So, for our latest car care blog, we wanted to safely walk you through a step by step process of how you can deep clean your wheels and tyres. Although it may seem basic, cleaning your tyres is an essential part of car maintenance as they help to determine your quality of driving. You may have noticed that your wheels can get dirty pretty quickly, and this is ok as tyres are meant to get dirty. But, shiny snazzy wheels can make or break your car so we’ve put together a few simple tips and tricks on how to keep your tyres looking fresh while protecting your alloy wheels.
Here are our top tips on how you can keep your tyres looking clean:
1. USE A TYRE CLEANER
There are many different types of cleaners out there, so when it comes to cleaning your tyres, ensure that you use a cleaner that is specifically designed to clean your tyres. Once you’ve located your tyre cleaner, spray this onto your tyres and follow the instructions and safety precautions on the cleaning product.
One thing that you shouldn’t consider using is car wash soap. Designed to clean and protect the paint as well as clear the coat, and if you leave this on your tyres, it will prevent them from shining. Once you’ve applied the cleaner, allow for this to sit for a minute or two on your tyre for optimal effect, allowing for it to soak in and extricate as much of the dirt as possible.
You should note that if your tyres have browned due to excessive dirt, then rather than wiping away your cleaning product on your tyres, you may need to use a stiff bristle brush and scrub your tyres to ensure that they are clean.
Once you’ve scrubbed off as much dirt as you can, it’s important that you give your tyres a rinse with a hose. And remember, if you’re using a pressure washer, ensure that you protect your eyes. If you find that once you’ve cleaned your tyres and they’re still brown, you could opt for a tyre gel that will turn your tyres back to their original shade of black and the great thing is, tyre gels can undo rubber browning from very old age.
2. TYRE DRESSING
Before you apply any tyre dressing, make sure that you use a towel to dry your tyres, primarily focusing on your tyre’s sidewalls as this is the most visible. When it comes to applying the tyre dressing, ensure that you read the label on the packaging as you don’t want a dressing that doesn’t include silicone. Our top tip is to choose a water-based tyre dressing as although you may have to apply multiple coats in order to achieve that shine you’d get from a silicone-based dressing, a water-based dressing will require less upkeep.
So, how do you apply the dressing? It’s simple, try and apply the dressing evenly in thin coats, almost like you are painting, using the sponge to simply wipe it on the sidewall. It should be noted that you should also allow the tyre dressing to dry before you drive your vehicle. This may seem obvious, but just to be on the safe side.
3. CLEAN YOUR TYRES WHILE WASHING YOUR VEHICLE
This tip is as simple as it sounds. Start off by cleaning your wheels and tyres as these usually tend to be the dirtiest part of your vehicle. Doing this, will help to prevent you from splattering dirt on your clean vehicle. If you wash your vehicle after your tyres, then this allows you to rinse off any excess that may be lingering on your vehicle’s paint.
So it’s no doubt that your wheels and tyres are likely to be covered in all sorts of dirt not to mention brake dust. It may sound like nothing but this dust can actually create small scratches on your vehicles paintwork and this is why that it’s crucially important that you use a different bucket to clean your wheels and tyres when cleaning your vehicle. Keep all of your cleaning equipment for your wheels and tyres separate from that you clean the rest of your vehicle with.
If possible, try your best to avoid getting tyre cleaner on your wheels or the paintwork as this can dull paint and even remove the wax from your vehicle. It’s these small things that can actually make the world of a difference to your vehicle, so be sure to take care when you’re applying any tyre cleaner and immediately wipe off any excess. When purchasing wheel and tyre cleaner, ensure that you read the instructions on the packaging as some cleaner is only designed for specific types of wheels.
