Look, it’s Sunday morning. The sun is shining, you’ve got nothing on, and you decide it’s a good day to give your machine a bath. You go to the kitchen, grab the dish soap (yes, that green lemon one that strips off all the grease), fill a bucket of water, pick up an old sponge and start scrubbing the car.
STOP EVERYTHING. Drop the sponge and step away from the bucket.
If you’re doing this, you’re committing a crime against your car’s paintwork. Martin understands the intention is good, but kitchen products belong in the kitchen.
Here are the howlers most people commit washing the car at home, and what you have to do not to wreck your vehicle’s clear coat:
1. Dish Soap Is the Devil 🧴
Dish soap was designed to strip ingrained grease from frying pans and pots. It’s a super-aggressive product.
- The Mistake: If you use it on the car, it won’t just remove the dirt: it will strip away any protective wax the paint has, dry out and burn the door rubbers and leave the clear coat dull and completely exposed to UV rays.
- The Solution: Buy a car shampoo. A bottle costs the same as a lunch and lasts for months!
2. The Old Sponge (The Scratch Maker) 🧽
You know that giant yellow sponge you’ve had in the garage for three years? It’s time for the bin.
- The Mistake: Normal sponges trap sand and dust on their surface. When you run it over the paint, you’re basically sanding the car with grains of sand, creating those horrible circular scratches (the so-called swirl marks) that only show up in the sun.
- The Solution: Use a microfibre wash mitt. It absorbs dirt into the fibres, keeping the paint safe.
3. Washing in the Sun ☀️
It’s a roasting 35 degrees out and you reckon it’s the perfect weather to wash the car? Wrong.
- The Mistake: If you wash the car in direct sun, the water mixed with the shampoo will evaporate in seconds. The result? Your car will be covered in white stains and limescale water marks that are a nightmare to remove.
- The Solution: Always wash the car in the shade or at the end of the day, when the bodywork is cool.
4. Drying With "the Wind" 🌬️
- The Mistake: Washing the car and going for a motorway spin to "let it dry in the wind" is halfway to having it covered in dust and bugs again 5 minutes later.
- The Solution: Always keep a microfibre drying towel in the garage. You dry the car by hand in a flash and the shine is impeccable.
Want a Clean Car but No Patience for It?
If you read all this and thought: "Martin, I don’t even have a hose at home, let alone microfibre mitts and fancy XPTO shampoos", no problem at all.
Your car deserves to be sparkling clean, and we can take care of it without you lifting a finger. And the best time to do it is when you’re travelling!
When you head off to catch your next flight, take the car to the airport and hand the keys to the Multipark team. We park your machine in our secure Valet Parking service. While you’re away, exploring Europe or lying on a beach in Asia, request our Car Wash extra service.
Our team uses the best products (we promise no dish soap is involved!) to clean the inside and outside of your car.
You land back in Portugal, and your car is waiting for you at the terminal door, not only rested but shining as if it had just left the dealer.
Save the clear coat and save yourself the work. Run the simulation and book your spot on the Multipark website and leave the cleaning to us!
