The five important reasons to wash your car regularly

I don’t know about you but washing my car regularly has never been a top priority. The feeling of a freshly scrubbed and vacuumed car, although great, is usually outweighed by the effort involved (especially when you only have weekends free and social obligations are more appealing).

Sometimes those 'What’s the point?' thoughts linger in the back of your mind, especially when you only have on-street parking and you know it’s going to get dirty again soon, or washing your car seems to bring a downpour soon after, literally washing your hard work down the drain.

During the recent lockdowns, I was extremely guilty of preferring to do anything BUT wash my car, after all, it sat parked for months. Of course, when it gets super dirty, I would take it to the nearest auto-car wash for a quick scrub, but it has never really dawned on me I should be doing that more often, until recently.

There are big advantages to having a sparkling clean car and below are five important reasons worth considering. Whether it’s weekly or even fortnightly cleans, this small investment in time (and maybe money) can pay off big time.

Dirt, bugs, bird and bat poop, rain, leaves, grass cuttings, mud, even tar from freshly resurfaced roads can all stick to your car from driving or when it’s parked on the street. And while you may not notice at first, it all builds up and will damage and possibly stain your car’s paint if you don’t get a chance to clean it off.

Regularly washing your car stops the build-up of all the minerals and washes away the impurities, leaving your paint job looking as good as new. It also gives you a chance to wax your car, which will help in preserving the paint and stop the build-up occurring and allow for an easier clean the next time you go through the wash.

Whether you’re off on a holiday road trip or just heading to the city to run some errands, your windshield, windows, mirrors, and even tyres should be clear of debris.

A regular wash means you don’t need to stress about these areas being overly dirty, and if you need to stop and fill up your windshield water, you may as well hit the drive-thru car wash as well!

Overly dirty mirrors and windows can be dangerous, particularly when we need to double-check our blind spots, reversing or doing something as simple as parking. So make sure everything is clean and clear so you’ll be confident hitting the road for your next trip!

So far, we have focused on the external benefits of a regular wash, but what about inside your car? If there’s anything we have learnt in the last two years, it’s the importance of good hand hygiene.

Sure, everyone’s car (and home) might get a little untidy at times, but you still clean your bathroom and wipe down your bathroom sink all the time, so why wouldn’t you do the same with your car's most used touchpoints?

Keeping areas that hands touch regularly clean, helps to prevent germs from spreading and will stop you and your passengers from getting sick. Apparently, up to 700 different strains of bacteria could be living in the average car with the average steering wheel reportedly four times dirtier than a public toilet seat!

Whether you’re going to shopping centres or doing the daily school runs, the public places we find ourselves and our vehicles in means our hands are more likely to bring more germs into the car, so make sure you have a bottle of hand sanitiser and give the inside of your car a good wipe down and clean often.

Okay, so not all Australian money is technically green, but this point is an important one to keep in the back of your mind.

Even if you’re totally in love with your car right now and you’re not even thinking about selling anytime in the near future, it’s important to do what you can to keep your car looking great now so when the time does come, you can get as much as possible for it.

Regular car washes will help prevent rust, scratches, dull paint, and other issues that take away from the look of your car and may impact your resale value. It also gives you a good opportunity to keep an eye out for those issues, so you can get them fixed well in advance.

With the cost of fuel on the up right now, this one is a good tip to keep in mind as we head out on the road for the summer holidays.

A clean car can help promote better fuel efficiency because the dirt on your car creates drag, which causes your car to burn more fuel. There have even been studies and tests to prove that a clean car is 10% more fuel-efficient than the same dirty car!

So hit the car wash and save yourself some extra cash at the petrol bowsers.

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