How to Use a Self-Service Car Wash: Washing, Rinsing, & Drying

Co-authored by Angel Ricardo and Hannah Madden

Looking for a cheap, effective way to clean your car? A manual car wash is exactly what you need. Even if you’ve never been to one before, most self-service stations are relatively similar, and they’re all easy to use. In this article, we’ll walk you through the process of using a self-serve car wash so you can drive off with a clean, shiny vehicle.

Things You Should Know

Use the service machine inside the car wash bay to pay and select the setting that you want.
Rinse your car with water, then spray it with soap or scrub it with the foam brush. Apply tire cleaner to the tires and wheel wells for an extra clean.
Rinse your car with Spot Free Rinse to ensure it dries without streaks.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Washing Your Car

1
Pull into an empty bay and park your car. The bay is the area of the self-service station where you will be washing your car. Park your car in the center of the bay, leaving enough room to walk in front of your car.^{[1]
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- If the car wash is busy, you may have to wait in line for your turn. Drive up behind any other cars waiting in line, and slowly pull forward as the cars move up.
2
Hang your floor mats on the provided metal clips. If your floor mats are made of rubber or plastic, take them out of your car and hang them on the bay with metal clips. If your car wash doesn’t have metal clips, simply set them against the wall so you can wash them later. Skip this step if your mats are made of carpet, or if you'd rather not clean them.^{[2]
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3
Insert coins or a credit card into the machine. Many newer machines work with a credit card, but older models might only take coins. Once you insert your money, the sprayer wand will be ready to go, so make sure you’re ready to wash!^{[3]
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- Different car washes charge different amounts, but in general, most of them charge about $1 per minute.
- If you’re using a credit card, the machine will automatically charge the card from when you turn the machine on until you press stop.
- If you’re using quarters, the machine will stay on for the amount of time you pay for. If the machine stops, you can insert more money to turn it back on again.
4
Set the dial to “Wash” or “Pre-Soak.” Head over to the machine that controls the settings of your spray wand. Near the bottom, you’ll notice a dial with about 10 options on it. To start, turn the knob to either the “Wash” setting or the “Pre-Soak” setting to get your car wet.^{[4]
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- Use the Pre-Soak setting if your car is really dirty. Otherwise, just stick to Wash.
5
Stand about 3 to 5 feet (0.91 to 1.52 m) away from your car as you wash. If you stand too close, the high-pressure stream can damage your vehicle. Keep a safe distance so you don’t scratch or mark up your car.^{[5]
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6
Rinse your entire car with water. Hold the spray wand away from your body, and squeeze the handle to release a high-pressure water stream. Take one full lap around the car, and spray down the entire vehicle to remove superficial dirt and debris.^{[6]
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Angel Ricardo
Auto Technician
Expert Interview. 1 October 2019.}
- Use the spray nozzle to rinse your entire car, including the wheels, the mirrors, the undercarriage, and your floor mats.
- If you're using the Pre-Wash setting, switch to Wash after you've made your first lap around the car. Once you've switched to Wash, take another complete lap before moving on to the next step.
7
Apply soap to your car with the spray wand. Turn the dial on the machine from Wash to Soap. When you pull the handle on the spray wand, a soapy stream will start spraying from the wand. Take another lap around your car to spray down your entire vehicle with the suds from top to bottom, including the tires and wheel wells.^{[7]
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- Pay extra attention to the dirtiest parts of your car during this step, especially the crevices underneath the doors and the front grill.
8
Rinse the foam brush with the spray wand. Look around for the foam brush, which is near the service machine. Grit, sand, and mud might linger in the brush from previous use, so quickly change the spray wand setting back to Rinse, then rinse off the bristles of the foam brush.^{[8]
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- Some car enthusiasts prefer not to use the foam brush at all. Instead, they’ll bring their own sponges from home, and fill a bucket with soapy water from the machine to dip their sponge in.
9
Brush your entire car with the foam brush. Manual scrubbing will leave your car shiny and sparkling clean. Hold the foam brush by the handle and work from the top down, starting on the roof of the car and moving down to the body. Then, use the foam brush on the wheels and the wheel wells.^{[9]
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- Gently flick the soap off of the foam brush every minute or so to dislodge dirt and grime.
- If you’re using a sponge that you brought from home, the same theory applies: work your way from the top down, ending with your tires and wheel wells.
- Don’t forget to scrub your mats, too!
10
Apply tire cleaner to the wheels and tires. Head back to the service machine and turn the knob to “Wheel and Tire.” Use the spray nozzle to spray down your wheels, then scrub them with the foam brush for a deeper clean.^{[10]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Rinsing and Drying

1
Rinse and dry your car mats. It’s easy to leave your car mats behind, so don’t forget them! When you're finished scrubbing, trade the foam brush back for the spray wand, and turn the wand to the Rinse setting. Give the mats a final rinse, then dry them off with a paper towel or a rag that you brought from home.^{[11]
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- Rinsing your car mats first gives them time to dry while you finish up with the rest of your car.
2
Use the spray wand to rinse all of the suds from your car. Take a lap around your car to rinse all of the soap from your car, working from the top down. It's best to work quickly to prevent a soapy film from developing on your car.^{[12]
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Auto Technician
Expert Interview. 1 October 2019.}
3
Wax your car for a shiny finish. If the wax setting is available at the station, set the spray nozzle to Wax and take a final lap around your car. This will help seal in the clean surface of the body while protecting the paint from dirt and salt.^{[13]
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Angel Ricardo
Auto Technician
Expert Interview. 1 October 2019.}
- Waxing your car helps it dry faster, especially when it rains.
4
Rinse your car with a Spot Free Rinse. If you’ve added wax to your car, there’s one final step you need to do: rinse it off again. Set the spray nozzle to Spot Free Rinse to use filtered water. Then, rinse your car from the top down, being sure to get the crevices and the wheel wells as well.^{[14]
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5
Dry your car with the air dry nozzle if your car wash has one. Not all self-service car washes have a drying option, but some new ones do! If you’d like to dry your car quickly, set the nozzle to “Air Dry” and use the hose attached to the service machine to dry off your car.^{[15]
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- Work your way from the top down to gently push the water off your car.
- You can also bring a microfiber towel from home and use that to dry off your car. Or, you can simply wait for your car to air dry once you drive away.
6
Press “Stop” on the service machine and replace the spray wand. At this point, you are finished using the spray wand, so it's time to return it to the place where you found it at the station. Press “Stop” on the service machine so it stops charging you money.^{[16]
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Expert Q&A
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Question

What would I need to wash my car like this at home?

Angel Ricardo
Auto Technician
Angel Ricardo is the owner of Ricardo's Mobile Auto Detail headquartered in Venice, California. With over 10 years of experience in mobile detailing, Angel continues to attend auto detailing trainings to improve his customer service and auto detailing skills.

Angel Ricardo

Auto Technician

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

You'd definitely need a pressure washer and a steady water supply. Alternatively, you could get a tank for the washer. One of those $200-300 tanks should be good. Keep in mind, you really aren't going to get a good wash if you go for cheap equipment.
Question

Are automatic car washes better than self service?

Angel Ricardo
Auto Technician
Angel Ricardo is the owner of Ricardo's Mobile Auto Detail headquartered in Venice, California. With over 10 years of experience in mobile detailing, Angel continues to attend auto detailing trainings to improve his customer service and auto detailing skills.

Angel Ricardo

Auto Technician

Expert Answer

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Absolutely not. It's easier for sure, but the quality of the wash is going to be much worse. Automated car washes recycle their water, so a lot of gunk, dirt, and debris ends up in the water. They have filters that get some of that stuff out, but you may end up with mineral deposits on your paint job. I've even see small pebbles get through the filter, which can scratch your car.
Question

Can I pause the machine?

Community Answer

No, there is no pause button. The timer is running. You might not always spray, but the clock keeps ticking.