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White is among the most popular car colors in the world, as 35% of new cars on the road today are white cars, followed by black and gray with 19% each, according to a report from paint supplier Axalta’s Global Automotive Color Popularity.
And indeed, stains look more evident on white surfaces compared to dark colors. As a result, white gets dirty easily and keeping a white car clean is never as easy as their black and gray counterparts.
Dwelling on the dusty surface of your white car does not help, but following these simple instructions on how to keep a white car clean will do.
Tips to Keep Your White Car Clean
White reflects everything. When going outside, your white car can easily be exposed with paint scratches, dust stains, and accumulated dirt on its surface. Here are 6 easy tips you need to know to preserve the exterior of your white car.
1. Cleaning white car paint by decontamination
Your white car confronts lots of different pollutants on a daily basis. These include paint splatters, acid rain, traffic tar, tree sap, and bird droppings.
Unfortunately, we cannot use the typical white car wash techniques to clean a white car that has been heavily covered with contaminants. These stains have stuck on your white car surface for a long time and will refuse to go just by normal water wash.
To get rid of the residues before cleansing the paintwork underneath, you should conduct a simple decontamination process.
Decontamination comes in two different forms:
1/ Chemical: Using iron and tar removers to clean the stains
2/ Physical: Using a clay bar or mitt for physical disinfection
These two ways are to eliminate as many particles as possible before cleaning white car paint in the further cleaning steps below.
2. Using car soap for white car
Car Wash soap is made to be less intense than cleaners for an oily pan or the stained shirt you accidentally dragged through your dishes yesterday. To detach pollutants lodged on the surface of your white car paint, you need a car soap with exceptional wettability and natural foaming.
Let’s begin by reviewing the criteria we use to select the top car soaps for white cars.
- pH Level
The pH level of your car soap will reflect the acidity or alkalinity level. Using soap with a high pH raises the pH of your hands’ skin, increasing dehydration, irritation, and changes in bacterial flora.
Never go with an overly acidic soap. Instead, use a pH-balanced one.
- Foaming
Probably the most effective car wash soaps are those that foam the most. As scratches can be easily spotted on white surfaces, car soap for white cars must have a high level of lubricity made from thick foam. The lubricity will prevent the sponge from creating minor scratches on cars. Furthermore, it lessens the chance of paintwork chipping.
- Included Wax
Using a wash and wax car wash soap may easily stop any oxidation processes on your car’s paint.
3. Avoid washing a white car with bleach
Your car’s paint and equipment can be damaged by bleach. As it is acidic, bleach can ruin your car’s clear coat, which is used to shield the color from deteriorating over time and UV exposure.
Additionally, bleach can leave stains on your rubber trim, paint, and metal trim, particularly if left to dry and not completely washed off.
4. Wash your white car at home every three weeks
Conducting a white car wash every three weeks is recommended by experts to protect its appearance and retail value. This is actually simple and can totally be done at home, following these steps:
- Start by thoroughly washing your car with fresh water.
- Begin washing the automobile, and then constantly use a cloth to wipe the dirt off.
- Don’t scrub too aggressively. Remember to wash your surface in even, straight lines. Circular motions might produce swirl prints that can stick around.
- Rinse off periodically throughout the wash, especially as you go to new areas of the car.
- After carefully washing and rinsing the automobile, you should use a towel and the air to dry it completely to avoid water marks and sun damage.
5. Keeping your car clean in the winter
Maintaining the cleanliness of your automobile can seem like a daunting task with the arrival of winter’s chilly mornings, wet days, and dark nights. To optimize your white car’s cleanliness in the winter, follow these tips on a cold weather car maintenance:
- Every time you finish washing it, apply a coat of wax as a strong protective layer for your white surface.
- Use a clay bar to build an additional layer of defense.
- Be cautious about washing out the mud and salt from the wheel wells.
You might also take your automobile to a detail shop and let them handle it as an alternative. Preserving your car’s retail value is also important by maintaining its condition and preventing rust problems.
6. Cover your white car when not in use
To prevent your white car’s surface from aging in the sun or sustaining other exterior damages, keep it covered while not in use. Your car should have a cover that is manufactured just for it out of soft microfiber or cotton.
As a result, the surface of your automobile will remain as white as possible while being protected from animals, bugs, severe weather, and other potential hazards while it is covered.
Conclusion
Keeping white the car clean may require a little more work than maintaining other car colors, but it is achievable by adopting the safety measures listed. Following these steps on how to keep a white car clean and choosing the right white car cleaners can help you preserve your shiny car’s exterior appearance and retail values over time.
