How often do you go to the car wash?

[onetruething]

I recently got a new (to me) car and I really want to keep it nice. I drove by the car wash yesterday and the sign said people should wash their cars weekly because of the salt on the roads.

So how often do you go to the car wash?

Any other tips for keeping your car clean and nice looking?

[notoriousmeg]

We generally go once per month, but we live in a city, rarely use our car during the week, and keep it in a garage.

[sofamonkey]

Like once a year, give or take. LOL

[melmel48]

When I think about it. I used to wash my cars all the time and detail them when I lived at home and had access to a hose/water. I do not have that now, so I wash my car less often. 

[circa1978]

Rarely. Maybe twice a year? I do wash them and detail them at home a few times a year. Our winters tend to be mild for the Midwest though, so not a lot of salt most years.

ETA: my big tip is don't allow anyone to eat in the car. I actually rarely eat in my own car but DS no way.

[macmars45]

When we lived in the Seattle area we let the rain wash my car. However, when we bought our car we paid up front for car maintenance and they always washed our car before we picked it up.

Now that We've been in central eastern WA for 6 months, it's been washed 1x. We do park in a garage though.

[Susie]

Almost never? I am not good about this.

[gummybear]

Hardly ever. I know the whole point is to keep salt off your car bc it damages it but it feels like such an exercise in futility, because as soon as the roads get wet again it kicks up the salt even if there’s no snow.

[penguingrrl]

Not nearly as often as I should. Although my new car is black and it looking dirty annoys me, so that may get me there more often. But probably not.

[Jalapeñomel]

After it snows in the winter, and then probably once a month in the summer.

[lavender444]

We have a membership to a car wash place that let's us wash once a day for $25 a month. So over winter, when they're using mag chloride on the roads I wash several times a week. The rest of the time its only when the cars look dirty enough to bug me.

[laterz]

Usually weekly in the winter because i live in Chicago and I don't want salt/slush/grime on ME if my coat brushes against the car. And I just like the look of a freshly cleaned car.

[joy]

Not often. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Cars are outside. They are designed to be outside. That’s not to say they should look like crap but I also thinking expecting them to look pristine is - as gummybear said - an exercise in futility.

My husband from Buffalo would wash his car every other day, if possible, in the winter. Salt does damage your paint job and there was always so much growing up so I get his ingrained logic. They have car washes up there designed and priced for that kind of dedication.

[dexteroni]

Normally, every couple months. But since the pandemic, I think I've gone twice, since we're hardly going anywhere.

[SusanBAnthony]

Cars have much better coatings and much better alloys in the places Al is used (a lot isn't even Al anymore). You used to legit rust through the floor of a car. Now Ecoat coatings allows ever nook and cranny to get coated and corrosion is really not an issue on the bottom of the car.

I wash maybe 3-4 times a year. My last car I kept until it was 17 years old and had two or three tiny rust spots due to me damaging the paint. No rust with intact paint. Frequent car washes wouldn't have made a bit of difference in those spots rusting.

Additionally of you have very high salt concentrations corrosion actually slows down and stops. You need low to moderate salt concentration. So you best best may be to let your car get completely crusted is salt, haha.

^^ I work on corrosion stuff at my job.

[Deleted]

The general recommendation is once every two weeks, but I find it's really how the car is stored depends on the time needed. For example if you live in a development that is still under development, or park the car under sappy trees 2 weeks is a good idea.

If your car is garage stored, or the development is complete, I find once a month is fine.

Not sure about anyone else here, but I prefer a hand car wash over the drive through.

[tripleshot]

Maybe twice a year and both in the winter.

[VillainV]

In CO in the winter we would wash every few weeks in the winter. Now that we’re in FL we only go through the car wash a few times a year.

[isabel]

Only when it’s so dirty that I feel bothered, which isn’t often. DH probably gets it washed 2-3 times a year for me. I might do it once or twice beyond that. I’m honestly not sure that I washed my car a single time between March and the end of the year, but I also drove my car very minimally since I am working from home.

[steamboat185]

Mine- never. DH’s maybe 3-4 times a year. Either when it’s super filthy or when we need an activity for the kids. It just seems like one of those pointless activities- I know my car will get dirty again almost immediately.

[Dumbledork]

Jan 2, 2021 10:44:23 GMT -5 @princesslily said:

The general recommendation is once every two weeks, but I find it's really how the car is stored depends on the time needed. For example if you live in a development that is still under development, or park the car under sappy trees 2 weeks is a good idea.

If your car is garage stored, or the development is complete, I find once a month is fine.

Not sure about anyone else here, but I prefer a hand car wash over the drive through.

Aren’t car washes much more eco-friendly than hand washing?

[W.T.Faulkner]

Less than once a year. lol

[kooshball]

Never. I’m told it’s bad for the paint and we have a ceramic coating on it which is not car wash safe either. It goes handwashed several times a year instead.

[VillainV]

Jan 2, 2021 12:35:19 GMT -5 Dumbledork said:

Jan 2, 2021 10:44:23 GMT -5 @princesslily said:

The general recommendation is once every two weeks, but I find it's really how the car is stored depends on the time needed. For example if you live in a development that is still under development, or park the car under sappy trees 2 weeks is a good idea.

If your car is garage stored, or the development is complete, I find once a month is fine.

Not sure about anyone else here, but I prefer a hand car wash over the drive through.

Aren’t car washes much more eco-friendly than hand washing?

Short answer: it depends. Most newer car washes recycle the water so they’re not using very much. Older car washes can use a LOT, and if they don’t manage the runoff then the chemicals can cause environmental issues.

If you wash at home using a bucket and hose with sprayer, you can easily wash a car with less than ten gallons of water (maybe even two cars with ten gallons depending on how big the car is). Or if you leave the hose running and overdo it you could double that or more.

ETA: slate.com/technology/2009/06/how-to-wash-your-car-without-dirtying-the-planet.html

[Deleted]

About every other week, or whenever the dust and dirt start to bug me. I also keep a Swiffer duster, a rag, and Armorall in my glove box. I like a clean car!

[bugandbibs]

1-2x a year drive thru and maybe another 1-2 year by hand. Salt isn’t an issue here, but you can get stuff growing on the windows by the seals because of the moisture and you need to get it off or the windows can potentially leak.

[bugandbibs]

Jan 2, 2021 13:24:43 GMT -5 @peep said:

About every other week, or whenever the dust and dirt start to bug me. I also keep a Swiffer duster, a rag, and Armorall in my glove box. I like a clean car!

Yeah, I clean the inside of my car weekly in normal times. Since I only go into work once a week right now, I have let it slide a little but I can’t stand dust on the dashboard.

[Dumbledork]

Jan 2, 2021 13:24:17 GMT -5 VillainV said:

Jan 2, 2021 12:35:19 GMT -5 Dumbledork said:

Aren’t car washes much more eco-friendly than hand washing?

Short answer: it depends. Most newer car washes recycle the water so they’re not using very much. Older car washes can use a LOT, and if they don’t manage the runoff then the chemicals can cause environmental issues.

If you wash at home using a bucket and hose with sprayer, you can easily wash a car with less than ten gallons of water (maybe even two cars with ten gallons depending on how big the car is). Or if you leave the hose running and overdo it you could double that or more.

ETA: slate.com/technology/2009/06/how-to-wash-your-car-without-dirtying-the-planet.html

Gotcha.

I think I was told the runoff from hand washing was the big cause of concern.

[flex]

Depending on the weather report, once a month. If I make a trip to the coast, I have it washed after my return due to the salt air and seagulls.

[eb777888]

When I see that it's dirty. Sometimes I can go quite awhile and it still looks great, sometimes I've taken it in twice in one month (that's very frequent for me). It just depends! I don't have a schedule, but I don't really need one. I just eyeball it.