Having a clean car is essential if you want to help your paintwork looking good for longer as it can help prevent corrosion and rust.
With the spring well and truly here, many of us will be wanting to get rid of our car cobwebs from the winter, but with the cost of living crisis tightening the pursestrings, many will be opting to wash our vehicles at home.
With professional cleaning costing up to £200, according to NimbleFins, this is a great way of limiting spends. However, when it comes to deciding which cleaning products to use, car experts have said we need to be careful about doing more harm than good.
According to car experts Leasing Options one of the most common mistakes when washing cars is using glass cleaners, a staple in any kitchen or bathroom, which can cause window tint to peel.
While you may assume that regular cleaning sprays work for any windows, the ammonia they often contain can break down any tint, and cause it to peel, if used regularly.
Also, if these types of cleaners are sprayed onto acrylic side mirrors, it can cause the material to yellow over time. Instead, they recommend investing in a specially formulated glass cleaner.
Mike Thompson, Chief Operating Officer at Leasing Options added: "There's no better time to rid your car of winter dirt than at the start of spring. With the cost of living crisis pushing prices up across the UK, many drivers will be opting to detail their cars at home this year.
"However, it's important to be aware of common practices that could be either reducing the effectiveness of your cleaning or worse, damage your vehicle's paintwork."
There are several other things that could end up damaging your car too, including using washing up liquid, which could end up "eating away" at your wax.
Mr Thompson added: "Degreasing dishwashing products are designed to strip food and stubborn oils from your kitchen crockery to get them clean, so it's no wonder that you may think dishwashing products like Fairy Liquid would be perfect for washing your vehicle."
Do you clean your car at home? Let us know in the comment section below.
