If you keep your car protected with a good sealant, wax, ceramic coating, etc. it will stay cleaner for longer and be easier to clean. Likewise, if you clean more often, it will be easier to clean. If you use safe washing practices and don’t use an automatic car wash or let the hacks at the gas station handwash touch your car, you can keep the paint looking great for a long time without having o polish out swirls and haze all the time.

There are so many easy to use and effective spray coatings which make protecting your car really easy. A widely available one is Turtle Wax Graphene Flex Wax. You can apply it to the car after you wash and dry it. Spray on and wipe off with a plush microfiber towel. It will enhance gloss and create a protective hydrophobic barrier. You can refresh the protection by using it as a drying aid for future washes, you don’t have to do this every time you wash the car, but if you notice the hydrophobicity waning, just spray half a spritz or two on the panel while it’s still wet, after washing and before drying, then dry the car and buff the product in at the same time. Another good option is also from Turtle Wax Seal N Shine, it takes just very slightly more effort to apply and wipe off and is slightly less hydrophobic, but it’s less than half the cost of the Graphene Flex Wax and is arguably more tenacious in the face of harsher soaps.

Thoroughly cleaning your wheels and applying one of these coatings as a drying aid each time you wash your car will make them easier to clean in the future.

Using a ceramic trim coating like Cerakote will eliminate the need to dress exterior trim for a very long time.

My quick maintenance wash is to use a foam cannon to spray a thick lather onto the car, I use Adam’s Mega Foam. Then, while I let the foam dwell on the car, I use Adam’s Wheel and Tire cleaner to spray the wheels and tires. I spray each wheel thoroughly and move onto the next, when I get back to the first wheel, I spray a bit more product then I scrub the tire, repeat on the subsequent wheels, then I use a dedicated wash mitt to clean the spokes and face of the wheel, move on to the subsequent wheels (I end up circling the car 3 times in less than 10 minutes). Then I pressure rinse the car and wheels thoroughly. Then I use a bucket with a couple gallons of distilled water, a capful of ONR, and 4 wash mitts to gently wipe down the car and remove any remaining dirt. Each wash mitt has two sides, I usually don’t need to use more than 4, but if I run out, I’ll start using some plush microfiber towels, no mitt or towel is returned to the ONR bucket. I then go around with my spray sealant, I use Sonax BSD diluted 2:1 with distilled water, spray on and wipe off all surfaces. I also have a bottle of Turtle Wax Wax & Dry that I’ll use on the wheels and then wipe off with a microfiber towel (I just wasn’t thrilled with its performance so it’s been relegated to use as a wheel quick detailer until I use it up).

I know this sounds complicated and frenetic, but in practice it’s easy and I can get it all done in 30 minutes including setup. I’ll go back later on to apply tire dressing, use glass cleaner if necessary, and touch up any drips or streaks.

I alternate between my car and my wife’s car each week, so each car gets washed every other week. Every 2 or three months I’ll get more detailed on the interior and exterior.