Hey car lover! Why is it that when we clean our cars, we pay such attention to the bodywork, glass and metal parts, cleaning, shining and buffing these surfaces until we can see our car obsessed reflections in them? But so often we miss one of the integral parts of our beloved vehicles – the tyres!
Perhaps this happens because of the type of cleaning they require. Of all the parts of a car, the tyres inevitably accumulate more dirt, grease and grime in everyday use than anywhere else. With their tread and many little ridges, all the debris can be very firmly ingrained and this is definitely not the most fun to remove. It can be a messy job. But let’s stop shying away from this dirty task.
When your is car shining away on your drive, do you really want its appearance to be marred by scruffy, dirty wheels? No! Of course you don’t. Let’s take some action here. To properly clean your tyres and hell, even make light work of it, you need to use the right tools and products.
Let’s get you armed with some know how so that you can start keeping your tyres looking shiny-new.
Consider the space you need to move around your vehicle
Why restrict yourself with the space you have? If you’re in a cramped location, it’ll just put you off doing a good job or even doing it at all! Ensure you have plenty of room so that you’re comfortable and have full access to all the tyres you’re cleaning. Take it outside, onto the street if need be.
Being in a well-lit space is equally important. There’s no point in getting the job done in a dim environment, only to discover when you get outside into bright light that there’s patches or areas that you’ve missed. You want sufficient room to move around the vehicle and be able to identify and scrub thoroughly any grease and dirt the tyres may be retaining. In turn, this will make it much easier to calculate the amount of cleaning product you might need for each of your individual tyres.
Choose your cleansing products carefully
People like to wear elbow grease like a badge of honour. But why scrub incessantly at your tyres when there are products out there designed specifically to take some of the hard work out of it for you? If you have the type of dirt and grease accumulation on your wheels that requires some heavy duty attention, then a degreaser will be your new best friend. Pair this with a specialist, non-corrosive wheel and tyre cleaner plus the type of brush that can really get into all the nooks and crannies of your wheels, and you’ll be golden.
Get to work (or let your products work for you!)
It sounds obvious, but read the instructions on the labels of your cleaning products with care. There may be a temptation to slug a load of product onto the job if your tyres are super grimy but avoid this. Using too much is unnecessary, will be a waste of product and is a bit like feeding money down the drain. Specialist cleaning products are usually super concentrated so less is more!
Dilute your chosen cleaning product in the recommended ratios, then apply the cleanser to the tyre surface, as instructed. Ensure the whole surface is covered, paying special attention to the areas of the tyres that have the most ingrained marks and dirt. Remember the advice about good lighting? This is where that really comes into play. Rinse thoroughly and repeat, if needed on areas that don’t come up squeaky clean first time.
Dressed with love
Before the next step, you need to get your tyres dry. Surely mother nature can perform that task perfectly, you ask. But rather than leaving your tyres to air dry, which can leave watermarks, put a specialist microfibre cloth or towel to use. Designed especially for car detailing, they will bring up surfaces with a great shine and finish.
And now for the lustrous finale! A high quality tyre dressing will finish your tyres up perfectly. And using a specialist applicator pad to work that product into your tyres will make sure your endeavours don’t go to waste. By thoroughly working the dressing into each tyre, ensuring that you cover every inch of the tyre surface with an even amount of product will not only ensure that each tyre has an impressive high shine but will also keep the surface from accumulating dust and dirt and remain well protected. Your tyre surfaces will retain a deep black shine and keep your favourite engine looking brand spanking new.