How Often Should You Wash Your Car?

There are two types of car owners: one that refuses to have a speck of dirt on their car, and the other that doesn’t wash their car until a stranger writes “WASH ME” in the dirt of their window! Neither of these extremes are ideal, or necessary. As a matter of fact, there is a happy-medium of how often you should wash your car, and it depends on a few different factors. Cleaning your car regularly will not only make your vehicle aesthetically pleasing but will also help prevent any permanent damage that could decrease its value. Let’s go over the most important factors you should consider when deciding how often you should wash your car!

Where do you live?

Do you live in an urban area or city? Near the ocean? Or maybe in a wooded area with lots of trees, insects and birds? If you live in any of these areas you should consider washing your car often, preferably every other week. How can living in these areas damage your car you ask? Well…

• Urban areas are often full of pollution and contaminated air. These pollutants can be damaging enough on their own, but when they mix with natural elements like rain, bug splatters and bird droppings they can cause even more damage like rust and paint corrosion.
• Ocean water can damage your car the same way road salt does in the winter. The high amount of salt in seawater will not only corrode paint but will also cause your car’s undercarriage to rust which can cause serious damage that will cost big bucks to fix.
• Living in a wooded area can expose your car to many contaminants like tree sap, bird droppings and bug splatters. If any of these things are left on your car’s surface for a long period of time they can stain and cause discoloration.

What’s the climate like?

Climate plays a huge factor in how often you should wash your car. If you’re from the New England area you know that throughout the year we experience a wide range of climates. We get the coldest snow, sleet and ice in the winter, as well as the sweltering heat of the summer.  So just like the weather changes throughout the year, the way you wash your car should as well.

• Keeping your car clean throughout the winter months is very important. Road salt, snow and moisture can easily cause rust, and once rust begins to form on your car its hard to stop. Professionals suggest washing your car at least every other week in the winter to prevent this from happening.
• Heat can speed up the damage that contaminants like bird droppings and bug splatters can cause. When the heat combines with these things it doesn’t take long for them to stick onto your car like glue, making it very difficult to get off. If you live in a hot climate and find that your car often has bug splatters and bird droppings on it, you should try to wash your car once a week. If bug splatters and bird droppings are moderate, then you can get away with washing your car every other week.

Storage

Where do you store your car when you’re not using it? Parking your car in a garage is obviously the best way to protect it from the elements and will also warrant for less washing. If your car is in a garage most of the time you can get away with washing your car twice or even once a month. If you park your car outside, then you will need to wash your car more frequently. At least every other week, or if possible every week. You should obviously take into account the climate as well.

By now you’re probably tired of hearing all the different things that can damage your car and just want one solid answer of how often you should wash your car. The general rule of thumb is every other week. Washing your car every other week is fairly easy to keep up with and is enough to prevent any serious damage. However, we highly recommend weekly washes during warm weather. Heat does more damage than good to vehicles, if you’d like to learn more about how to protect your car in the heat please read our blog post How to Protect Your Car Interior This Summer.

Bi-weekly and weekly washing may seem like a lot, but you can save money by purchasing one of our wash books! Purchase one here or give us a call at 603-964-7291 to learn more!