Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/408388
November / December 2014 16 THE CLEAN CORNER By Spencer Cochran Putting New Life Back Into YOUR TIRES C leaning Tip: Always rinse off your brushes, rags and sponges with your hose before putting them into your rinse bucket. This keeps the water clean in both your rinse and wash buckets. This week I'm going to start on the ex- terior of the car and the first place I begin is typically the dirtiest part of the car, the wheels. The reason to start with the wheel package is to prevent all that dirt and grime in the wells and wheels from getting back onto your freshly cleaned finish. For the car to have that showroom look the total wheel package has to be clean. Properly dressed tires and wheel wells make a huge impact on the overall looks of the car, but most people don't put enough work into cleaning these areas. You can spend hours waxing and detailing the paint on your car, but if the wheels aren't clean the car just doesn't show well. So let's get started. First get all your cleaning supplies ready. You will need: 1 Two dedicated buckets for the wheels only. (One for the soap and one to rinse the mitt and brushes off) 2 A dedicated wash cloth or mitt 3 A large detail brush with a long handle. 4 A long wheel cleaning brush to get into the hard to reach areas 5 Your favorite automotive shampoo. 6 Wheel cleaner (there are several different types of wheel finishes, so pick a cleaner that will not damage your type of finish) These chemical cleaners are only needed if your wheels have bad build up on them that will not come off under normal washing and waxing. I only use them the first time I clean old wheels. 7 Wax and tire dressing (I like to use liquid Ice Wax and Back-to-Black) 8 Some old cotton hand towel that you can throw away 9 Small waxing sponges 10 Several microfiber towels.