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Waxing Your Car: Tips From Armor All For Success

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Disclosure: Armor All sent us these products but as you can see from the pictures of the truck we really needed them. All opinions are our own.

We spring clean our homes but have you done the same for your car? The winter months can be terrible on your vehicle and if you have kids thrown into the mix you can pretty much guarantee that the mess will be multiplied by one million. We had been looking at affordable used cars for a while before buying this car and it looks a lot worse now than it did when we bought it as it’s covered in vomit.

This past season we have had 3 kids that are now sufferers of motion sickness as well as a stomach bug last week that nearly crippled our crew but left one particular kid projectile vomiting all over our middle row. Add that with the usual build up of seasonal dirt plus the old food that has found it’s final resting place between our car seats and our truck needs love, both inside and out.

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Armor All Premium Waxing Kit

Armor All has long been a brand we have used in our car detailing needs and when they offered to send hubby a premium waxing kit so that he could give the outside of our car some love he was like a kid on Christmas morning. Giving the car in for detailing can not only be costly but it also means we are without transportation for the day, not an option in our home. If you did decide to go with a professional company there are many advantages, car wash insurance is often not praised enough but can really save you some money if you are unlucky enough to have a bad incident where your car ends up being damaged, you’d be covered. If you’re interested in learning more, Insurance 4 MotorTrade can provide some great insight.

Plus there is a simple pleasure in maintaining your car yourself. It’s pride in ownership. Also, a car is a huge purchase and we plan on having ours long enough for the kids to learn to drive in it (we love our truck OK?) so we have to do the maintenance to make sure the body survives that long.

Waxing is important to your car because it adds a protective layer on your car’s clear coat. You should be doing it twice a year and you can think of it as the top coat of your nail polish, necessary and adds just the right amount of shine.

Overall this waxing kit was easy enough for even us newbies to use. It was the perfect activity for hubby and I to tackle during nap time and it gave us an excuse to head outside.

Included in the kit were

  • Premium Wash Wax and Protect
  • Cleaner Paste Wax
  • Spray Detailer
  • Liquid Cleaner Wax
  • Extreme Glass Wax Cleaner
  • Protectant Wipes

But we were babies so we used these awesome tips from Armor All in our waxing journey:

Walk Before You Run. Before you wax your car, wash it thoroughly in a shaded area. Otherwise, the heat of the sun could dry the car faster than you can wipe, leaving more water spots than when you started. Rookie mistake!

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Pop A Wheely. Cleaning your wheels is a messy job, so make sure you wash them first with a tire and rim cleaner. If you leave this task until the end, you’ll track gunk on your car’s body that you just spent precious time and energy cleaning. Talk about one step forward, two steps back!

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Wash N’ Dry. You want to be tough on grime? Wash your car with a lambswool or microfiber wash mitt. Follow up with a chamois, terrycloth or microfiber towel to dry. The most experienced master knows the true strength in softness.

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Wax On, Wax Off. You don’t need to lay it on thick. A thin but even coat is more than enough to protect your car’s paint work. Apply a small amount of Spray Wax to one area of the car at a time. This technique will ensure the wax does not dry too long before buffing. Divide and conquer.

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In the Buff. The longer you buff, the better the shine. Buff in overlapping circular patterns to remove residue, and if there are any patches when you’re done, park your car in the sun for 10–15 minutes. You don’t want it to fully soften, but heating the wax will make buffing more efficient. Life pro tip: don’t buff in the buff, you’ll scare the neighbours!

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Karate Express. If you don’t have time to devote to mastering the art of the car wash and wax, the Wax Wipes are here to help. They’re an easy way to wax and protect your car anywhere and anytime. Throw a package in your car, and drive around feeling like a car waxing black belt – ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

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For more tips on how to keep your car in tip-top shape and the products to get you there head on over to the Armor All website and following them on Facebook.

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We got the premium wax kit in return for our honest opinions.
Aneta Alaei
Aneta Alaei

Aneta is a Toronto-based mom of four that loves a good meal, great company, and learning something new. In her free time, you can find her trying to keep yet another plant alive.

Find me on: Web | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

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19 Comments

  1. kristen s
    May 16, 2017 / 1:15 pm

    Thanks for sharing! Definitely going to save this post for the future!

  2. Treen Goodwin
    May 16, 2017 / 1:31 pm

    I love Armor all it works so awesome , thanks for sharing a great review i will def be buying them this summer for cleaning my cars 🙂

  3. Lynda Cook
    May 16, 2017 / 1:37 pm

    These are amazing products, I love using them but my husband not so much he is a mechanic and has his favourite brand that he uses, but I love the wipes, they’re awesome and great for a quick clean!

  4. kathy downey
    May 16, 2017 / 2:11 pm

    Definitely going to try this brand next time i buy,thanks for sharing the detailed post!

  5. Carole D
    May 16, 2017 / 6:08 pm

    I love Armor all to clean the inside of my car. But I’m afraid I rely to car wash to wash the outside.

  6. Elizabeth Matthiesen
    May 16, 2017 / 9:06 pm

    I really do need to get around to cleaning my car after winter but it’s still so cold out, hope it warms up soon so I can cross this job off my list too. I haven’t got any special cleaning products so I’ll look into Armor when it’s time 🙂

  7. kristen visser
    May 16, 2017 / 11:12 pm

    This is just what we need!! some Armor products ! we havent given our vehicles a good clean since last year before winter hit. it has accumulated lots of dust and coffee marks since then LOL

  8. Calvin F.
    May 18, 2017 / 2:17 pm

    This is nice, my dad’s car always has dirt on it’s wheels.

  9. heidi c.
    May 19, 2017 / 12:35 am

    My husband swears by Armor All Products. He has a wide variety that he uses regularly for our car maintenance/detailing.

  10. May 19, 2017 / 8:46 am

    We have been using them on all of our cars since we first became car owners, from our Chevy to our Lexus. They have always taken care of our needs

  11. AD
    May 19, 2017 / 8:44 pm

    I love Armor All products. I normally get my car detailed once a year, but between that and my kids wrecking the interior I use Armor All all the time to clean the car.

  12. Janet M
    May 23, 2017 / 6:17 pm

    I do need to clean my car, so thanks for the article on all these amazing products.

  13. Debbie White Beattie
    May 28, 2017 / 4:41 am

    Armor All is has so many great products and I wondered if it left your car with that new car smell. I see it did a great job at cleaning your car

  14. Elizabeth Matthiesen
    May 28, 2017 / 7:14 pm

    Super tips, I’ve never waxed my car myself so this post will come in handy with some very useful tips. 🙂

  15. May 30, 2017 / 6:50 pm

    We love Armor All products for cleaning our vehicles.They have a great selection.

  16. Treen Goodwin
    June 19, 2017 / 4:17 pm

    Armor all is the best ever , i love it , it does such a great job and makes the car smell amazing 🙂

  17. Elizabeth Matthiesen
    June 28, 2017 / 6:17 pm

    Good tips but I didn’t know this one: if there are any patches when you’re done, park your car in the sun for 10–15 minutes. You don’t want it to fully soften, but heating the wax will make buffing more efficient.

  18. Elizabeth Matthiesen
    August 16, 2017 / 7:55 pm

    I solved the problem of cleaning my car, I took it in for a recall and hey presto they cleaned it for me free of charge too. 🙂

  19. August 16, 2017 / 7:58 pm

    That is amazing. Is it bad to hope for a recall?