Car-washing 101

The car wash is one of the most iconic symbols of winter's passing. Neighbours spray down their cars in the driveway, volunteers post homemade signs announcing fund-raising car washes, and the conveyor belt carries a steady stream of vehicles at your local car wash.

Professional car washes
Although you may associate car washes with spring and summer, you actually need them the most during the winter. Salt damages a car's exterior, and it's difficult wash the under-carriage of your car properly at home.

Seven steps to washing your car at home
If you prefer washing your car at home, Thorsby provides these easy steps:

Step 1: Rinse with warm water
Step 2: Apply detergent
Step 3: Let it sit for a few minutes
Step 4: Scrub with a car-wash brush
Step 5: Rinse
Step 6: Dry with a microfibre cloth
Step 7: Add a little wax to make it shine

Tip: Wash your car from the top down so the dirty water won't run down the portions of the car that are already clean.

Drawback: It is more time-consuming and labour-intensive to wash your car at home. Coin-operated car washes take between seven and 12 minutes, Thorsby says. The stationary automatic washes (where the washing machine moves over your car) take between 12 and 15 minutes, and the standard conveyor-belt car wash takes between six and 20 minutes.