3 Mistakes People Make When Washing Their Car

G'day. Most of the swirls, scratches, and water spots I see didn't come from bad luck — they came from the wash. The good news? They're easy to avoid once you know what to look for. Here are three of the most common ones.

1. Washing in the sun, on hot paint

It feels harmless, but a hot panel dries the water and soap before you can rinse it off — and that leaves water spots and streaks that can actually etch into your clear coat over time. Your chemicals dry out and stop working properly, too.

The fix: wash in the shade, or early in the morning or late in the arvo when the paint's cool. Keep your panels wet as you work.

2. The one-bucket wash (and dish soap)

This is the big one. If you're dunking your mitt back into a single bucket of soapy water, you're picking up all the grit you just washed off and dragging it back across your paint. That's exactly how swirl marks are born. And dish soap? It strips off whatever wax or protection your paint had.

The fix: use the two- (or three-) bucket method with a proper pH-neutral car soap — one bucket to wash, one to rinse the grit off your mitt. It's the single biggest upgrade you can make. If you want the full process, I've written it all up in the three-bucket wash guide.

3. Drying it wrong

You did everything right, then dragged a rough old towel across the paint in circles — and you're straight back to swirl city. Letting it air-dry isn't the answer either; that's how you get water spots.

The fix: use a clean, plush microfibre drying towel, work in straight lines (never circles), and let the towel do the soaking — don't grind it in. A blow dryer works a treat if you've got one.

The bottom line

None of this is hard. Little changes in how you wash make a massive difference to how your paint looks and how long it lasts. Take your time, do it right, and your car will thank you.

Happy detailing.