How to eliminate Water Spots when washing your car

Most of us live in areas that have hard water, some less and some more. Even if your water is not real hard, it still had mineral deposits that stay on the car if the water droplets are allowed to dry. I have come up with a simple process change that eliminates water spots when washing my car. I have tried this process twice now and it really does work and only adds 3 - 4 minutes to the entire process. 1. Spray the car with water. 2. Wash the windshield, top, the side windows, side mirrors, the rear window and the rear deck lip.  Use the "soaker" setting on your water nozzle and rinse the areas that you have washed. The "soaker" will allow a sheet of water to move across the car.  Use your electric leaf blower to blow-dry the washed part of the car. Make sure you blow the water out of the panel seams.  Use micro fiber towels to dry the car that has just been washed & rinsed. 3. Wash the hood, front fenders, front bumper and both wheels.  Rinse the areas that you have just washed using "soaker" setting�  Blow dry�. Stick the leaf blower into the air intakes in the front bumper to remove the leaves and pieces or trash that have collected near the radiators. Make sure you blow the water out of the panel seams and from the wheel lug nuts.  Use micro fiber towels to dry 4. Wash the one side of the car, the read wheel and the rear bumper.  Rinse�  Blow dry�.. Open the door and blow-dry the door edges, including the bottom of the door and the doorsill on the body of the car. Open the rear deck lid and blow-dry the engine compartment.  Use micro fiber towels to dry 5. Wash the one side of the car and the read wheel.  Rinse�  Blow dry.�.. Don�t forget the door edges and the doorsill.  Use micro fiber towels to dry. It is not rocket science, but I can�t believe I didn�t think of changing the process sooner. It does not really take much longer to do the entire car. Since the water is not allowed to sit on the car very long, it virtually eliminates water spots. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Wow.....nice process. I just wash the entire car....let it dry almost all over. Then, I take an old t-shirt and wipe down the roof, which usually has the most beading left. Then, I wipe all the panels, hood, and rest of the car down. Not too much effort, but I can see the spots come right off as the t-shirt is a bit damp and lifts them right out. Easy enough. Chamois will work well too, but wifey thru it out a while ago as she said it looked like garbage....I told her that I was trying to get it that worn in for years.....oh well.....haven't picked up another one yet. The key here is to wipe the car down once it's basically dried off with a damp cloth....not a soaked one....that will only create more mess once it dries.

I use a process where I keep the car wet until I'm done washing all the parts (continuously hosing down the car to keep it wet). Once the car is washed I towel dry the car - 2 towels - one for taking off the bulk of the water and one for a final drying step.

Thanks. Prior to this I was washing the entire car, rinsing it, blow drying it, and then towel drying it. Too many water spots remained, so I knew I had to do something different and hopefully better. Simple change, fantastic results!

I have a water softener, but it can still leave spots. What I do is, I wash the whole car, spraying water over the areas that are drying up (as Wayne said) and when I'm done, I squeegee the car dry, then towel dry. If I have time, I'd blow dry with my Black & Decker LeafHog. The most important thing to avoid waterspots is to NOT wash your car in the sun.

Agreed. I NEVER wash my car in direct sunlight. I always wash it in full shade.

wash the car and pull it into the garage... dry it there

I like the Mr. Clean system which uses a filter to remove the minerals. NO water spots even on the glass and no need to wipe the car dry. Larger systems are also available for more money from a variety of suppliers.

what about getting tough water spots off after they are already there..............they dont come off with normal washing..........

You guys have all lost your minds. Just sayin...

I find the hotter it is outside, the faster the water dries and causes spots. That's why you have to wash in the shade, or, keep the car wet as suggested. This thread should be in the Concours forum - those guys are nuts about cleaning and getting the best shine!

Remember that even if you have a water softener, the water that comes out of garage and outside spigots usually bypasses the softener. You don't want to use softened water to water plants, grass, etc. When I built my current house I had them plumb one spigot with softened water for car washing which helps alot. I cost me virtually nothing as I had it built into the plumbing bid. Just a thought if you're building a house in the near future...

"I cost me virtually nothing as I had it built into the plumbing bid. Just a thought if you're building a house in the near future..." What you really mean, is that it cost you X amount plus interest for the duration of your mortgage. LOL

+1... it REALLY ISN'T rocket science...

Use this: Spotless

+1 on crspotless Incredible... DI water leaves nothing, zero, zip, nada on your car. Makes for a stress-free car washing experience. For me that is huge as I am on well water and the TDS (total dissolved solids) are over 700pm at all times. Lots more on the concours forum on RL as said before... oh, and no afilliation with CRSpotless... They do have pretty great customer service though.

I have one of those in my garage as well. Works GREAT!! Soft water does not help with water spots. Soft water has salt in it, salt is a mineral, and when the water evaporates, the mineral stays behind causing water spots. The de-ionizer wross996tt linked to is to remove ALL minerals from the water, hence no water spots. Another great tip is to keep spraying water all over the car, never allowing any section of it to dry before you are done washing. Then, dry section by section, starting from the top. Here's a great secret for a good shine between waxings: While the car is wet, before drying, spray the section to be dryed with detail spray, then dry. The detail spray will enhance the shine, and allow the towel (always microfiber towels with waffle weave) to glide smoothly over the paint, minimizing micro-scratches

I just got this deionizer http://www.watersticks.com/deionizer.htm . It attaches inline with the water hose and works great. I tried the Mr. Clean but the DI cartridge doesn't last very long and the amount of DI water spray is pitiful. The Waterstick is just a length of PVC pipe filled with resin and compared to the CR Spotless it's kind of cobbled together, but it's not as pricey and easier to store away. After washing I just final rinse with DI water and park it in the garage to air dry.

even simpler. Rinseless car wash. Been using Optimum's No Rinse for a year now. I found for my personal use, that the full on bucket and hose wash is really overkill on a well maintained paint surface. The lubricant in No Rinse leaves a nice spot free slickness. A 2 gallon bucket of warm water, grit guard, 2 ounces of No Rinse and a natural sea sponge. I hold the sponge over the panels to soak/loosen the dirt. Wipe down, dunk the sponge and move to the next panel. WHole process is done in 10 minutes. And no hose to put away. The left over water in the bucket is used to clean the wheels with a wheel face brush. While the car is still damp I spray each panel with a quick detailing polymer (FK1 425). This way you eliminate the dry rubbing (which is no good) and restore the anti-static barrier. In my experience, the more soap/detergent you use the more water is required, the more drying you have to do. Way too much paint contact, which really should be kept to a minimum. The leaf blower may be the best method of drying but your neighbohrs will look at you like your from another planet.

Hmmm...the Mr. Clean system works quite well on all my cars.

Where do you get micro fiber towels?

websites for companies like Autopia or Griot's Garage - they're worth the extra $$, especially if you have a dark car - I know I've mentioned this before, so forgive me if you've seen some of my other posts: I have a real love/hate relationship with my Black paint. I hate the work to keep it clean but love it when it is clean. Keeping swirl marks to a minimum is a constant goal. The microfiber towels help a lot in minimizing damage to the car's finish. I think my next P-Car will be Silver or White so that I can lower my stress and spend less time detailing the car

I use a synthetic chamois called the "Absorber". It works great. After I wash the entire car, I do an overall rinse (again) to make sure all of the car is wet. Then I use the Absorber and wring it out as I go. Perfect! You can get it anywhere locally or online. Here's one Absorber : Very easy. TIP: When you're done with the car, rinse out the Absorber and wring it out partially. Put it away while it's still wet and it keeps it soft. Charlie

My black '85 targa is for sale.....I will never buy another black car for that same reason....toooooo difficult to keep clean. I can dust the back....then the front.....the back will have a layer of dust in a few minutes....especially in the spring when everything is flying in the air. J

You're not driving fast enough. Just wax it so the dust won't stick and drive it to make the dust blow off!

I did the same and it's great

I got mine at Sams... big stack of 24... better price than at car stores