Contaminants affect the overall appearance of a set of wheels.
Last month, we introduced you to the different types of wheel finishes and what causes them to be contaminated.
This week, we’ll get started on the basic steps required for cleaning wheels.
Like any detailing solution, it’s consistency that matters most.
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As explained in the previous article, brake dust is the primary contaminant for wheels and as they are highly acidic in nature they can quickly erode the primary layer of the wheel’s finish.
The common practice is to clean the wheels thoroughly every time one washes the car.
If you’re familiar with removing wheels off the vehicle and have the necessary tools and equipment to do so, you’ll be able to achieve signi?cantly better results.
Here’s what you’ll need.
Light wheel cleaning tools
1. Sponges
2. Microfibre towels
3. Assortment of soft-to-medium brushes in various sizes and lengths
4. Detailing clay(keep this strictly for wheels use and not to be shared with the vehicle’s body)
5. Bucket(not to be mixed with the one used for washing the vehicle’s body)
6. Regular pH-balanced shampoo for frequent washes
7. Extra-strength degreasers for moderate brake dust accumulation removal
8. Spray dispenser for degreasers
To begin, rinse the wheels with pressurised water to saturate and loosen the contaminants.
You’ll be able to save some time by using a pressure-wash.
You’ll notice I’m a big advocate of a quality pressure-jet sprayer because it increases productivity and can actually decrease water usage.
Particularly when it comes to wheels with light-to-moderate brake-dust etching, the pressurised water can be very effective in dislodging contaminants.
Once the wheels are well-rinsed, we’ll start the cleaning process proper.
We’ll divide the wheel into five sections:. tyres; outer diameter of the wheel; spokes; inner barrel; and cavities
Microfibre towels are used after the ?nal rinse for drying the wheels and making sure no spot is missed.
Mix a dilution of pH-balanced shampoo in a bucket and soak in a sponge or two.
Agitate the water and soap mixture to produce foam, which will help cling onto the wheels a little longer for extra cleaning power.
For the tyres, start by using some of the foam and a medium bristle brush and scrub the sidewalls. Repeat steps onto the road-contact surface of the tyre.
Rinse with water. Move car forward by about one feet if you’d like to ensure that none of the tyre’s surface area is missed.
Next, begin by scrubbing the outer diameter of the wheel with a sponge loaded with the shampoo dilution. Sponges are great in these instances because they absorb and transfer a signi?cant amount of product onto a surface area.
Once the diameter is cleaned, move to the spokes of the wheel paying extra attention to the edges, insides and narrow crevices of the spokes.
If there is still dirt trapped in between the tight spaces, use a fine brush or even a toothbrush to reach it gently.
Rinse the wheel again thoroughly. Now move to the ?nal two sections of the wheel: the inner barrel and cavities.
The inner barrel is typically harder to access depending on the design of the spokes and the distance between them.
Here’s where having the knowledge of how to remove a set of wheels come as a plus factor.
It allows easier and quicker access to the inner barrel for extremely precise cleaning.
The cavities are the final areas to clean and they are usually the wheel caps, holes for the lug nuts to be fitted on and circumference of the air valve.
The difference is in the details (pun intended).
Give the wheels a rinse to check on the cleaning progress.
If there are still contaminants remaining, use the extra-strength degreaser to replace the shampoo dilution for a deeper cleaning ability.
Use the detailing clay to remove any leftover brake-dust contaminants in the cavities, between the spokes and other hard-to-reach places.
Finally, remember to always wipe down the washed wheels with a good quality microfibre towel.
In the next article, we’ll be looking at the final segment on wheel detailing.
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