[PRESENTED BY ARMOR ALL]

It could be shuttling the kids back and forth from their activities and pursuits or the time and patience invested in going on a road trip vacation.
If you are going to wash your car, you want to do it right. This isn’t a matter of hosing the car down and giving it a quick scrub. ArmorAll offers the following tips for washing a car properly:

GETTING STARTED

·  Pick the right spot. If possible, pick a cool, shady place in the driveway for washing the car. This will reduce streaks and water spots.

·  Soak it. To wash the car, you first have to wet the car. Using a strong stream, hose the car down, knocking off any chunks of dirt and getting it ready for its treatment.

EXTERIOR WASH

·  Use two buckets. In the first bucket, pour warm water in a bucket, and add the right amount of car wash detergent. (PRO TIP: Do not use regular dish or household soap, as this will damage your car’s clear coat.) In the second, pour clean, warm water. Using a soft sponge or car wash mitt, get water from the soapy bucket and use circular motions to clean the car. Rinse the sponge or mitt in the clean water to get rid of excess dirt before going back into the soap solution.

·  Go from the top, down. Most road grit is going to accumulate on the bottom of your car. Starting in these messy areas risks dragging the dirt and mud up to other parts of the car. Start the wash at the top of the car, and then work your way down to the bottom. Using a chamois or terrycloth, buff the car’s surfaces to prevent water spots.

·  Don’t forget the wheels. Between dirt, mud, slush, puddles and brake dust, the tires and rims of a car take a beating. A tire treatment will restore a showroom gloss to the rubber and rims while also protecting them against damage from the harsh conditions on the road. Armor All’s Quicksilver Tire & Rim Cleaner makes it easy. Simply spray it on before you wet the car down, let is soak for five minutes and then spray it off with a strong blast from your hose.

·  Give it a showroom shine. Once the car is clean, get to applying a protective coat of wax. Take your pick from a paste, liquid or spray and give the car a good coating for a high-gloss shine.

INTERIOR CLEAN

·  Clean and protect interior surfaces. Constant exposure to sunlight is damaging to your interior — plastic, vinyl or rubber-like surfaces like the dashboard can crack under intense sunlight and heat. A specially formulated protectant penetrates the surface of the dashboard, providing a beautiful shine while also adding a layer of protection against harmful UV rays. Protectants are available in traditional sprays, or handy wipe pouches you can take with you on the go.

·  Spruce up the upholstery. Between the seats and the carpets, there is a lot of cloth in a car’s interior. Start with a good vacuuming of the interior surfaces and then treat with an upholstery shampoo to tackle the ground in dirt and stains.

·  Preserve the leather. If you have leather surfaces in your car, you want to provide these with special care. A protectant designed specifically for leather will give the leather a deep clean while conditioning and protecting it against wear and tear.

·  Keep it fresh. Now that it’s clean, you want it to smell clean. New Armor All and Essential Blends air fresheners — either in vent clip or hanging diffuser formats — will combat odours and keep Dad’s car smelling fresh. The Essential Blends line comes with the added benefit of  stress-relieving fragrances from essential oils.

KEEP IT CLEAN

·  Give Dad the right tools. Once you have finished, make sure your Dad’s Father’s Day is complete with the tools to help keep his car clean. Complete car wash gift packs are available at Walmart and Canadian Tire.

·  Clean, shine and protect anywhere. A bucket and hose is great if you are at home, but you don’t need to be in your driveway to keep your car looking clean and shiny. Supply Dad with the family of handy Armor All wipes, enabling to him to clean his car anywhere without the need of a hose and bucket. Add in glass and GPS wipes, protectant wipes, a tire and trim sponge, rim cleaning wipes and wax wipes, and he will have all he needs to keep his car looking top notch no matter where he is.

For more information, please visit armorall.ca. Get all the latest updates by following Armor All® on Facebook and watching its videos on YouTube.