How do you wash a car by hand?

Ive always washed my cars at the machine where you do it yourself, but now I want to start washing my new car by hand because I hear its supposed to be better.








If I want it to look really nice what should I:





Buy?


Order of washing?


How to wash?


By the way it is a convertible should I was the top if its made of canvas or whateveer that canvas like material is?








Thanks ^^)How do you wash a car by hand?
Buy liquid car wash detergeant, wax, a large ';chamois'; (real leather), a wheel brush, large white terry towels, a bucket and large sponge.





Wash the car in a semi shaded area.


Rinse the car off completely with a hose end sprayer.


Fill the bucket with water and add car wash detergeant as spec'd


Immerse sponge in bucket and wash each panel thoroughly.


Rinse off each panel when done washing


Use the wheel brush to scrub the wheel grime off the rims and tires





When done, again rinse of the entire car.


Wet the chamois down so that it is damp and flexible. Wring it out.


Use the chamois to dry off the car. It will act as a kind of squeegee. Wring the chamois dry frequently.





When the car is clean and dry, wax it.





Apply wax with the supplied applicator to one panel at a time. Let it dry to a haze. When dry, take a large white terry towel and buff off the haze.





You are done and your car will look great.





I personally prefer Meguiers wash and wax products, they are very high quality and easy to use.





AstrobufHow do you wash a car by hand?
Well, use a soft brush, you can use soap and water (dish soap is fine), and start from the top of the car and go to the bottom. to dry it, use a microfiber cloth. It should be no problem washing the top, it's made to be waterproof, so there should be no problem. if you want to wax the car, use turtlewax ice or some other product (can be found at Autozone). wash the windows with windex, unless the window's are tinted, then make sure that there is no ammonia in whatever you use
I always wash my cars manually during summer and fall and the quality is much better compared to automated ones.





You will need a long hose with an adjustable nozzle, a 5 gal. bucket to hold your light detergent solution, a soft sponge (preferably with a handle to reach the upper areas and some cotton rags.





First mist-spray the whole body to soften the dirt. Mix some small amount of detergent in a 4 gal. volume of water. Apply the detergent using the sponge in a circular motion, careful not to press firmly as dirt is abrasive. Leave the tires last as they are more dirty.





Now you are ready to rinse and remove the dirt by spraying with water, more water. Adjust the nozzle to increase the pressure and flow. Remember you need to remove the detergent as well. When done, dry with cotton rags. Presto, your car is clean and ready for waxing after about an hour of drying outside.
the way i do it is i get a bucket and fill it with soapy water, wet the car down and take a sponge and start on the roof first, rinse it off before it dries then do the same with the rest of the car.then i dry it.
water soap a rag cant get much easier





type into search box


how to hand wash a car
I agree with Astrobuf's answer, and I'll add a few comments:





Old 100% cotton terry towels are great, but don't use poly-cotton blends like old t-shirts because they can scratch. Wash the rags after you wash the car. Don't use a brush on the paint; brushes can trap sand and other debris that will scratch the clear coat as you drag the brush across the paint.





Don't use dish soap, as another user suggested. Use a product made for cars. I like to use a car wash soap that has wax included, so I get the protective layer of wax without having to wax in a separate step. Waxing your car when it's clean reduces the amount of dirt that sticks, so you can go longer between washes with a waxed car.





You might not want to use a product with wax on the fabric top, though. My truck has a tonneau cover, and the manual recommends not waxing it. Maybe your car's manual talks about washing the convertible top. You may need a brush to clean the fabric, and you might want to consider buying a product made specifically for convertible tops.





Order of washing: Start at the top of the car, which is the least dirty, and work your way down. There is a lot more road grime and dirt toward the bottom of the car, so you don't want to swipe the rag across that dirt and grime and then drag it across the hood where it will leave little scratches. Rinse frequently, keep the car wet, and rinse your rag frequently to avoid dragging dirt across the paint.
Some things to have are 2 wash mitts, 2 buckets, tire brush, a wheel cleaner safe for aluminum wheels if you car has them, a car washing soap (i prefer Meguiars products). Do not get car soap that is wash and wax in one, it doesnt work. Also get a good car wax, I prefer paste wax but you can use what you want. Commit one wash mitt and bucket to the top half of the car, The second for the lower half of the car and the wheels. Label the buckets with a sharpie so you dont get them mixed up. Also if you can lable the washmitts. I usually start with the wheels first. Most cleaners wont work as good if the wheels and tires are wet. Spray the cleaner on the wheels and wash the wheels with the mitt. Scrub the tires with the tire brush. Rinse wheel well first then rinse wheel and tire. I do one wheel at a time.


After your done with the wheels, dump the bucket that you washed the wheels with and make 2 new buckets of water, one for the top, one for everything below the door molding if you have one (half way down the door) That is where most of the dirt is going to be. Just wash top to bottom. Rinse frequently if it is hot outside, you dont want the soap to dry. Dry car with a chamois, i like the man made kind the work better for me. When the car is competely dry, start to wax. Apply a thin layer of wax, do small sections at a time. When the wax is dry buff with a soft terry cloth or soft cheese cloth. After waxing, clean windows with windex or another type of glass cleaner.


Sorry if i am long winded, just trying to help!!!