How often do you wash your car?

[kdonnel]

For the cars I regularly drive I average about once a month but vacuum them once a week.

The truck though, it gets driven very infrequently, and gets washed just once a year. The paint has really suffered as a result.

In the summer months I will wash by hand. I like putting on my bathing suit and spending a couple hours washing and detailing the car.

In the colder months I visit a self wash place or one of the many places where you ride through in the car depending on the car. I don't visit the drive thru one's very often because I have heard they can introduce scratches from dirty brushes. The same reason I don't use the brush at the self wash places on anything other than my tires.

 

[soccerdad72]

I have an unlimited plan at our nearby drive thru car wash, so I usually run my car through it a couple times a week and try to vacuum and wipe down everything weekly.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I have an unlimited plan at our nearby drive thru car wash, so I usually run my car through it a couple times a week and try to vacuum and wipe down everything weekly.

Same

 

[Ensusieasm]

Oops! My poor car was a year old in October. It’s only been washed 3 times!
I better wash it tomorrow!

 

[tvguy]

In the summer, probably wash the cars once a month, by hand in my driveway. Car washes here use recycled water, have for decades. I just remember the owners manual for my 1974 Ford said avoid car washes that used recycled water
My two daily drivers have never been in a car wash in my ownership, both purchased new. Dealers here all use a service that comes once a week to wash all the cars with power washers. My wife's car had paint damage on it when we bought it, FROM the hose from the power washer getting dragged over the fender. Dealer had to repaint the fender, no charge.
Vacuum.....maybe once or twice a year, usually only when dirt or leaves have been tracked in.
My classic car has never been through a car wash in the 10 years I have owned it, and it was freshly painted when I bought it. Who knows about the previous 50 years. Well, it sat outside for 25 years so other than rainfall, it didn't get washed at all for at least that long.

 

[loves to dive]

Ummmm, well, ummmm. Maybe once a year? There used to be a pretty good car wash here that would send it through and then do a hand wipe down, etc. Now you have to drive it through yourself and if I'm going to do that, I'll just go to a cheaper drive through one. I sometimes go to the ones where you do it all yourself and used to wash it myself in the driveway. I don't drive it that often any more, down to Florida maybe 3 times a year and about town maybe every 2 or 3 months. Other than that it sits in our garage. It has scratches all over it from when I worked and people would hit it with their doors in the parking lot, I gave up trying to get them buffed out.

 

[NannyBeBe]

The only time my car gets washed is when I take it in for service, which is about once a year.

 

[firefly_ris]

In the summer fairly frequently. I try to do a hand waxing once in the spring and then again at the end of summer to winter prep it a bit.

I wash my truck more often than my husband's since mine's the one doing all the long road trips, pulling a camper, going in and out of dusty campsites etc. Lots of highway bugs in the summer time and all that. I prefer to wash by hand and I take my time detailing the interior pretty regularly.

In the winter all of our outside faucets are shut off so I have to take it to a car wash, which I don't love ($$$, and non-touchless car washes are not great for your paint over time) but I'll take it through a touch-less probably once every 2 weeks to keep the salt coating to a minimum.

I also have annual rust-proofing done, and so for about 3 weeks after I have that done I don't wash it at all since it can take some of that off if you do it too soon.

If I lived in the south I would maybe be a little more non-chalant about it but I like to keep my vehicles for a long time and I'm in the salt belt.

 

[ronandannette]

Not near often enough - my current car is dark charcoal grey and it shows dirt worse than any vehicle I’ve ever owned. It gets washed about once a month in a drive-through with the cloth brushes. I don’t like the job the touchless ones do. The inside is pretty shameful right now and it needs to be taken in for a good detailing, which happens about twice a year because the price has gotten ridiculous.

 

[Moliphino]

Maybe once a year? I vacuum and clean out the inside about twice a year. The dogs are in the car a lot so it gets very hairy in the back.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

It's been a few months. I really should do it more often, but it's not a priority. I'm much better about it when I've had to take it on road trips and she winds up coming home covered in bugs.

 

[TippyThomas]

Probably about once a month or so.

 

[DisneyHardin]

I have mine profesionally washed and detailed about 3 times a year. I also will drive through the automatic car wash when it seems particularly dirty - maybe once or twice a month.

 

[KPeterso]

I have an unlimited plan at our nearby drive thru car wash, so I usually run my car through it a couple times a week and try to vacuum and wipe down everything weekly.

I have an unlimited plan. I get mine washed at least once a week, but frequently more often than that. If I am in the area, then I get it washed.

 

[easyas123]

As needed...I'm frequently on chicken processing plants and wastewater treatment plants that are dusty, so I'll go on my way home otherwise my dogs treat my truck like a giant lollipop.

 

[LoveDaisy]

Rarely do I wash it. I usually go through a car wash in the spring to get all the winter road chemicals off my car, it might go through a few times in the spring depending on the pollen. I clean the inside regularly.

 

[amcnj]

I wash it as needed in the warmer months. That can be monthly, or even less at times. Other times, I’m looking at you pollen, it can be weekly or less. I just recently put the hose away and shut off the outside water, so in winter I use a car wash, especially after any trips through snow and more importantly road salt. But usually only a few times over the course of the winter.

I currently apply wax in the spring and fall. It always looks so good immediately after that it makes you wash it more often to keep it looking that way!

 

[DCL58]

My car gets washed whenever we get back from a drive to Port Canaveral - so about 3-4 times per year. Can’t leave all those love bugs (or other, normal bugs) on the car for too long.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Mine gets "washed" every time there's a good hard rain. Also I drive through puddles to give the undercarriage a rinse too.

 

[disykat]

When it starts to get visibly dirty over time or there was a big event (like a beach trip that made a mess, company coming that's going to ride in the car, etc.) Maybe a few times a year.

It does get an extra pollen rinse a few times a year in the Spring, but that doesn't really require soap etc., just a quick hose down.