Hopefully, with the warm weather this week, you’ve had a chance to get out of the house and shake off some of that cabin fever winter has imposed on you. While enjoying near- and record-warm days, you may have noticed how dirty the winter has gotten your car. You may have thought to yourself, this is a good time to wash the car.

You’re right; this is a good time to wash the car. Now, the question is ‘how will you wash the car?’

There are two basic options: you can bring the car to a carwash or you can hand wash the car yourself. If you choose the latter, don’t overestimate the warm weather and get yourself sick. But, the weather is warm enough that, with some proper clothing and preparation, you can hand wash your car.

Hand wash your car in winter

Preparation includes the right equipment. This includes a bucket, a good soap for washing cars, and some appropriate rags and sponges. It’s best to use a dedicated soap to wash the car. Some household cleaners can strip off protective waxes and may not interact with the car as you would like them to.

One concern you’ll have when handwashing the car in the winter is the question of whether you’ll have a hose you can use. If you attach a hose and use it to wash and rinse your car, be sure to drain and remove the hose. Also, make sure that water isn’t in the sillcock (behind the faucet) where it can freeze and burst the pipe. You should have a frostproof sillcock that will turn the water off within the wall and away from the cold.

You can also take your car to a self-wash where you put a few quarters in the box and you have access to pressurized water – even soapy pressurized water, sometimes.

Take your car to the carwash

If you opt for taking your car to the carwash, you have additional choices:

• Touchless car wash – strictly using pressurized water, soap, wax and spot-free rinse
• Brush systems – these can, at times, cause scratches to your car’s finish – approach with caution
• Car detailing – when choosing a car detailer, you may still have to choose from the two options above, depending on what kind of system they use.

Most of these systems will do a good job of washing your car. You can even take your car to the self-wash, get the worst of the dirt off, and then take it through a carwash.

Price, of course, is always a consideration but don’t forget that you’re trying to maintain the value of your vehicle and maintaining its finish is a big part of keeping the vehicle’s value up.