Cleaning your car is the most important thing you can do to maintain a like-new finish. A proper car wash is also the most essential step in preparing your car’s exterior for any kind of detailing job, from paint correction to waxing. Depending on how much you drive and the environmental conditions, experts recommend you wash your car or truck about once every two weeks. With that kind of frequency, you’ll want to make your job fast, effective and easy.

One of the best ways to accomplish all three is to upgrade from a garden hose to a car pressure washer. The high-power cleaning action of a home pressure washer will improve your car washing in a few different ways. For starters, a good pressure washer is superior for pre-rinsing your car. A strong stream of water from a high-pressure hose does a better job of breaking up tough soils like road grime, bird droppings, bugs, tree sap and caked on mud. By removing more of these with the pre-rinse, you’ll make washing your car much simpler for you and safer for your clear coat.

Pressure washers also make the final rinse faster and more effective, so you’ll have less chance of leaving any soapy residue on your car that might compromise its beauty. And finally, if you choose to pair your pressure washer with a foam cannon, the pressure will generate even more foaming action from your car wash soap. This will help you clean more thoroughly and lift abrasive soils away from your clear coat, reducing your risk of scratching the finish.

If you’re using a foam cannon, fill it with a car wash soap that has been formulated specifically for this purpose and connect it to your pressure washer using the quick disconnect. We recommend M.A.X. Power Car Wash, which was recently reformulated to be foam-cannon-ready, or Cherry Snow Foam. Again, start at the top and work your way down your car. Cover the entire vehicle in a generous layer of foam. This foam not only helps break down the soil, but also helps lift and surround the dirt. Along with lubricating agents in the car wash soap, the foam keeps dirt from scratching your clear coat as you scrub and rinse the car clean.

Once you’ve scrubbed the entire exterior, it’s time to rinse all that foam, soap and dirt away. Be sure to rinse the car completely clean with the 40-degree tip on your pressure washer. You don’t want to leave any soap residue or soil on the surface of your car. Pay particular attention around door and window seals. Soap and foam tend to collect in these tight spots and may require much more rinsing than other areas of your car. Once you see nothing but clear, clean water running off your car, the wash is all done.

Use a thick, high-quality, microfiber detailing towel to dry the car. Gently wipe the towel across the finish, again starting at the top and working your way down. The towel should do the work on its own. No need to apply any pressure.

Pro Tip: Keep in mind that touch-free work is always preferred. Instead of a microfiber towel, use a blow dryer that was designed specifically for drying cars or grab your leaf blower and turn it on high. Your car will dry in a flash, especially if it has been waxed or coated!