain on the surface and they will eventually, invariably create water spots.

You can dry your vehicle in a variety of ways, but you want to make sure that you do so quickly. The fastest way to remove excess water is with Autoglym’s Hi-Tech Flexi Water Blade. It incorporates an amazingly flexible structure together with a patented wiping design to rapidly remove rinse water from a vehicle’s bodywork after washing. Use the blade on the windows first, since water spots are most noticeable there.

If you use Autoglym’s Hi-Tech Flexi Water Blade, you still need to use a towel to remove the rest of the water. Autoglym’s Hi-Tech MicroFibre Drying Towel is a large 60cm x 60cm towel that incorporates microfiber material that has been chosen for its excellent absorbency plus it is completely nonabrasive. Microfiber is more absorbent than terry cloth or chamois, and it lasts longer.

Terry cloth towels are not recommended because the fibers can become matted and hard after repeated uses, they also shed lint, increasing the chance of swirls. Compared to microfiber, they are not as absorbent and they don’t last as long. Never use bath towels that have been discarded from the house. They are probably not soft or paint safe.

You may also use a genuine or synthetic chamois. Autoglym’s Aqua-Dry is a synthetic leather with a unique structure which actually outperforms natural chamois leathers. It is super absorbent, easier to wring out, faster to use, longer lasting and less expensive.

There you have it. Now are you washing your car right?

Credits: Written by Daniel Chen. Edited by Bjorn Wong.