Vinegar is one of the most common household products with many cleaning applications, especially when removing tough and stubborn stains. It is a valuable tool for cleaning the interior of your car and its upholstery. But should you use vinegar to clean your vehicle’s exterior?
Vinegar will damage car paint if used to clean the exterior of your car. This is because vinegar is so acidic, even if it’s diluted. Acidic cleaners erode car paint and should be avoided when cleaning your car’s exterior. Wax or clay are better alternatives for treating your car’s exterior.
In the rest of this article, I’ll explore helpful topics related to this subject, including how vinegar reacts with paint and some alternatives to vinegar to clean your vehicle. If you have frequently used vinegar in the past and damaged your car paint, no need to worry. This article will also provide valuable tips on how to restore your car’s glossy look.
Why Vinegar Is Bad for Your Car’s Exterior
White vinegar is a useful product for many kinds of household cleaning. It’s a go-to solution when removing stubborn stains on surfaces and even clothing, as it brightens or whitens substances it comes into contact with.
Its application in cleaning is mainly due to its acidic quality. Vinegar has a PH value of 2.5. This low value means that vinegar is a strongly acidic compound capable of corroding surfaces or clothing.
Often, the low PH of vinegar means that you need to dilute it before using it to clean so that it doesn’t have as strong of an effect. However, even diluted vinegar is too strong in some cases.
Vinegar can potentially compromise the clear coat on your car. As a result, frequent and prolonged use of vinegar to clean your car will eventually give your car a dull look and potentially cause etching. This is primarily due to the corrosive action of the vinegar.
Accordingly, although vinegar can potentially help you remove stubborn stains or grime on your car’s exterior with minimal visible impacts in the short run, it’ll most likely result in etching in the long run. So the question is whether the short-term benefits of using vinegar as a cleaning agent are worth ruining your vehicle’s paint in the long run.
All things considered, I recommend staying away from vinegar as a cleaning compound for your car’s exterior. Instead, consider other less risky alternatives like soap made especially for washing cars.
What if I Dilute Vinegar With Water?
One way to minimize the corrosive action of vinegar is diluting it with water. Accordingly, some sources suggest that adding three parts of water and spraying the mixture on your car can help remove spots, as long as you wipe it dry with a cloth or newspaper.
Vinegar is still an excellent solution for removing stubborn stains such as grease and oil from your car. It is effective; just make sure to dilute the vinegar with water to negate the corrosive effect.
However, even in its dilute form, vinegar isn’t entirely safe. This means that frequent use will still pose a risk of damage to your car. Therefore, I’d recommend only using this solution sparingly to remove stubborn stains because it’s potentially destructive even in its diluted form.
Alternatives to Vinegar for Cleaning Your Car
When it comes to cleaning your car’s exterior, there are numerous alternatives that’ll give your vehicle a bright look without compromising the paint. These alternatives will also come in handy when removing swirls and other imperfections.
I’ll discuss these alternatives below.
Wax
Good quality wax is a good option for cleaning your car, giving it a glossy look while also protecting the paint against etching. It’s also an ideal option to get rid of stubborn water spots and prevent them from reappearing.
Most car waxes are designed to be gentle on your car’s clear-coat paint finish. Conduct ample research to get a high-quality car wax as a good rule of thumb. I recommend getting one from the major brands for reliable quality.
As an example, the Nu Finish Wax sold on Amazon is a great option for cleaning and protecting your car. It’s best used with microfiber towels to touch up spots and remove stains.
Use Specialized Car Washing Soap
Washing your car will remove dirt and other contaminants that build up on your vehicle’s surface without corroding your paint. Remember that when these contaminants build up over time, they’ll cause scratching in later stages.
According to Edmunds, use a high-quality, genuine car wash product, many of which are readily available in the market. Remember, the best car wash product has a balanced pH to remove and loosen dirt without removing wax or paint from your car.
The Mr. Pink Foaming Car Wash Soap is an example of a soap made for washing cars. It’s optimized for the car’s exterior so that it won’t damage the paint.
Below are a few pointers to make this process as easy as possible:
- Avoid regular dish soap, household cleaners, or laundry soap. Unlike genuine car wash products, these products are designed to dissolve and eliminate grease and oils. Therefore, using them could remove wax and potentially damage your vehicle’s finish.
- Use a microfiber washing mitt or a woolen fabric. Wash your car with the proper tools. Be as thorough as possible to get that shiny look. You may also use a soft bristle brush for soft convertible tops. This protects your vehicle’s finishing from unwanted scratching, which would be counterproductive.
- Wash with a soft, dry cloth. After washing, dry your car using a soft, drying towel. You can’t go wrong with washing your car weekly in terms of frequency.
Claying Using a Clay Bar
Claying is a process of getting rid of debris that has stuck to your car’s surface, which can’t otherwise be removed by regular washing. This step can be broken into a few easy steps as noted below:
- Retrieve your clay bar.
- Knead your clay bar until it flattens.
- Spray a detailed lubricant on your car.
- Use the clay bar for buffing.
It’s as easy as that. You can clay any part of your car, including the head and tail lamps, windows, and body. After removing the debris, you can then wash your vehicle with a car wash for best results.
See also: Will Acetone Damage Car Paint?
How Do I Fix Etching?
Like many car owners, maybe you have made the common mistake of using vinegar to clean your car’s exterior. The good news is that this can easily be resolved, and there’s no need to panic.
You can restore your car’s paint using a car polish or through paint correction. Whether you want to fix your vehicle after the etching caused by vinegar used or restore the glossy look of your car due to natural fading over time, these two approaches will get the job done.
These two approaches are elaborated on below.
Polishing
If the damage to your paint is only minor, then your best option is simple machine polishing. This approach is simpler and cheaper than paint correction. Here, you’ll need to purchase a reliable car polish in the market.
You can then use a machine polisher to apply the polish to your car, essentially concealing visible blemishes caused by corrosion or aging.
Paint Correction
This is a process of eliminating defects on your car, such as paint scratches, swirl marks, and marring. A common misconception is that paint correction involves simply adding a layer of paint to hide these defects. However, this is a form of polishing that is more specialized.
This approach is recommended if the damage to your car is severe. Although it’s a rather specialized process requiring an expert, it typically consists of three steps as discussed below.
- First, the technician will utilize a buffering agent and pad to get rid of minor blemishes. However, this stage doesn’t eliminate swirl marks.
- Then, minor scratches and common swirl marks are eliminated. The technician will use two different polishes and pads in this stage to remove these defects.
- Lastly, deep marring or scratching are removed. A course pad and heavy cutting agent are used in this stage.
After each of these steps, a sealant is added to protect your paint against further damage.
In Conclusion
In closing, while vinegar can be used to clean your car, it has been linked with etching and can damage your paint with repeated use. To minimize the chance of damage, dilute it with three parts water and use it sparingly.
There are numerous alternatives to vinegar that provide similar benefits without potentially damaging your car’s paint. I recommend using a car wash product, claying, waxing, or a combination of all to clean your vehicle. This way, you don’t have to worry about any damage to your car’s paint.
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- By Car Roar