Car cleaning materials come in many different shapes and sizes. Each one touts its own special ability to bring back your car’s sparkle inside and out. While you can always swing by the hardware store or automobile shop to pick up your usual cleaning agents, you can also try to make your own car wash soap for a change. Crafting your own car wash soap is fun and easy. And it will definitely put a nice spin to your usual car wash routine.
What You Need for a DIY Car Wash Soap
Before you head out to the grocery store to look for ingredients to make your car wash soap, you should think about raiding the pantry cabinets first. To have really authentic DIY car wash soap, it’s better to work with what you have on hand instead of buying commercial ingredients. The point of the activity is that you need not look further than your own home for cleansing agents that can effectively strip away the accumulated dirt, dust, and grime on your vehicle, yet still leave it protected and safe.
Methods of Making Car Wash Soap
Try any of these alternatives to make your car wash soap:
Vinegar and Water
A 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water should be great to wash your car’s exterior, windshields, and glass panels. Although it’s not technically “soap”, the mixture is still potent as a cleaning agent. The acid in the vinegar will be mellowed out by the water. However, it would still be powerful enough to get rid of surface dirt. It is not a good idea to use this for the interior, though. You might be put off by sour after-smell. Beware about using it on aluminum alloys, as the acid may tarnish their beautiful finish.
Baby Shampoo
Yes, what’s mild for baby should be mild for your beloved car. Baby shampoo is a great mild car cleanser that won’t strip your car of wax, protectant, and polish, unlike most dishwashing detergents. You want to make sure that your car is clean, but you also want to protect the surface. If you want to skimp on car wash expenses, this is a good alternative to turn to.
Leftover Soap Bars
Do you have a couple of small leftover bars of car soap lying around in your supply cabinet? Now is a good time to put them to use. You may want to cut them into smaller pieces so they could dissolve in a bucket of warm water. There is no exact science to coming up with the soap and water mixture. The idea is for you to create a sudsy enough mixture that you can then use on your vehicle.
If you cut down on using harsh chemical cleansers, you know you’re also doing the environment a favor by not polluting the storm drains further. Your car can be cleaned with minimal chemicals, but you need to put in some serious elbow grease if you want to achieve great results. Give it a try and make your own car wash soap today.
Enjoyed this post? Sign up for our newsletter to receive more valuable tips, ideas, coupons, and extras!
