Alright, so my car was looking absolutely filthy the other week. You know how it gets, just caked with road grime and who-knows-what. I’d been meaning to give it a good clean, and I remembered I had that power washer I bought a while back, mostly for the patio, but I figured, why not try it on the car?

Getting Set Up

First things first, I had to drag the power washer out of the shed. It’s not too heavy, thankfully. Connected the garden hose to it, then the power cord. Made sure I had the right nozzle – didn’t want to accidentally strip the paint off, you know? I’ve heard stories. I decided to go with a wider spray pattern to be safe, at least to start.

I also grabbed my car wash soap. I’ve got this bottle of concentrated stuff. And a bucket, of course, and my trusty wash mitt. Some folks have those fancy foam cannons that attach to the power washer, but I’m still old school with the bucket for the actual scrubbing part, though I did use the power washer to apply a bit of soap later, kind of makeshift.

The Washing Process Itself

So, I started by giving the whole car a good rinse with just the power washer. Man, it’s satisfying to see all that loose dirt just fly off! Especially on the wheels, they were terrible. I made sure to get into the wheel wells too, where all the muck collects.

Then, it was soap time. I mixed up my soap and water in the bucket. I did try to use the power washer’s detergent tank for a bit, but it wasn't as foamy as I wanted with my regular soap. So, mostly, I used the mitt, dunked it in the soapy water, and started scrubbing the car down, panel by panel, from the top down. That’s the way to do it, so the dirty water runs off areas you’ve already cleaned.

After a good scrub, I used the power washer again for the final rinse. This is where you gotta be a bit careful. I kept the nozzle moving and didn’t get too close to any delicate bits like the badges or around the window seals. You just want to rinse the soap off, not blast things into next week.

Here’s a few things I noticed during the process:

• Having a long enough hose and power cord is key. Nothing worse than having to stop and move everything around.
• Don't let the soap dry on the car, especially if it's a sunny day. Work in sections if you have to.
• Power washers are great for getting bugs off the front bumper, but you still might need a bit of elbow grease for the really stubborn ones.

The Result and Final Thoughts

Once all the soap was rinsed off, I took a step back. Honestly, it looked pretty darn good! Much better than a quick run through an automatic car wash, that’s for sure. I let it air dry mostly, though I did go over the windows with a microfiber cloth to avoid spots.

It took a bit of time, maybe an hour or so from start to finish, but it was kind of relaxing, in a way. Plus, I saved a few bucks. The power washer definitely made the pre-rinse and final rinse super quick and effective. It's a handy tool to have, for sure. Will I do it every time? Maybe not if I’m in a real hurry, but for a proper clean, yeah, I think I’ll be doing this again. It’s good to get hands-on sometimes, you know?