We all like our cars to stay shiny and new-looking for as long as possible but, unfortunately, without some love and care, that won’t happen. Driving carefully and doing regular maintenance can help keep your car healthy but what about shiny and new? Many car owners will just take their vehicles to the carwash and be done with it, but why spend so much money each year for something that you can do easily yourself? A pressure washer allows you to clean your car to a professional standard at home without wasting too much of your time.
Pressure washers
Pressure washers are available in various models and at many price points. You can easily find a cost-effective one so buying a pressure washer will save you money on going to car washes in the long run. You might ask how does a pressure washer work? There are a lot of articles online that you can read about it.
So how do you set it up and use it? It is as easy as one, two, three… and here is how.
Set up!
First, make sure that you have all the parts of the pressure washer before you start to set it up. Next you will need to connect the electrical cord to a power source. Make sure that the cord is properly unwound and is not in water as this can be dangerous. It is best to have your hose connected to the mains water supply rather than to a tank, since not all pressure washers can draw water from tanks. Depending on the model of your pressure washer there may be a lance that connects to the hose. It is important to straighten the pressure washer hose so it does not have any wrinkles or kinks.
Adjust the nozzle
Adjust the nozzle correctly to the pressure washer hose. It is important to choose the correct nozzle as higher pressures can damage the car’s paintwork. A narrower nozzle will have higher pressure and will cover less area while a wider nozzle is better for covering a wider area with less pressure. A narrow nozzle will be better for cleaning tyres and stuck debris while a wider one is more suitable for an overall clean of your car.
Ready! Set! Wash!
Ready!
Time to start washing that car! First make sure to park the car over smooth, swept cement or concrete to avoid loose stones flying up and damaging the paint while washing the car. Next, test the nozzle away from the car and adjust the pressure to the desired setting. Give your car a once over with water and you are ready to wash.
Set!
Make sure you use a soap or detergent that is appropriate for use with pressure washers and is suitable for cars. It is not a good idea to use just any detergent you have at home as some can be damaging to the car’s paint finish. Apply the soap or detergent and leave it to work for between five and ten minutes, but be careful to not let it dry.
Wash!
Once your car is all nice and soapy and has soaked a bit in the soap/detergent it is time to rinse it off. Turn on that pressure washer again and rinse all the bubbles from your car.
As a final step, dry it and enjoy your clean and shiny car – just like the day you bought it from the showroom.
