How Often Should You Wash Your Car? | Autance

Ask any avid motorist how often they wash their respective vehicles and you will most likely be given a variety of answers. Some say daily washing is a must while others would say once or twice weekly. Still, there are those who seem to think that washing the car is not really that important especially if you’re talking about a vehicle that’s out in the mud most of the time. The question remains, though. How often should you wash your car?

The answer to this question is, unfortunately, not really a very straightforward one. You should always consider the following when determining the frequency of car washes.

• Nature of daily drive – If your daily drive means several hours on the road at any given time, then you’re actually exposing your car to a variety of particles from dust, bugs, dirt, and even bird poop that can ruin the paint surface and look of your car.
• Location – If you live in the city then your only issue will be the level of pollution that blankets the city every day. If there are construction sites in the area where you usually drive, you’re talking about dirt, mud, and even cement. Driving along tree-lined roads exposes you to bird droppings, insects, bugs, leaves, and even fallen twigs. Near the sea? Sand and dust are real issues.
• How the car is stored – Do you have a garage at home that can help minimize the effects of environmental threats on your vehicle? Or do you just park it outside your home where it is exposed to these same dangers?
• Weather – Living in heavily industrialized sections of the city can expose your car to acid rain. Those in wet regions where it rains almost every day may not feel the need to wash their car. But those in hot and humid regions may have to.
• Preferred car look – Some of us prefer to drive in a car with a showroom-shine finish all the time. Some are already content with just having a car to drive around. So which one are you?

Once you’ve taken these considerations to heart it becomes a lot easier to determine how often you should wash your automobile. To give you a better idea of what we mean here’s a sample schedule of car washings.

Once Weekly 

If you notice splattered bugs, tree saps, and even bird droppings on your vehicle at any point, you will need to remove them immediately. You don’t actually need to have your entire car washed if you only have a single bird dropping on your hood. But if you’re looking at a car that’s literally covered with bird droppings or any of these items, don’t wait for a week before having it cleaned up. If your car is also exposed to excessive heat, rain, and air pollution or is subjected to unusually long drives, once-weekly washing is enough.

Once or Twice Monthly 

For all other conditions that we have not included above, you can subject your car to once or even twice monthly washings. This is just to keep the integrity of the paint surface.

Washing our cars is like taking a bath, something we do this to remove dirt and protect our skin. The same is true with our cars. Knowing how often you should wash it depends on your understanding of a variety of factors which we have already discussed.

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Sources:

1. How Often Should You Wash Your Car? – FSCW
2. How Often Should You Wash Your Car? – howstuffworks