How to Keep a Black Car Clean?

Black cars are always a color that is never outdated and always attract drivers at the first sight when buying a car. However, there is something you need to know: Maintaining and cleaning the exterior of a black car is a “challenging” experience, especially when you just accidentally put your finger on the surface of the car to see a noticeable blur. So how to keep a black car clean easily? Let’s find these simple tips below: 

Why Are Black Cars Are Easy To Get Dirty Than Other Colors?

According to many statistics from Global Automotive Color Popularity in 2014, silver is on the list of the most chosen car colors. Next is black. That’s right, we often can’t resist the elegance and luxury of black cars. But when having one, many drivers realize that there is a drawback of black cars: black cars easily get dirty.

A fact that will probably surprise many drivers is that black color is the fastest dirty color. In fact, car paint color does not prevent dust from sticking to the car, it only helps to hide the layer of dirt. Anyone who drives a black car must have the same opinion that a black car catches dust and gets dirty easily. The reason is that dirt is usually a yellow-brown color that, when attached to a black car surface, becomes very noticeable.

Dirt can be the main culprit that detracts from the beauty of black cars. Especially if you live in a place with a hot, dry climate, dust can form very quickly on the surface of your car even just a few days after washing it. Moreover, the water stains and scratches on the car’s surface also float on the black paint background rather than other paint colors. However, black is preferred by many drivers because of its characteristic elegance and courtesy. 

If you are a fan of black cars, don’t worry about having one, because we will share with you some simple tips to get shiny black cars.

>> Related post: How To Fix Scratches On A Black Car

How To Keep A Black Car Clean – Black Cars Maintenance Tips

Some drivers shared that: It’s such a pain to keep a black car shiny so “Are black cars harder to keep clean?” Unfortunately, our answer is “Yes”. Compared to other colors, cleaning the black car can take you more steps. 

Washing your car regularly

Washing your car regularly is an effective method to help you remove dirt, water stains, and swirls on black cars. So how to wash black cars? When washing black cars, pay attention not to wash it while the engine is still hot, which will make the cleaners adhere to the paint surface and make it also be damaged quickly. While washing a car can be quite simple for many drivers, for black cars it requires more steps as well as the right cleaning supplies for this type of vehicle.

You should wash your car every 1-2 weeks not only to keep it looking shiny but also to limit corrosion over time. Don’t try to clean the paint off with a quick detail spray and a microfiber towel. This is easy to cause swirl marks and scratches on the paint, which is a problem that is especially common with black cars.

After washing your vehicle, don’t forget the drying process. An especially necessary step for black cars is to make sure the surface is completely dry (including nooks and crannies like window sills, door slits, and side mirrors). In this step, you should not use compressed air to dry because the air compressor contains oil inside the pipeline. When sprayed on the cleaned surface of the car, it will create water spots and stains on the car.

Wax and polish the car

Car paint usually has 3 main layers:

• The primer (innermost) layer is electrostatically painted on the anti-rust car body.
• The color paint layer (the main layer in the middle) usually uses water-based paint, which determines the paint color of the car.
• The polish (outer) usually has a transparent color to protect the outside surface.

To keep black cars shiny, you can apply an extra layer of anti-gloss paint. Using a suitable amount of polish and microfiber cloth, and in portions, apply the polish evenly to the paint stain. After polishing the paint, lightly polish the surface with a slightly damp microfiber towel.

The next step is to use wax to clean black cars. Like sunscreen, wax polish protects the car from ultraviolet rays and makes your black car shine. Black cars require a special wax called black car wax:

Step 1: Spray the wax on your car surface directly, working on each section. (You can use specified products that are designed for black cars like Turtle Wax)

Step 2: Use a damp microfiber towel to spread the wax evenly on the part of the car’s surface.

Step 3: Keep on buffing out other parts of the surface until your car is shiny. 

Please note that: The wax is a protective layer and makes your car shiny but using wax can’t get rid of the scratches on the surface, it just helps you to hide imperfections and help protect black paint often damaged by UV rays and swirl marks. On the contrary, the polish can remove the scratches but it could probably remove the car paint.

Avoid leaving the car on the outside

Vehicles that are not kept in the garage will make them deteriorate faster than ever. You should not park your car outdoors, especially in hot weather. Because the sun contains a strong amount of ultraviolet rays that cause the paint on the car’s body to reduce its ability to “stick”. Moreover, dark-colored cars often have a high ability to absorb heat, especially black cars. In case your car often has to be left outdoors, use a cover to protect it.

FAQs

What color car is easiest to keep clean?

Light brown, gray, or silver will be the ideal paint colors to hide the layer of dirt that can accumulate on the surface of your car. While the silver paint may not hide dirt as well as the other two, it does a better job than white nonetheless. White is the most popular car paint color. A lot of people choose this car paint color, not for the purpose of creating a clean feeling, but mainly because this paint color has the effect of reflecting the sun, preventing the temperature in the car from rising, especially suitable for hot weather.

Do black cars absorb the heat in the sun?

In some studies, science proves that using dark colors will absorb sunlight more strongly than bright colors (because these colors will reflect back). Research by the Berkeley Laboratory for Energy Technology (USA) in 2011 has found that white, silver, and other bright paint colors can improve car performance. 

The study show:

• Tested on two silver and black Honda Civics, and found that light-colored cars reflect about 60% more sunlight than dark-colored cars.
• This helps light-colored cars save 2% more fuel than dark cars (due to using the car’s air conditioner at a higher temperature).
• From there, it helps reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.9%, while dark cars increase other harmful emissions by 1%.

>> Read more: Do Black Cars Get Hotter Than White Cars In Hot Days?

Can toothpaste remove scratches on black cars?

Toothpaste contains ingredients that work safely on many surfaces. In addition to its oral health, toothpaste can also clean many other objects such as nails, glass surfaces, and car paint, …. This is considered an effective abrasive and smoothes scratches. Our answer is “Yes” you can use the toothpaste to remove scratches on the car’s surface. However, toothpaste is only effective for light scratches on the surface, and for deeper scratches, you must use other methods.