Hey guys!

I have really hard water at my house and was wondering if it'd still be possible to wash my car at home without getting tons of water spots. If i do it in sections and manage to dry it fast enough will it work out or am i better off just going to the car wash / detail shop? I really need to do a good hand wash and wax but i don't want to pay someone else to do it.

 

buy a water softener!

But seriously, go buy a pack of microfiber cloths/sheets and just clean section by section.

Microfiber can remove water spot deposits pretty well anyways. No worries

 

Thanks for the response! It's my parents place so i can't get a water softener, but it's good to know that i should still be able to hand wash.

 

or get waterless wash. griotsgarage has SprayOn CarWash i use from time to time. just buy a bunch of plush MF towels. no need for water, and if you use it correctly you wont get swirls either.

there are other waterless wash brands, so check them out.

 

I've dealt with this too in Las Vegas, we had softeners in the house but the outside pipe water was just hard water.

I just made sure to wash and dry in the shade since it was like 200 degrees outside and sectioned roof and rear first, sides, front end. I never got water spots but I HAD to stay in the shade or wait until the sun set behind the mountains before I started.

 

if you use polymer based wipe as you dry sprays (like spray wax but polymer) you can use it while you're washing in the sun.

just keep the panel not super hot to the touch when you're done with the rinse and just spray/wipe. definitely do section at a time. i too wash in the sun most weekend mornings since that's like the only time i get to wash my cars. i use PrimaHydro. it's kinda pricy.

im going to try the Meguiar's polyer spray later this summer. it's like half price for the gallon.
Meguiar's D15601 Synthetic X-Press Spray Wax

 

Same lol! I know that feel too well. I do the washing right around sunset and the drying when the sun goes down in the garage.