When we go to the nearest auto parts store, we could find many car care products. There are so many waxes, polishes and cleaners that we could be overwhelmed by their sheer number. It would be almost impossible to define the best products of them. In fact, telling the difference between them, other than their brands and package colors, would be quite challenging. In this case, we should make sure that the product surely works. In fact wrong products could potentially ruin our cars. In general, car care products have different categories, such as cleaners, polishes and protectors.
Car wash
A good car wash product should be no more than a gentle soap that can effectively clean the outer part of our car. The product is in liquid form that can be mixed with water very quickly. It shouldn’t contain detergent, because the wax protection layer will dissolve. It means that we shouldn’t use the dish washing liquid when washing car.
We may need to ask other car owners about the best type of car wash product. However, we should know that a car wash product could behave somewhat differently in our area, depending on the local water quality. Presence of minerals could alter the performance of car wash products.
Tire and wheel cleaners
Unlike car wash products, cleaners for wheel and tire actual contain enough detergent to cut through the road grunge film and old tire dressing. However, we may avoid products that contain bleach or various petrochemicals ingredients, because they can cause tires and fine allow wheels to age prematurely. When cleaning the wheels, we should use all purpose cleaner. Unless we have chrome wheels., it is a bad idea to use acidic cleaner. Using acid cleaners can be risky without proper instructions, because the wheel can be damaged by constant acid exposure.
Engine and Undercarriage Cleaners
People often don’t clean engines. However, we may need to do that to reduce corrosion. We don’t need to do this too often, but once a year should be enough. After a year of usage, we will find enough grime, oil, grease and dirt accumulate on the engine, so we will need cleaners with strong ingredients.
Unfortunately, products with strong chemicals may represent environmental hazard, so they may not be available in local stores due to specific restrictions. It is preferable to use detergent-based cleaner. It should do a good job cleaning the exterior of our engine.
Leather and Vinyl Cleaner
These cleaners are essential when we want to improve the car interior. Leather and vinyl are very durable material, but, body oil, dirt and sun will cause progressive deterioration. Skin oil may cause discoloration on leather and vinyl. Frequent light cleaning could be needed to avoid problems. We should be aware that some types of vinyl do feel like a leather, so we should ask the car manufacturer or previous owner about the type of material used.
Upholstery and Carpet Cleaners
For cleaning upholstery and carpet inside our car, we may need cleaners in the form of foams and sprays. Foams should do well in pushing dirt out. The next step would be to vacuum the dust. The fabric and carpet should also dry faster, because there’s less liquid that seeps into the fibers.