Why You Should Never Clean Your Car With A Car Wash Brush

Automatic car washes may seem the quickest and most efficient solution for a cleaner ride. However, those automated vehicle washing stations do more than rid your car's exterior of dust, dirt, mud, and grime: They could harm your car's paint. How? The culprits are those giant spinning brushes that cause micro-marring or swirl marks on the finish. In most cases, those brushes are poorly maintained and are brimming with dirt and cross-contaminants from other vehicles.

When speckles of dirt from those mucky car wash brushes are slapped and wiped over your car's paint, the ensuing friction will leave ugly swirls and scratches more visible under direct light, especially on black, blue, or other dark-colored paint hues. In the same manner that those brushes from automatic car washes will prematurely fade or dull an otherwise glossy finish, any car wash brush – whether stiff or soft-bristled – could damage your vehicle's paint with ugly-looking swirl marks that are difficult to remove.

The trick to avoiding scratches and swirls while cleaning your car is to reduce friction as you wipe. Car wash brushes are obviously out of the equation, as the primary purpose of a brush is to agitate the surface using friction. Moreover, using a sponge to wash your car is never a good idea. Like brushes, sponges are abrasive and could scratch the paint unnecessarily.

Instead of using a brush, do it like a pro and use a microfiber cloth or wash mitt. Microfiber has a softer texture and can lift and trap dirt and other particles within the fibers. In addition, using the two-bucket method to clean any car is a surefire way to prevent swirl marks from ruining the paint.

The first bucket should be filled with clean water, while the second one should have a soapy water concoction of car shampoo. Grab the wash mitt, dunk it in the soapy bucket, and wash your car from top to bottom. Rinse the wash mitt in the water-filled bucket after cleaning each section. The rinsing part removes the dirt absorbed by the wash mitt, so you can wash each area with a clean mitt, helping prevent scratches and swirls, unlike a brush.