Cleaning the tires is a crucial element of detailing your car. Tires can be given extra care while washing the car. Improving your car’s aesthetics is as simple as giving the tires a thorough washing. It can also lengthen the tires’ useful life. This is why it’s important to dedicate some time to caring for your car’s tires and to investing in the proper cleaning supplies.
Tire cleaning is not a simple task for most people. If you have no idea how to clean your automobile tires, here are some things you should and should not do.
DOs for car tire cleaning
- Use specially designed cleaner for tires
You could be forgiven for assuming that the same soap or detergent you use to wash your automobile could also be used to clean the tires. However, that is not the correct method for cleaning a tire. The car cleaning soap or detergent is not suitable for tires, and that may harm your car tires and limit their lifespan.
To that end, it’s recommended that you seek for tire-specific cleansers. As long as you follow the manufacturer’s application directions, car tire cleaner can be safely used on your vehicle’s tires. Make sure the cleaner is safe for both the tire and the wheel before using it. If the cleaner you have bought is not appropriate for wheels, then you should avoid applying that cleaner to the wheels. The paint on your automobile could be harmed if you use this cleaner on it, so please keep that in mind.
- Scrub using a hard brush
If the dirt on your automobile tires turns brown, you can remove it with a stiff brush. When cleaning tires, a rough bristle brush is fine to use because it effectively cleans without damaging the tire. However, a steel brush could potentially puncture the rubber, causing air to escape.
- Wash the tire using a hose
After washing the tire, you can rinse it off with a hose. You can also properly clean your automobile tire by using a high-pressure hose to flush out the grime. To avoid injury, always follow all safety procedures before utilizing a high-pressure hose to clean a tire.
- Use tire gel
Tire gel can be used to restore the brown tires to their natural color. Spread the gel evenly across the tire with a sponge. To prevent the gel from drying on the tire after application, you can wash the tire before moving on to the next one.
- Use tire dressing or coat
If your tires have lost their luster, a tire dressing or coating can restore their former appearance. Instead of using a silicone-based tire dressing, you can get better results with one that is water-based. The best way to efficiently dress your automobile tires is to follow the manufacturer’s directions after you’ve acquired the appropriate dressing. Tire dressing can be applied with a sponge and left to dry before driving.
Tire coatings are also available to shield wheels from the elements. Coating your tires with this stuff can provide your car an extra layer of protection that will last for months. As with tire dressing, a sponge can be used to apply tire coating. A tire dressing or coating, whichever you like, will do the trick.
Don’ts for car tire cleaning
- Apply the tire cleaner on the paint or wheels
Tire cleaners target the grime that accumulates on wheels. Applying it on your car’s wheels or paint might potentially ruin them or ruin the car’s appearance. The chemicals in the tire cleaner can also strip the wheel’s paint and protective coatings.
You can, however, clean your wheels with a tire cleaner if that particular product is designed for that purpose. However, tire cleaning should never be used on a painting.
- Use normal soap or acid-added tire cleaner
The wheels and tires could be harmed if an acidic tire cleaner is used to clean them. The wheel’s coverings can be stripped away by acid. This is why it’s important to seek out a tire cleaner that doesn’t include any acids.
Using dish soap or laundry detergent on a car tire is also a bad idea. You shouldn’t use this soap to wash your automobile tires because it’s not designed for that purpose.
- Use clean water for scrubbing the tire surface
To avoid damaging the tire’s protective layers, never use clean water to scour the tire’s surface. If the tire is drenched with clean water before you begin scrubbing it with a hard brush, the bristles of the brush may become caught on the tire surface and prevent you from achieving a thorough cleaning.
Using soapy water or lubrication to scrape the tire is an efficient method. When applied to a tire, these substances can make the surface smooth, making cleaning much simpler.
- Use a steel brush for scrubbing the tire
You can use a hard brush to remove the stubborn dirt from the tire, but a steel brush is not the appropriate tool for the job. If you rub the surface of the tire with a steel brush, you run the risk of causing damage to the tire as well as a loss of air pressure.
- Cleaning the wheels at a time
You unquestionably require additional time to thoroughly clean all four wheels of your vehicle. Even if you could polish the wheels faster if you did it all at once, you probably wouldn’t. Also, if you wash all four tires at once, the soap and water may dry by the time you get back to the second to last tire. That could add time to the cleaning process. Another potential drawback of this method of tire cleaning is that you could become groggy when scrubbing the wheels. That’s why it’s important to finish cleaning one wheel before moving on to the next.
Conclusion
When you know a few methods, washing your automobile is a breeze. In addition, if you clean your automobile properly, it will look much better. But cleaning the wheels of a car isn’t a simple task, and few people enjoy doing it.
However, if you stick to the do’s and don’ts outlined below, you should be able to have your automobile tire clean in no time. When you stick to these tips, your automobile tires will last noticeably longer.
