How Often Should a Car be Cleaned?

​Many of us live busy lives and often don’t have time for tasks like cleaning our car.  Cleaning your car is an important aspect of car maintenance that many don’t realize the benefits of keeping up with. 

A clean car is not only aesthetically pleasing, but it can also increase the resale value of your car. While some clean their cars themselves, others pay a professional car wash to do the work for them. 

Ideally, you should get your car cleaned on a weekly basis.  However, many car owners clean their cars only when it is dirty.  How frequently you drive your car also matters. 
 
As a general principle, the more miles that you drive, the more frequently you will need to clean the car. 

The climate and air temperature are also important considerations.  Snow, salt and grit from the roads can quickly erode and damage your paint work, and high temperatures can cause erosion to be accelerated, as chemicals in contaminants become more active in hot temperatures. 

WHY YOU SHOULD CLEAN YOUR CAR MORE OFTEN

Preserve Your Car's Paint Job
Dirt and dust particles wear out your car's paint job over time.  It leaves your vehicle looking dull and lackluster as a result.  Regular cleaning will preserve your car's paint job and remove debris that would otherwise damage your vehicle's exterior.

A professional car wash will make your car shinier and protect its paint finish from the sun and sand.  Your vehicle should be waxed every three months, and your car's exterior buffed once a year.

To protect your car's finish, washing the exterior alone — no matter how frequent— will not keep your paint job from fading. 

Prevent Expensive Repairs
It is crucial to regularly maintain your car to preserve it, and more importantly, extend the life of it.  Damages to a car’s exterior could be a simple repair, but they can lead to irreversible damage that will need a complete replacement, which could be extremely expensive.

If your car is constantly dirty, this will cause parts to rust and corrode, leading to a lower resale value when it comes to selling your car.  A properly cleaned and maintained vehicle in the interior and exterior will help hold the vehicle’s value and give you a reliable car. 

Increase Driving Safety
Many accidents are caused every year because of a dirty window, windshield, or side mirror — reducing visibility.  A dirty interior of your vehicle can also have debris and dirt that can cause distraction while driving.  Clutter can block your sight or even the path from your foot to the gas/brake pedals, and it can be catastrophic.

Avoid Health Issues
The interior of your car needs to be kept clean to eliminate harmful bacteria that can build up over time.  An unclean, closed-up vehicle is an ideal environment for bacteria to thrive.  This is also a reason to avoid operating a vehicle with a mask, if possible, as it will generally just cause the driver to be trapped breathing their own bacteria.

Dust and dirt create poor air quality inside of your car, making it more common to catch a cold, develop possible allergies, or even create an unpleasant smell.  Keep the parts of your car you touch the most such as your steering wheel, dashboard, door handles, seatbelts, and the gear shift clean.  Cleaning will keep germs and bacteria from lingering in your vehicle. 
 
A clean vehicle will contribute to the fuel economy, safety, performance, and resale value of your vehicle.  De-clutter, dust, sanitize, and vacuum your car, and schedule routine car washes.

Routine preventative maintenance and auto repairs will also keep your vehicle at its peak performance.  A clean car will protect you from harmful bacteria. 

​To most people, cleaning your car is not a priority, but you will be shocked once you realize how damaging a dirty car could be.  Schedule car cleaning and sanitizing at least once a week to keep your vehicle healthy and safe.