Every car needs care and attention. This also includes body washing and polishing. This is necessary not only to create an external gloss, but also to extend the life of the paintwork. Constantly using the services of professional car washes is ruinous for the family budget, especially if you have the opportunity to wash your car yourself.
This is where the first question comes in. How to achieve the same result that professionals manage to achieve? You have to spend a lot of time to remove stains, drips and other unpleasant phenomena from the surface of the car. Professionals have several secrets that allow them to achieve high results in a short time. One of these secrets is choosing the right cloth for your car. Moreover, for each of the processes of creating an external gloss, a special rag is required.
Sponges, napkins and rags for car washing
There is still debate as to what is better to use for washing a car: rags or sponges, or maybe it’s even worth choosing napkins. Experts' opinions were divided. Some of them prefer sponges, others prefer rags. One thing is for sure: you need to buy these consumables only in specialized automotive stores.
- Sponges are great for washing vehicles. Durable foam rubber is used for their manufacture; it has large pores, demonstrates high absorbency and copes well with dirt. Due to the large pores, the sponge retains small abrasive debris (dust, sand), which does not scratch the surface.
- The cloth for washing the car must be special. Ordinary rags leave micro-scratches on the body that are initially invisible, but in the future they cause a lot of trouble. In addition, washing rags will not allow you to get a perfect, streak-free surface. Rags have a number of negative aspects that appear when compared with sponges:
- low ability to absorb water;
- ability to retain abrasives on the surface.
As you can see for yourself, rags are not the best option, especially if you have the opportunity to purchase a sponge. Motorists are offered another option with which to wash their car - napkins.
- Napkins are an expensive option, which is chosen by especially responsible and caring drivers. A suede car wash cloth works best. Other materials are not as effective.
We figured out which rag is best to wash the car with, but after washing the surface needs to be wiped, and for this we need other materials.
Cloth for car care for mirrors and headlights XizeHOM (10 pcs, 18*15 cm)
Price: from 278.32 rub. (check price and discount)
Seller's reliability: excellent!
Delivery within Russia: free!
Grab a universal napkin for wiping mirrors and glass of not only cars, but also electronics. The set contains 10 excellent rags in individual packaging with an unusual texture. The size of the product is 18*15 cm. It turned out to be a great assistant - the car windows shine!
Perhaps this is the best napkin for glass and mirrors on Aliexpress.
Good rags, individually packaged, fast delivery.
cute personification of evil
Delivered in 14 days. Good napkins, bag included. Thanks to the seller!
CMeTaHy_EM
Everything is fine, good microfiber, very well packaged, each rag is in its own package, you can store it this way to avoid dust until the day you need to unpack it.
bublik
View on AliExpress:
High-quality wipes and cloths for car polishing
An equally important procedure is polishing. A large number of special products are produced for this purpose. We have already talked about choosing a polish in one of the topics. All that remains is to figure out which rag is best to polish the car. There are a number of requirements for such napkins:
- thin fibers cope better with the task;
- the absence of lint is a prerequisite, since the separated pieces of thread will mix with the polishing material and reduce the efficiency of work;
- lint can turn into an abrasive that will damage the protective layer of the car.
In appearance, polishing cloths are not much different from each other, but there are still differences between them. They consist of the material that is used to create rags and napkins.
- Microfiber is great for polishing. Such napkins perfectly absorb moisture, effectively cope with stains and do not leave lint behind. Polyester and polyamide are used to produce microfiber car polishing cloth.
- Cotton and wool (flannel, flannel) are only suitable for applying polish and pre-rubbing it.
- Felt is great for polishing the body. It can replace more expensive napkins.
- Rags in the form of a mitten are more expensive, but they are more convenient to work with. It takes less time to polish with such a tool. They are created from different materials: microfiber, polyester, even faux fur.
Why do you need car body polishing?
Some types of polishes do not require tools at all to apply them to the car body, for example, liquid glass. Such compositions are usually sold complete with special napkins that are ideal for this material.
A soft, lint-free rag or napkins serve not only for auxiliary purposes, but in some cases can completely replace a polishing machine.
When a car comes off the assembly line or leaves the paint bay of a service center, its external coating is close to ideal. Intensive use of a vehicle leads to the fact that, under the influence of various external factors, the paintwork gradually begins to lose its original properties. Storing a car outside, chemicals on the roads and many other factors accelerate the destruction process. It loses its chic appearance, becoming covered with small scratches, chips, abrasions and faded spots.
Many people think that the main task of polishing a vehicle is to return it to its original shine. This is, of course, important, but, losing its presentation, the paintwork not only becomes inconspicuous, but also ceases to fulfill its main function - protecting the body from corrosion. Therefore, if you do not take care of the car, then not only its external characteristics will suffer, but it itself will quickly become unusable, rusting literally before our eyes.
Without regular polishing, the vehicle will quickly require painting, which will cost significantly more. Even winter boots without proper care fall apart quickly, so what can we say about an immeasurably more complex item. Frequent visits to a car repair shop, of course, have a beneficial effect on the technical condition and appearance of the car, but it very significantly empties the contents of wallets. Therefore, many car enthusiasts prefer to carry out at least part of the work in garage conditions with their own hands. If you prepare for them appropriately and gain experience, the result will be no worse than that of professionals from a car service center.
Until recently, the main device for polishing a car was rags - various scraps from old, worn-out clothing. Now special napkins are sold for these purposes. They are made of material specially selected for polishing, and therefore it is no longer necessary to tear apart your favorite flannelette shirt, which has served faithfully for decades.
If a car runs 20 thousand kilometers in a year, then it is worth taking care of the condition of its paintwork at least once every six months. This will be quite enough to protect the vehicle from external influences and maintain its appearance in excellent condition.
It is very important that polishing precedes the start of the winter season. This allows you to protect your car from the effects of temperature changes and chemical reagents that are abundantly poured and poured onto city roads.
With an annual mileage of 50 thousand kilometers, polishing is recommended every three months. It should be noted that ordinary polishes do not withstand regular washing with chemically active shampoos, so the regularity of polishing will also depend on how often the car is dirty.
Natural options
There is no secret here, there are only two of them:
1) These are fabric options consisting of cotton with the addition of wool. They are very rare, but they do occur, I have seen them myself. The disadvantages include poor cleaning of the surface until a dry rag really leaves no streaks. But as soon as it gains moisture, they appear on the entire surface. The only plus is that these options are the cheapest.
2) Made from genuine suede (suede leather) . Such options are durable, wipe the body quite well, because they absorb excess moisture. However, such rags have a big disadvantage: they dry out very much, after which they can crack and collapse, and therefore it is better to always keep them damp. In a special tube.
Artificial options
It should be noted that now there are many types of them, from very cheap to really expensive and high quality. Personally, I have two such rags, one was bought by me, the second was given to me as a birthday present, because I myself would not have bought it (it is very expensive, about 1000 rubles).
1) Cheap rag . Also sold in a tube, it is advisable to keep it moist. Consists of rubberized - foam material.
They remove moisture well, but with stains, not everything is so perfect. If you get used to it, there may be no streaks left, but it is not always possible to remove it the first time. Quite “tenacious”; if it dries, it becomes hard; as soon as it gets wet, it returns to its working condition. A small minus is that it is not resistant to mechanical damage, even minimal damage; as soon as you “touch” it, the foam layer begins to come off, and if you rub the surface too hard, it can leave small hairs—fibers.
It is not expensive (the cheapest of all, from 100 to 200 rubles), sold in yellow tubes in almost all auto stores, as well as in any supermarket.
2) Perforated cloth . Almost the same as the first option, however, it has small perforations (holes on the surface). It's even more foamy. To be honest, drying it out just kills it (it crumbles), meaning it always needs to be kept wet. Therefore, you need to think about your purchase.
3) Faux suede . This is the best option for a car; they are made of 100% polyvinyl.
when drying, it does not deform - it does not dry out, just wet it and it is ready for use again. It wipes better than anyone else; stains really don’t remain on the car body or windows.
One disadvantage, which I already wrote about, is the high price of this device. Personally, I would think several times before buying the option for 1000 rubles; you can buy five regular ones.
Of course, there are also synthetic fabric options, which also cost a penny, but they don’t wipe the body as effectively, and stains are still noticeable. Therefore, I will not advise them to you.
Now let’s take a look at a short video comparing two of my car rags.
That's all, buy it correctly, then they will serve you for a very long time.
Read our AUTOBLOG, subscribe to our groups.
( 15 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)
What is the best way to wipe your car after washing?
The car must be dried after washing. If you do not do this, the entire surface will be covered with stains, water marks and stains. For these purposes, you cannot use materials that were used for washing. You must have consumables for wiping your car.
A rag for wiping a car after washing is available in a huge assortment. This amount makes your eyes wide open, so you need to go to the store prepared. This entire number of rags is divided into two groups, depending on the material from which they are made.
- Natural rags can be fabric or suede. For the first, cotton and wool are used. Finding them can be difficult, but, as they say, if you have the desire. Such rags only remove stains well when dry. When they are saturated with water, the effect is significantly reduced. The cost is low, which pleases and seduces many car owners. Natural suede is expensive and not everyone can afford it. But such rags last for a long time, they are very effective in combating water on the body. The suede rag should not dry out, as it may crack, which will negatively affect its functionality. For storage you need to use a tube, and the rag itself should always be slightly damp.
- Artificial materials are presented in a huge range. You can choose an affordable option or stay with an expensive one. Their durability and properties will be appropriate. We have identified several main options that will help you navigate this assortment:
- Cheap consumables are made from rubberized, foam material. They absorb moisture well, but you have to work hard to get rid of stains. Few people manage to achieve the desired result the first time. But if you gain experience and dexterity, then even with such a budget option you can achieve the desired result in a short time.
- Perforated is characterized by greater foaming. Does not tolerate complete drying, much less drying out. As a result, it crumbles and becomes completely unusable.
- Artificial suede is the best option offered to the modern motorist. To create such instruments, 100% polyvinyl is used. Such rags can be stored dry, while their properties remain unchanged. It copes better with remaining water than other options, and leaves no streaks on either metal or glass. Such rags cost a lot, this is their main drawback. Few people can afford to spend more than a thousand rubles on it. But she's definitely worth it.
