Is It OK To Wash Your Car With Well Water?

If you live in a house where the source of water supply is well, you may be wondering if it’s OK to wash your car with well water? While there’s no direct answer to this question, we believe washing your car with well water might leave some residue. In this post, we’ll share a few tips to help you decide whether washing your car with well water is OK.

Issues Arising From The Quality Of Well Water

Any water that has calcium and magnesium is considered hard. Well water may be hard, depending on the source of the water. Water from well is always hard because of surplus minerals in the ground. Therefore, using untreated and unfiltered well water can leave residue on your car. Using well water can also leave visible streaks on your vehicle’s body when dry and could result in having unsightly marks on your car. To avert this from happening when you use Well water, make sure the water is treated and filtered.

Tips To Removing Hardness From Well Water

  • Water Softeners

Water softeners are a great way to reduce the minerals in hard water. Softeners are known to make hard water soft by using sodium in the water filtration unit to remove magnesium and calcium. Softened water has a small quantity of sodium, so you can use it to wash cars or even drink the water.

  • Filtration Units

Well water is hard and might have some impurities that could cause spots in car paint. Passing the well water through the filtration system will make the water suitable for washing your car. Getting water professionals to install a filtration system in your home well will solve hard water problems and its effects.

Once you install filtration units and water softeners, that could make it OK to wash your Car with Well Water provided, you follow some easy steps.

What You Need to Know Before Using Well Water to Wash Your Car

Like we said earlier, hard water has some particles known to leave lines and spots on car paint, but it does not peel car paint. Follow these steps to avoid water spots putting noticeable streaks on the car.

  • Test the well water in a lab for the composition of iron, manganese, and calcium to confirm the quality of the water.
  • Get a water softener added to the filtration system mounted on the Well to filter the water before use.
  • Wash the car under a shade or keep it away from direct sunlight during the wash.
  • Do not let soap water dry on the body of the car.
  • Use a water hose to spray water on the car to wash the car in sections and dry each section. 
  • Make use of a Microfiber wipe when drying the car.
  • Finally, use de-ionized or distilled water to rinse the well water off.

What Are the Materials You Need to Wash the Car?

Getting the right materials to wash your vehicle is the first step towards keeping the car clean. Water is a significant part of washing a car, and using the right type helps to answer the question – is it OK to wash your Car with Well Water? 

Other things in the list for washing a car include:

  • Microfiber clothe
  • Car washing cleaner, soap, or shampoo 
  • Car Wax
  • Grime wheel spray 
  • Detailing or dry spray
  • Hard brushes for cleaning the Wheels
  • Wheel cleaner
  • Bucket and a Water hose 

What Is The Right Time And Location To Wash A Car?

Knowing whether it is OK to wash your Car with Well Water should spur you to learn the best time and place to wash a car. Follow these suggestions below to get the best results when washing your car.  

Gusty Climate

When the day is gusty, do not wash a car as doing so might cause the wet surfaces to attract particles of dust, carried by the wind, which might scratch the car paint.

Scorching Sun

If your vehicle was left in the hot sun or have been on a journey and just arrived home, do not rush to wash the car. Washing the car will give a drab result as the heat on the surface of the vehicle will dry up the suds fast, form water spots, and attract thin muck.

Wash a Car under a Canopy

 Stay away from direct sunlight on a hot day, and wash the car under a canopy. When you are under a shade, you can easily clean the vehicle, and the car will sparkle more when you complete the task.

How To Wash A Car With Well Water At Home

Now that we know the answer to the query, if it is OK to wash your Car with Well Water, it is time to clean your car with well water.

Step 1: First, begin washing the car by splashing the vehicle’s body with bursts of water to loosen grit on its surface and avoid scratching the car when you start washing.

Step 2: Mix the soap in the Bucket until it produces lots of foam and use these excess suds to wash the car and loosen dirt easily on the surface of the vehicle to protect the paint.

Step 3:  Wash the car by starting from the top of the vehicle and move downwards. The lowest part of the vehicle attracts more dust because it is close to mud and dirt. 

Step 4: Select parts of the car to wash and rinse at once to prevent the shampoo drying on the car and causing streaks.

Step 5: Let the water flow effortlessly from the top of the car to the bottom to prevent water spots developing.

Step 6: Dip the washcloth or sponge regularly into clean water in another bucket and rinse off any grit or stones to prevent scratching the paint of the car. 

Step 7: Usually, the bottom parts near the wheels are covered with mud, grit, and particles from the brake’s wear and tear. Wash the lower part of the car, which is the dirtiest part with a rough sponge different from the one used for the upper parts of the vehicle. For better wash of the bottom of the car, change the wash water to a fresh one.

Step 8: Rinse the Car. After you finish rinsing the vehicle, get de-ionized water or distilled water to rinse the Well water off.

How Do You Dry The Car After Washing It?

After cleaning the vehicle, the next thing to do is dry it. Drying the car in the sun and taking it for a spin around your neighborhood to air dry, is not recommended. Doing any of those things will attract dirt and dust and put visible lines on the body of the car.  

To dry the vehicle, use a soft microfiber towel that can absorb water easily to wipe the car and prevent scratches to the varnish of the car. Then, use a different cloth to dry the lower part of the car to stop the upper part from getting dirty from sand or scratching the paint.

Detailing Your Car To Make It Sparkle

Detailing the car involves caring for the interior and surfaces of the vehicle using materials like clay bar to remove any speck of residue and wax the whole car. Detailing includes cleaning and waxing the wheels, tires, and chrome decorations, to restore them to their original state. 

Start by adding wax onto a clean, soft towel and gently apply the polish over the surface of the car and its interior. Next, use a soft cloth to buff the car. For extra shine, apply the wax a second time carefully all over the vehicle and the inner parts, and then allow the polish to dry before giving the car another round of buffing.

FAQ

Q1: Is It OK to Wash Your Car with direct Well Water?

No! Well water has so many minerals. Depending on the place you live, well water could be hard water and cause deposit on the car paint. If you follow strict methods, you can efficiently use the water without grazing the car paint’s glossy look.

Q2: How Can I Prevent Water Spots on my Car?

There are several ways to prevent water spots on a car. First, only wash a car under a shade, and then select parts of the car to wash. Dry cleaned parts at once with a soft microfiber towel and rinse any water spots.  

In Summary

This post answered the question, is it OK to wash your Car with Well Water? Do not use well water directly to wash a car if the well water does not have water filtration units and softeners. 

If a Well has a filtration unit, follow strict procedures like washing the car under a shade instead of under scorching heat of the sun, washing a part of the car, and drying it quickly with a microfiber towel, and using distilled water to rinse the car again after washing.

Now, you have the best methods for washing your Car with well water.