How do I wash a car with a ceramic coating?

Washing a car can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. We assume our customers would like to keep it simple and take advantage of the fact that coatings make cars easier to clean.

How we do it

Use a pressure washer to blast off the worst of the dirt and grit. Next, use a sprayer to apply a good quality car shampoo. You can use a clean wash mitt to agitate the dirt, or a soft traffic brush. Then rinse the car off with a pressure washer.

Drying the car can be a little more tricky because now your car is effectively coated in quartz, it's very much like cleaning glass. You can dry your car with good quality, clean microfibre cloths, but the job can be made easier if you use a drying aid product, or use an inline hose filter to reduce the hardness of the water. This will minimize water spots.

Conflicting and complicated advice

There's a lot of information published on the internet about how to care for cars with ceramic coatings, BUT much of it is written from a detailer's/enthusiast's point of view and instructs how to maintain your car in absolutely tip-top condition. As a consequence, the advice is very involved and requires specialist equipment like snow-foam guns and air canons. If you followed the advice, you'd end up spending more money, and put more time and effort into washing your ceramic coated car than you did your old car.

We understand that the majority of our customers get their car ceramic coated because they like the fact that it's low effort. You have to wash your car less often, and when you do wash, it's easy. 

The bottom line is that it's washing your car that makes it look old. There is sharp dust and grit on your car and the process of washing it off causes micro-scratches called wash marks which make your paintwork dull. There is no getting away from the fact that washing your car will induce scratches, but much of the advice give, the long convoluted wash methods are designed to minimize it. 

The good news is that because ceramic/graphene/titanium coatings are so slick, the dirt finds it difficult to stick to, so it comes off relatively easy without much washing. In fact, the rain will take much of it off. The second factor working in your advantage is that these coatings are tough, so they resist micro-scratches. 

Conclusion

Our advice, is rather than to find the best method to wash your car without leaving scratches, we suggest you just avoid the worst ways that are sure to create wash marks, and you should be fine. 

What to do

Rinse your car before washing. The Self-Cleaning nature of these coatings means a rinse will wash away most of the dirt and grit that causes scratches, meaning you are half-way home. 

1. Rinse the car off - this gets rid of the worst of the gritty dirt that causes scratches
2. Soak - spray the car down with a purpose made car shampoo, let it soak for a few minutes
3. Agitation -  now you can wash the car down. Use a wash mitt or a traffic brush. Don't use a flat sided sponge.
4. Rinse again - Give the car a blast off with a pressure washer to remove all the suds.
5. Dry - Either with large microfibre towels or an air-canon / leaf-blower.

• Top-up products - You can use these products to extend the life of your coating, but you don't need to.
• Two bucket method - This is a sensible way to avoid scratching your car.

If you have a pressure washer at home, that's great. If not, then the coin operated one at self serve car washes are even better. Otherwise, find a hand car wash where the guys do a good job. There are some very good ones out there.

What not to do

Don't use automate car washes, as these don't rinse your car. They apply a shampoo then go on with the brushes and mops, which are harsh and do cause scratches. Touchless washes are the exception, as they only use jets of water. The other exceptions are automated car washes, where they have a guy who goes over your car with a pressure washer first. If this is the case, then soft-cloth washes are not the ideal, but not the end of the world. Just remember, some of these washes are not well maintained, the cloth mops get dirty, and they sometimes use harsh chemicals for faster cleaning.

Avoid cheap hand car washes, especially the kind where it's a couple of guys in a supermarket car park with a dirty old bucket on wheels. They often wash dozens of cars in a row, their equipment is dirty, cloths full of grit, and they often use very harsh chemicals so they can get the job done quickly.

If you clean the car yourself, use a wash mitt, not a sponge, keep your drying cloths clean. It's better to not dry your car than dry it with a towel that you dropped on the ground.

What this question is really about

Most people aren’t asking for a concours-level wash method - they want a quick, sensible routine that takes advantage of the coating’s slickness, avoids the worst scratch-causing habits, and keeps the car looking good without turning washing into a hobby.

Why coated cars are easier - but not maintenance-free

Ceramic/graphene-style coatings are slick, so dirt sticks less and a rinse removes more. That said, washing is still the main thing that creates micro-scratches (wash marks), so the goal is to rinse off grit first and avoid harsh tools and dirty cloths..

Drying is where many people struggle

A coated car can behave a bit like glass when drying - it can grab and smear if towels aren’t ideal. If you find drying awkward, use a drying aid, keep towels spotless, and consider reducing water hardness (for example, an inline hose filter) to minimise water spots.

What not to do if you want to avoid wash marks

• Avoid automatic brush washes - they often don’t pre-rinse properly and brushes/mops cause wash marks.
• Be cautious with cheap hand car washes - dirty buckets, gritty cloths, and harsh chemicals are common.
• Don’t use harsh TFR/caustics routinely - repeated use can shorten coating performance.
• Don’t dry with a towel you dropped - better to leave it wet than grind grit into the paint.

Practical options if you’re not washing at home

• Self-serve jet wash - a good option for pre-rinse and rinse cycles.
• Touchless automatic - generally safer than brushed systems (chemicals still matter).
• A careful hand car wash - can be fine if they pre-rinse properly and use clean equipment.

Best-practice checklist

• Always rinse off grit before contact washing.
• Use a proper car shampoo and a mitt/soft brush - not a flat sponge.
• Keep drying towels clean and avoid dragging dirt across paint.
• Top-up products are optional - use them only if you want to.
• Avoid the “worst offenders” (brush washes, harsh chemicals, dirty cloths) and you’ll do well.

Written by Danny Argent. Last updated 11/02/2026 17:21