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Living in the UK is great for the most part, but when it comes to keeping the outside of your car clean, our weather is not the best.
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With British weather being as it is, likely, your car does not stay clean for long, especially if you are driving in wet weather on a muddy road.
While a trip to the car wash is good, have you ever considered cleaning your car with a pressure washer instead? Not only will it save you money, but it is surprisingly easy to do.
In this article, we will be sharing all of the best tips and tricks about how to clean a car with a pressure washer.
We will also be suggesting a pressure washer that is a great choice to purchase if you do not already own one!
How To wash A Car With A Pressure Washer
Using a pressure washer to clean your car is far easier than doing it by hand. Not only is it quicker, but it is more accurate too.
In this section of the article, we will be breaking down the steps of using a pressure washer. We will help you get your car looking spick and span in no time.
What You Will Need
Before you begin, you want to ensure that you have everything set up ready. Here is everything that will make your job a lot easier:
- 1 pressure washer
- 1 bucket
- Big car sponge
- Car Shampoo
- Microfibre cloth/towel
- Car wax or polish (optional)
Pressure Washer Settings
Once you have everything ready, you will need to choose the correct pressure washer settings. As pressure washers are quite powerful, you must choose the correct setting.
If you do not, you could potentially damage your car.
The best setting to choose is one that is not overly powerful. You will want to choose the lowest setting.
If your pressure washer comes with a variable jet spray this is great because you can adjust the pressure.
The setting on your pressure washer that creates the widest jet of water is the best as this will be the least powerful.
Pre-rinsing Your Car
Once you have chosen the correct setting, it is time to pre-rinse your car. You will want to spray the whole of the outside of your car.
Do not forget to clean your wheels and hubcaps too, you will be surprised by how much dirt the pressure washer will lift from them.
When you are using the pressure washer on the car, it is important to not use it too close to the car’s body.
The pressure washer is strong so you do not need to stand too close to the car. If you bring the pressure washer too close to the car it could damage the chassis and paintwork.
You will want to pre-rinse your car for a good couple of minutes until all of the initial dirt and debris has been rinsed off.
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Washing Your Car
Once the pre-rinse is complete next you will want to wash your car.
If your pressure washer comes with a detergent option built into it then this is fantastic.
All you will need to do is choose the setting and start using the car shampoo and pressure washer to clean with.
If your pressure washer does not have this setting, then you will need to do the cleaning manually.
Pour a good amount of car shampoo into the bucket and use the pressure washer to fill the bucket with water. Mix the water and shampoo well.
Next, take your sponge, dip it into the bucket and begin to scrub your car. Repeat this process until you have covered all of the cars.
Again, do not forget to scrub the hubcaps as they can be quite dirty!
Once you have finished scrubbing, leave the shampoo settle for a few minutes.
You can also pour the leftover shampoo and water from the bucket on to the car, instead of pouring it away.
Rinsing The Car
Once your car is looking nice and soapy, it is time to rinse off the shampoo.
If you have the detergent setting on your pressure washer then turn in back to the lowest setting to rinse off the car.
If you put on the shampoo manually, turn on your pressure washer and rinse the car thoroughly.
You want to ensure that you have rinsed all the shampoo off the car. If any of the shampoos remains on the car, it can leave soapy marks which is not ideal!
Drying Your Car
Once you have finished rinsing your car, you will want to dry it off thoroughly.
You can leave your car to dry naturally, but you may find some watermarks if you do this.
We recommend taking your microfibre towel or cloth and wiping over the car. It is best to start with the windows and work your way down the car.
Cleaning the hubcaps last would be the best thing to do as sometimes there can be a little dirt left over.
Polishing Your Car
If you want to go a step further, you can apply some car polish or wax to your car and buffer it in to give it the new vehicle glow!
Do not forget to clean the inside of your car too. Your car will feel brand new in no time.
Summary
To summarise, using a pressure washer is so simple, it is a great, quick way to clean your car. Always ensure to use a setting that is suitable for the car and will not damage it.
Remember to only clean the outside of your car with the pressure washer, you do not want to spray underneath the car or near the engine as this can cause damage.
Make sure you park your car close enough for the pressure washer to reach it!
We hope that you have found this article useful.
If you would like to purchase any of the products mentioned in the article, you can do so via Amazon UK here:
Kärcher K2 Full Control Home Pressure Washer