If you’ve had a ceramic coating added to your car, then you’ll want to make the shine last for as long as possible to get your money’s worth.

That means you’ll need to be careful when cleaning and using your car to make sure it doesn’t come off too soon. Poor washing techniques can lead to swirl marks and reduce hydrophobic performance.

So though ceramic coatings actually make your car easier to maintain, you’ll still need to be careful about what you’re using, which is why we’ve put together a beginner’s guide to washing a car with a ceramic coating.

We’ll walk through what to do (and what not to do), so your car stays fresh and glistening for months on end.

In need of a full car freshen-up? Book in for a mobile car detail today.

Key takeaways

• Allow a newly applied coating to cure fully before its first wash.
• Wash your ceramic-coated car every two to four weeks as a general rule, or more often if it gets particularly dirty.
• Use a pH-neutral or ceramic-coating-safe shampoo alongside soft microfibre wash mitts and drying towels.
• Avoid washing-up liquid, harsh chemicals, abrasive sponges, stiff brushes, and automatic car washes with rotating brushes.
• Use the two-bucket method and wash from the top down to reduce the risk of scratches and swirl marks.
• Dry the car thoroughly rather than leaving it to air-dry, as this can help prevent mineral deposits and water spots.
• Ceramic coating makes your car easier to clean and helps protect the paintwork, but it doesn’t make the vehicle scratch-proof or maintenance-free.

What is a ceramic coating on a car?

A ceramic coating is a liquid product applied to the exterior of your car’s paintwork, creating a durable protective layer that helps protect your car’s shine and paint.

Most ceramic coatings contain silicon dioxide, also known as SiO₂, which, once cured, creates a smooth, hydrophobic surface, which basically means water is more likely to bead up and roll off rather than sit on the paintwork.

The benefits of a ceramic coating include:

• Water repellency
• Easier cleaning
• Protection against environmental contamination
• Shinier gloss
• Longer-lasting protection compared with many traditional waxes

While ceramic coatings add a protective cover to the bodywork of your car, they’re not entirely scratch-proof, so they can still get fine scratches or marring if you’re reckless.

It also helps dirt and water release more easily, but road grime, salt, bird droppings, insects, minerals, and other contaminants will still accumulate, which is why you need to regularly clean your car.

Is ceramic coating the same as car wax?

Ceramic coating and traditional car wax both protect the paintwork, but they work in different ways.

Wax generally sits on top of the paint and creates a temporary protective layer, providing extra shine and water repellency, whereas ceramic coatings are designed to bond more strongly with the clear coat and provide longer-lasting protection, lasting up to a few years.

How long should you wait before washing a newly ceramic-coated car?

There’s no set timeframe, as it’ll differ from product to product, but you should aim to wait around several days afterwards to give it time to cure.

To be safe, always follow the aftercare instructions supplied by the coating manufacturer or the professional who applied it.

What products should you avoid cleaning a ceramic car with?

Ceramic coatings are durable, yes, but they’re not completely resistant to damage.

If you use any harsh chemicals, abrasive tools, or unsuitable cleaning products when washing your car, you can affect the coating’s hydrophobic properties or scratch the paint.

For that reason, you should avoid using the following:

• Washing-up liquid and household detergents: Washing-up liquid and detergent aren’t designed for cars. They’re formulated to cut through grease and food residue, which means they can be unnecessarily harsh for routine car cleaning.
• Abrasive sponges and stiff brushes: Traditional sponges and stiff-bristled brushes can trap grit against their flat surface, which can be dragged across the paintwork and cause scratches.
• Automatic car washes with rotating brushes: It’s best to avoid automatic car washes as the rotating brushes come into contact with hundreds of vehicles, meaning any trapped dirt can then be dragged across your car’s paintwork, increasing the risk of swirl marks and scratches.
• Harsh acidic or alkaline cleaners: Aggressive traffic film removers, strong degreasers, and highly alkaline cleaners can put unnecessary stress on protective products if they’re used too frequently or at the wrong dilution.
• Abrasive polishes and compounds: Many automotive polishes contain abrasives designed to remove a microscopic layer from the paint surface to reduce scratches, oxidation, and other imperfections. Because of this, polishing a ceramic-coated car can reduce or completely remove the coating.
• Traditional waxes: Putting an unsuitable wax over a ceramic coating is pointless really, and it can alter its water resistance or mask some of the characteristics of the ceramic layer underneath.

A step-by-step guide to washing a ceramic-coated car at home

Washing a ceramic-coated car isn’t all too different from washing a normal car, but you just need to be a bit more careful.

The good news is that ceramic coatings are designed to make cleaning easier. Their water-repellent surface means dirt and grime are less likely to stick stubbornly to the paint, so you shouldn’t need to scrub at the car to get it clean.

What you’ll need:

• A hose or pressure washer
• A suitable pre-wash or snow foam
• A pH-neutral or ceramic-coating-safe car shampoo
• Two clean buckets, preferably fitted with grit guards
• A soft microfibre wash mitt
• Separate brushes or mitts for the wheels
• A large clean microfibre drying towel
• A separate drying towel for the wheels

Side note: Always make sure to wash your vehicle in the shade on a sunny day so the cleaning products don’t dry too quickly and leave streaks.

Step 1: Clean the wheels

Clean the wheels first to stop yourself from splashing dirty wheel cleaner or brake dust back onto paintwork that you’ve just finished washing.

Rinse each wheel thoroughly first, then use a suitable wheel cleaner and wheel brush or mitt to scrub the faces, barrels and around the wheel nuts where possible.

Step 2: Rinse the whole car

Before physically touching the paintwork, remove as much loose dirt as you can.

Use a garden hose or pressure washer to rinse the entire car, paying close attention to the doors and sills, wheel arches, front bumper, behind the wheels, the rear bumper and boot, and around number plates.

If you’re pressure washing, use a wide fan spray rather than concentrating an extremely powerful jet onto one tiny area and get enough distance between the car and nozzle.

Step 3: Apply a pre-wash or snow foam

Snow foam and other pre-wash products are designed to loosen and soften road grime before you touch the car.

Apply a ceramic-safe pre-wash to the entire bodywork and give it some time (around 10 minutes) to work into the surface. If your car is lightly dusty, snow foam probably isn’t necessary.

Step 4: Rinse away the pre-wash

Once the pre-wash has had time to work, thoroughly rinse it off.

Make sure you get the entire car to remove the loosened dirt and cleaning product before moving on to the contact wash.

Step 5: Prepare your two buckets

The two-bucket method is a straightforward way to reduce the amount of dirt being transferred back onto the paint.

Fill one bucket with clean water and your chosen car shampoo, following the recommended dilution ratio, then another bucket with plain, clean water.

The shampoo bucket is where you’ll load your wash mitt with cleaning solution. The second bucket is used to rinse dirt out of the mitt before you put it back into the shampoo.

Step 6: Wash the car from the top down

Place your microfibre wash mitt into the shampoo bucket and start cleaning the upper areas of your car, like the roof and windows. You can work your way down the vehicle panel by panel, following this order:

1. Roof
2. Windows and upper sections
3. Bonnet and boot
4. Upper doors and wings
5. Lower doors and bumpers
6. Sills and other heavily contaminated lower areas last

If you face any stubborn marks, just wash and repeat rather than scrubbing them aggressively, as this will just cause more damage. We suggest washing the car in straight lines rather than aggressively scrubbing in circles, adding minimal pressure instead.

Step 7: Give the car a thorough rinse

Once you’ve finished the contact wash, rinse all of the shampoo from the vehicle.

Work around the car carefully, checking mirrors, grilles, badges, door handles, and panel gaps where suds can become trapped.

This is also a good time to check that the coating is working; the water should bead into rounded droplets or quickly sheet away from the surface.

Step 8: Dry the car properly

Don’t leave the car to air-dry, as minerals can be left behind on the paintwork, creating visible water spots that can make your car look swirly and messy.

Instead, use a large, clean microfibre drying towel designed for automotive paintwork and gently glide the towel across the surface or blot areas where necessary. A car dryer or filtered-air blower can also be useful if you have one.

How often should you wash a ceramic-coated car?

Washing a ceramic-coated car every two to four weeks is usually enough for many everyday drivers, since your car shouldn’t get too dirty from using main roads or driving it to and from work only.

If you drive long distances, you use your car for hours on end for work, or you live in a place where your car is likely to get dirtier, then clean it more often. It’s just about how you use it and how comfortable you are with your car being a bit grimy for a bit.

Is ceramic coating worth it?

Ceramic coatings can be a worthwhile investment for many drivers, especially those who need their car for their job or care about appearances.

It’s also just all-round convenient as it protects your car from grime, bird droppings, and tree sap, so you can spend less time scraping it off your car. It also creates a deep, glossy finish that helps your car look freshly detailed for longer.

Enjoy a squeaky clean car with Car Cleaning Experts

There’s no need to be nervous about washing a ceramic-coated car!

Once you’ve got the right products and a good routine in place, looking after the coating is relatively straightforward.

If you don’t want to deal with the hassle yourself, we provide professional car details and valets here at Car Cleaning Experts, with completely mobile services. If you’re ready to give your car some TLC, contact us today to get your car booked in for a good scrub.