How To Wash Your Car Without Water – Waterless Car Wash

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As more and more people move to large cities, often living in condos and apartments, it’s getting harder and harder for them to wash their cars by themselves. The biggest issue is the water source. But did you know that you can wash your car without water? Today I’ll show you how to wash your car by using waterless car wash products.

That way, you’ll be able to wash your car regardless of where you live. You could even wash your vehicle at public parking by using this method. With extremely hot summers, there are water restrictions in many states, and knowing that you can wash your car even if you don’t have access to a water source or it’s restricted is excellent.

As I always try to be as objective as possible, I’ll also speak about the critical drawbacks of using waterless car wash products.

How To Wash Your Car Without Water

If you want to wash your car without water, here I will explain precisely what you will need and how to do all the steps to make your car spotless again.

1. Prepare The Equipment You Need

The biggest advantage of washing your car with waterless car wash products is that you don’t need a lot of gear to clean your vehicle.

You only need two things:

• High-quality waterless wash car shampoo (I highly suggest Meguiar’s Ultimate Waterless Wash & Wax)
• A couple of clean and soft auto-detailing microfiber towels

2. Find a Spot To Clean Your Car

Before you jump straight into washing your car, you should first pick a spot where you will wash it. I know I said that you can wash your car literally anywhere, but there are a few things you should avoid:

• Washing your car in direct sunlight
• Washing it in a windy or rainy area

If you can’t avoid washing your car in direct sunlight, don’t wash it in the middle of the day because that’s when the temperatures are at their highest degrees, and shampoo may dry on the car’s paint which should be avoided. The easiest way to get around this is to wash your car earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon.

If you have a garage with good lighting, you can wash your car whenever you want, and it’s the best possible place to wash your car – no sun, no dust, birds, rain, and other interruptions.

3. Spray The Waterless Wash Product On One Car Panel

Use a waterless car wash spray and mist one car panel. It’s essential to do only one panel at a time. That way, you’ll ensure that the product won’t dry on the paint.

You don’t need to use too much of a product, but don’t skimp. Otherwise, there won’t be enough lubrication on the paint, meaning that you’ll make a lot of swirl marks and scratches on the car’s paint.

4. Wipe It With a Soft Auto Detailing Towel

After spraying one car panel, take a clean microfiber towel and fold it into fours. What I like to do is spray a bit of a product onto the microfiber towel and then gently wipe off that section to remove all the dirt, dust, and grime from the vehicle.

Then, take a 2nd towel (also folded into fours), and wipe the panel to dry it completely. After drying the panel, take 3rd microfiber rag and gently buff the panel to make it shiny.

5. Repeat The Process On Other Car Panels

When you’re finished with one car panel, you can do the rest by repeating the same steps. I tried doing more panels at a time, and trust me; it’s not a good thing to do. You’ll screw something up. When I tried to do it, the waterless wash spray dried on the car’s paint, and I had to go and wash it with a pressure washer.

Another important thing that I want to mention is that you’ll need anywhere between 5-10 clean microfiber towels, depending on the size of your vehicle. If it’s some large truck or SUV, prepare ten microfiber cloths. I highly suggest using a new towel after every two sections of your vehicle.

On average, you will need 3-6 microfiber towels for wiping off the dirt, 2-3 microfiber towels for drying the car, and 1-2 microfiber cloths for buffing the paint.

What’s The Best Waterless Car Wash Product?

From my experience, the best and easiest waterless wash product for cars is Meguiar’s Ultimate Waterless Wash and Wax. It’s extremely to use, you don’t need to use much of a product, and it works wonders.

When it comes to price, it’s probably the cheapest waterless car wash product you can buy, so it’s budget-friendly as well. However, the thing I like the most is that it also contains waxes. These waxes add extra lubrication but also make your car paint shinier and hydrophobic.

However, if you opt for any waterless car wash shampoos from reputable brands, you won’t make a mistake. They are all good, especially the one from Aero Cosmetics which is used by many people to clean aircraft – but it’s a bit more expensive.

Should You Use Waterless Car Wash Method?

Well, now we came to the part which you should pay attention to. The waterless car wash method is great, but it’s not a good option for everyone.

Here are a few drawbacks of waterless car wash products:

• They shouldn’t be used on extremely dirty cars, especially if they’re full of mud or dried dirt.
• You’re always carrying some risk of scratching the paint.
• You won’t be able to get the same results as with a regular car wash.
• Waterless car wash products are more expensive and will cost you more than a typical car wash.
• Cleaning wheels is complicated because waterless car wash sprays don’t have enough power to clean brake dust.

You should use the waterless car wash method if:

• You regularly wash your car, and it never gets too dirty
• If you have only light dust on your vehicle
• If you want to clean your car after the rain

I would never use waterless car wash products after a long trip if the car is full of tar, bugs, mud, or on a neglected car. Nothing can replace a good old pressure washer, buckets, car shampoo, and a wash mitt.

Frequently Asked Questions

Bottom Line

All in all, washing your car without water is doable, but you need to be conscious of when and how it should be used. While waterless car wash products are great, so far, they can only clean slightly dirty vehicles. For all other situations, I’d rather wash the car in an old-fashioned way. I myself and other best auto detailing blogs can agree on that.

Of course, if the government declared water restrictions in your area, you don’t have any other option than cleaning your car by using waterless car wash products – and that’s their biggest advantage.