As a car owner, you want to be able to do your best to keep your car in great shape. In order to give your car a nice shine, it’s important to wax it from time to time. Many people have been asking me about car wax in order to better understand how to make use of it, how long it lasts, and how to properly store it.
This information will definitely come in handy for any car owner who cares about the appearance of his or her car. Learning more about wax will give you a better idea of how often you need to go out to buy new wax. Ensuring that you’re storing things properly will keep you from wasting money unnecessarily too.
Does Car Wax Expire?
The first thing that you should know is that most car waxes will not ship with any type of expiration date printed on them. This has lead to some confusion among people who want to know how long they can keep using a can of wax. With no expiration date in sight, some people take this to mean that the wax will stay good indefinitely. This isn’t necessarily the case but car wax isn’t something that should go bad quickly either.
Even though most waxes don’t recognize any type of an expiration date, you’ll still want to make sure that the wax is good before you start using it. If you use a really old can of wax on your car, then the results are likely to be less than stellar. Over time, the wax is going to lose some of its properties due to exposure to heat and cold weather. Keeping wax in a more temperate place will help it to last longer but your can of wax still isn’t going to remain fantastic after several years of being ignored.
Most experts state that you should be able to use a high-quality can of wax for up to two years. This assumes that you’ve been storing the wax properly and that everything is in the best condition. After this, you should discard the can of wax and go out to buy a new can. There isn’t anything official that declares two years as the limit for a can of wax but this is a standard widely accepted by car enthusiasts.
Also, you need to keep in mind that a high-quality can of car wax is supposed to last for up to two years. If you’re buying car wax that is cheaper or not quite as good as the top brands, then you might not get quite as much time. The ingredients used in car wax may differ between two different brands. There are so many factors that come into play that answering this question thoroughly isn’t entirely possible.
How to Store Your Car Wax
Learning how to store car wax properly is also essential. You want to make sure that you’re taking care of your wax right so that it’ll be ready for you when you need it. It’s actually a bad idea to just keep your car wax tucked away in your hot garage. That isn’t going to be good for the wax and you’ll likely notice bad results.
You should try to keep your car wax stored in a cooler area that is away from the sunlight. Many people who are very serious about car wax actually wind up storing their car wax containers in a refrigerated area. This can help to keep the wax in good condition and actually works out very nicely. If you have a spare mini-fridge or a wine cooler, then this is an ideal place to store cans of unused car wax.
As long as you can seal the can properly, storing the wax in this fashion should help you to keep the wax in good shape. Just make sure that everything is sealed up tightly and then tuck it away someplace safe. If you don’t want to refrigerate it, then you don’t have to. A temperature-controlled environment that doesn’t get too hot will work just fine as well.
You could put the wax in a closet inside of your home that doesn’t get too stuffy. Take your time to find a good storage spot. You’ll be able to keep your wax in good shape and you won’t have to worry about the quality of the wax degrading.
Remember to Let the Wax Heat up After Refrigerating it
If you choose to refrigerate your wax, then you shouldn’t use it in its cold state. You don’t want to try to apply the wax to your car when it’s fresh out of the refrigerator. Take the wax out of the fridge the night before and allow it to warm itself back up naturally. This is the easiest way to go about doing things.
Some people avoid using the refrigeration method due to wanting to be able to wax their cars when they get the urge to do so. Depending on how you feel about this, storing the wax in a room-temperature setting might wind up being preferable. Just keep this in mind so you can avoid any problems.
How Often Should You Apply Car Wax?
Generally, car wax should be applied to your car twice per year. There are a lot of people who wax their cars more often than this, though. You’ll also find people who only wax their cars once per year. It’s really up to you to decide what is best to do but twice per year is a good overall recommendation.
If you want to keep your car protected, then waxing your car this often makes a lot of sense. You want to do your best to stay proactive about protecting your car’s paint job. A good waxing can really make things look nice while providing protection from UV rays, harsh weather, salt, and so much more. You should do your best to keep a can of wax around to tend to your car’s needs when necessary.
Many people go ahead and wax their cars when they give them a thorough washing. If you live in an area that gets a lot of snow or you live near the ocean, this is going to be essential. You want to avoid letting certain things build up on your car. This can lead to rust issues if you aren’t careful so being vigilant about washing and waxing is quite helpful for the longevity of your vehicle.
What if You Can’t Use the Wax Quickly Enough?
If you’re only waxing your car twice per year, then it’s possible that you’ll wind up not using all of your wax up in two years. If you buy a decent-sized can of car wax, then this can be an issue for some people. You need to keep in mind that the two-year date is merely a suggestion. There is no absolute expiration date on car wax so some people will use the wax longer than two years.
When you take the time to store the wax properly, it’ll be easier to keep things in good shape. You might be able to get more time out of the wax when you’re mindful about how you’re storing it. If you’re storing the wax in your garage for two years and it gets exposed to extreme heat, then the wax might not be so great. Just keep in mind that you need to use your best judgment about the condition of the wax and whether it’s going to be usable.
In Conclusion
Now that you know more about car wax, it’ll be easier to take care of it. You won’t have to worry about wasting cans of wax due to not storing it properly. You’ll also be able to avoid using old wax that hasn’t been taken care of right. You want to use the best stuff on your car so that you can enjoy great results so taking the time to do things right makes sense.
Storing your wax and keeping an eye on how old it is really shouldn’t be all that difficult. So long as you’re paying attention, you’ll never find this to be a big problem. I hope that the information above helped to shine some light on this topic for you. Car wax might not have an expiration date but you still need to be mindful of many things to get the best results.
Take the time to think about everything that you’ve learned today before you wax your car the next time. You should feel much more prepared and you’ll be ready to take care of your car wax. If you need a new can of car wax, then be sure to invest in a high-quality product that’ll work excellently for your vehicle. There are many options on the market, such as this Turtle Wax offering, so take your time to choose something that’ll work well for you.
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- By CarRoar