How To Keep Your Car Clean Without Washing It: 9 Insider Tips

Wondering how to keep your car clean without regular washing, even with the kids in tow? Join us as we discuss some smart, yet simple ways to keep your vehicle clean both on the inside and the outside — that don’t involve soap and water.

Your car is probably your pride and joy. It’s your home on wheels and a constant companion. An asset that makes your life easier, be it for work, travel, daily responsibilities, or family activities.

Whether you drive a sports car or a family wagon, if you’re here it's because keeping your vehicle looking brand new matters to you. 

But how often do you wash your car? Let’s be real. Most people don’t fully wash their cars regularly. The most prevalent reason being that they don’t have time. But also because the cost of having a car professionally detailed can be costly.

Regardless of whether you want to detail your vehicle or not, you can still do some things that will keep your car clean without washing it often.

In this article, we’ll share with you nine insider tips on how to keep your car clean without regular washing, all gathered from years of experience in maintaining vehicles in tip-top shape.

1. Keep The Car Interior Pristine

Even if you don’t wash your vehicle regularly, you should still do — even if only — the minimum to care for its interior.

Your car’s interior is not just about the seats and floor mats. It covers everything from the door panels to the trunk, the glove compartment, and even the cup holders. A lot of people don’t think about cleaning their car’s interior until they see stains or smell odors. 

Vacuum And Wipe All Surfaces

If you want to keep your vehicle looking new, you should at least vacuum the inside once a week and wipe down all surfaces with a damp cloth. 

Seat Covers

If you have kids prone to spilling things in the car, put protective sheets over everything but the dashboard. 

Rubbish

Also, when cleaning, take care of the accumulated junk under seats or behind panels. Don't forget about those hard-to-reach areas! You can even keep a small rubbish bag inside your vehicle and make sure all waste goes there right away.

2. Clean Exterior Surfaces With a Spray Detailer

 

 

If you want to learn how to keep your car clean on the outside, you should know that you don't have to wash the whole vehicle, just the surfaces that catch light rain or dew and leave watermarks. These surfaces are commonly found on the hoods, trunks, and rear bumpers. 

You can clean them with the help of a detailer spray and a microfiber towel. These will do an excellent job in removing any dirt from these specific areas while leaving other parts of your vehicle untouched for now. 

3. Wipe The Windshield

A clean windshield is just like a jewel: when you remove the haze and grime that covers its surface, it shines.

Other than instantly making your car look better, a clear windshield helps with visibility — which in itself means safety! 

But don't just stop there. After completing work on the outside of your windshield using a professional glass cleaner, proceed to clean both driver-side windows and mirrors. And for extra points, do an inside windshield or rearview mirror while you're at it too.

4. Use Car Wax

Using a good quality Carnauba car wax will help protect the paint from scratches and scuffs. It will also help repel water, keeping the paint out of puddles. 

Waxing provides outside surface protection to both painted and gel-coated surfaces, and removes any existing dirt and grime, leaving your vehicle pristine and shiny. It’s a great tool if you are interested in how to keep your car clean without the need for regular washing.

5. Apply Clay Bar Treatments In Between Washes

Clay bars are a great way to remove contaminants from the paint's surface and enhance shine. 

Most often used with liquid car wash detergents, clay bars can also be applied in-between washes to go the extra mile to remove embedded contaminants that you’d normally never see.  

It’s important for these toxic pollutants not to be left on the paint for extended periods because they can cause permanent damage to your car's shine, gloss, and clarity. Clay bar treatments help restore those qualities by removing whatever may be clinging to your car's surface.

6. Paint Protection With Ceramic Coating

Your car's paintwork is essential to its appearance. It gives your vehicle its unique finish and acts as a shield from the elements. But dirty and scratched paintwork can reflect light in all the wrong ways. The paint can start to flake off and, in time, it can even oxidize.

If you want to keep your car looking brand new without regular washing, it’s time to get acquainted with ceramic coatings. 

Applying ceramic coating is one of the most powerful ways to protect your car’s paint from mud, grime, and contaminants that can damage it over time. Moreover, a high quality ceramic coating makes your car shine like new. Not to mention it’s also a great way to keep your vehicle looking cleaner for longer.

7. Use a Car Freshener

As their name implies, air fresheners make your car smell…fresh. They come in all shapes and sizes, so there’s something for everyone to suit their style. Apart from making your car smell nice, air fresheners also clean the air of any unpleasant odors that may be present inside your vehicle, like cigarette smoke or food odor.

8. Watch Where You Park

This may seem like a no-brainer, but it's important to be mindful of where you park. 

If you park in the sun regularly, your vehicle’s paintwork will begin to look dull. Tree sap and bird droppings can also damage the paint layer and make washing necessary. So, if you want to learn how to keep your car clean and looking nice without investing in paint restoration — or washing it often — try to park in shady areas without many trees around.

9. Get a Car Cover

If you don’t own a garage and want to keep your vehicle looking good for longer, a car cover is a must-have. A car cover will keep your car safe from sun, rain, tree sap, and bird droppings. It will also keep your car clean, so you won’t need to wash it as often. 

Wrapping Up

No matter what you do to keep your car clean, you’re bound to get in some dirt or debris here and there. However, with these simple tips on how to keep your car clean, you'll be able to have a spotless vehicle for longer.

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