Supplies and recommendations:

These products are recommended. I’ve stripped this down to the minimum needed for at-home upkeep. These are professional products chosen for their cost-effectiveness, quality, and availability/compliance of safety data sheets from the manufacturer. I recommend avoiding flashy, social media and marketing driven brands, and buzzwords. Ceramic coatings and other "ceramic" products are costly, have safety considerations, and provide little benefit that regular cleaning and maintenance wouldn't. While I do opt to apply a SiO2 product professionally, it is more expensive, is risky to apply in direct sunlight, and requires PPE to be worn. Meguiars and Griot's detailing products are generally quality choices in common retail stores if ordering online isn’t an option. These links ARE affilate links and purchasing from them assists me. I truly use and recommend these specific products. I appreciate your support!

3D 202 Pink Soap (PH balanced, no unwanted gloss agents, waxes, or fillers): https://amzn.to/3lSawgO

P&S Acid-Free Wheel Cleaner: https://amzn.to/3ZqOgbm

Meguiars Ultimate Quik Detailer: https://amzn.to/3o2iG7q

P&S Xpress Interior Detailer: https://amzn.to/40sYwl4

Invisible Glass: https://amzn.to/3zfT4Wz

Microfiber towels: https://amzn.to/3wFkKGH

Grit guard for buckets: https://amzn.to/3svvWUr

Clean 5-6 gallon bucket (I prefer white food-safe buckets from the orange or blue hardware store, they show dirt better than other color buckets and are often more durable)

About dust and dusters:

Never clean or “dust” your vehicle with a dry towel or “cali” duster. Always use a lubricant like soap and water, a waterless wash or even detail spray when touching up trouble spots. Using a dry cloth or duster on paint will create fine swirl marks and scratches, sometimes referred to as “love marks”. Dust and dirt can be very hard compared to your paint surface. Picking up, wiping, or dusting off a vehicle with a dry product WILL create scratches and swirls.

During driving months, I recommend doing a hand wash at least monthly. Spot treat any bird droppings or other contaminates immediately with spray detailer and a clean microfiber. Daily drivers may need more frequent rinsing or washing. Washing your car will not damage your paint, if you follow safe washing practices outlined below. I beg of you - do not dust your car with any dry media.

About Car Covers:

Car covers can introduce fine swirls and scratches - especially outdoors and in wind. Cleaning after indoor storage is preferable to polishing from car cover damage. Soft-lined covers may be safe when new, on a perfectly clean car, but any accumulated dirt and dust on the vehicle or cover lining WILL induce swirls and scratches. "All weather" covers without a soft-touch lining can be preferable, as they do not hang onto dirt, though they can still rub it around, and can trap moisture. They may require regular airing out to prevent humidity/mold issues and should still only be used indoors. 

About Automatic Car Washing:

If you must use an automatic car wash, touchless-only is recommended, though they have some downsides and may strip existing waxes or coatings with harsher detergents and degreasers. DIY pressure washer booths are preferred. Home wash and care is best. Automatic ‘touch’ washes can retain the dirt and debris of previous vehicles in their brushes and microfiber fingers, causing damage and swirl marks. Request that dealers/auto shops not wash the exterior of your vehicle.

Avoid parking where sap and debris is a concern, when possible. Windshield reflectors may not keep your car much cooler, but can prevent or reduce UV damage to your dashboard/interior.

Hand Wash Instructions (One Bucket Method):

Wash & dry microfiber towels with free & clear laundry detergent before use (even new towels) in a load by themselves. Place 12-16 microfiber towels (one for each body panel plus extra) in a clean, empty bucket (with grit guard if available). Fill with water and 1oz of soap until towels are covered and saturated. Ensure all towels are wet and soapy. Have an empty bucket or bin for "spent" towels handy.

Give your vehicle a thorough rinse, ensuring to spray the undercarriage, and clear any "gutters" or drains, hood cowl and hinges, trunk jam, and inside your fuel door. If you have a capless fuel filler, hand wash only while the fuel door is open, no hose. Spray, and rinse your wheels with wheel cleaner, let it sit for a minute, then rinse.

Using a fresh towel from the bucket for each panel, clean the vehicle, one panel at a time, starting at the highest point first. You may need more than one towel for the roof and hood. When completed with that panel, hang the towel or place it in a "spent" bucket to be washed. I tend to split the doors and hatchbacks into an upper and lower half, as the lower half often has excessive dirt. Remaining towels in the bucket can be used for hand washing of wheels and tires - one towel per wheel.

When finished, rinse the whole vehicle. You may dry with clean microfiber towels. I recommend lightly spritz-ing your towels with a little detail spray prior to drying. This functions as a lubricant that reduces the possibility of scratches and swirls when drying. Natural and synthetic chamois/”shammy” drying towels are not safe for drying vehicles, as they push contaminates around on the paint surface, rather than picking them up.

Your interior can be cleaned with simple vacuuming and an interior detail spray with a clean microfiber towel. Dollar store makeup brushes can be great for cleaning vents and other hard to reach areas. A microfiber towel wrapped around chopsticks, bamboo bbq skewers, or detail brush handles, can be helpful for getting into tight corners.

Washing with water restrictions or apartment living:

You have options! An inexpensive sprayer and waterless wash solution can help you keep your car clean. This replaces the hand wash process, but applying a sealant afterward is still recommended.

Foam Sprayer: https://amzn.to/4b5FAO3

Optimum No-Rinse: https://amzn.to/4b9P3UZ

Mix 1/2oz of ONR per 1 gallon of water for your sprayer. Bottled distilled water is a good option if tap/hose water quality is poor or availability is limited. Use the sprayer to apply the waterless wash solution to your vehicle, working top to bottom, panel by panel, starting with the roof. Quickly wipe the solution off in a single direction with a microfiber as you spray each panel. Rubbing/cleaning in a circular pattern may induce scratches. Use a new microfiber towel for each panel, or more frequently when visibly dirty. You can fold microfiber towels over to get as many as 12-16 passes with a single towel. It may be best to spot treat any bird droppings or other significant contamination before doing the rest of the vehicle. Heavy soiling will require prior rinsing with a hose or DIY pressure car wash booth. You do not need a foaming sprayer, though it may provide more work time as you spray the solution on your panel. Waterless washes include synthetic and natural waxes, but a sealant applied after can extend protection and enhance water-beading properties.