My husband has written an article about car washing again. Please take a look if you’re interested.

I’ve written a bit about car washing before, but since our methods and gear have changed somewhat since then, I wanted to update the information.

How Often Do We Wash Our Porsche?

No matter how many Porsches I own, I still wash them myself. That’s to never forget where I started.
Sometimes I ask for a wash at a gas station, but only when I’m in a hurry or don’t have time to do it myself.

Because I love cars, people often assume I wash them all the time, but actually, I’m not that diligent. I tend to let some dirt build up and then wash it all at once.

The reason is that car washing can easily cause fine scratches, so I try to keep the frequency as low as possible. That said, since we have several cars, I wash at least twice a month.

Also, all our cars have protective coatings, so we don’t wax them. We mainly do water-only washes, and shampoo washes only when the dirt is really bad.

How We Wash Our Porsche

Thoroughly Removing Dirt

Here, we use a pressure washer. A household Kärcher is more than enough. We spray water evenly from the top to the bottom of the body to remove dust and dirt. The pressure washer is also very handy for removing brake dust from the wheels. It won’t remove all brake dust, but about 80% comes off, making the later wheel cleaning much easier.

Be careful not to spray the pressure washer directly on the soft tops of Boxsters or 911 Cabriolets. If you do spray the soft top, use the lowest water pressure.

Washing with Plenty of Foam

Next, we swap the pressure washer nozzle for a foam gun and cover the entire body with foam. The detergent is the car shampoo that came with the coating, diluted as needed and put into the tank bottle.

After wrapping the body in plenty of foam, I use the “Gorilla Hand” to gently wash the body. I’ve tried various sponges and brushes, but the glove-type tool is the most efficient and requires the least effort. I have two “Gorilla Hands,” one for the body and one for the wheels.

One thing to watch out for is that when it’s hot or when washing a large car like the Cayenne, the foam can dry quickly. It’s better to apply foam section by section or reapply foam just before hand washing.

Thoroughly Removing Water Drops

Until recently, I used a blower to blow off water drops, but now I use a super-absorbent towel called the “Silk Dryer.” Since I started using it, I rarely use the blower except for blowing water out of tight spots.

What’s amazing about this towel is its almost “magical” absorbency—it removes water drops completely in an instant. Typical absorbent towels work well at first but leave streaks on the second pass, so you end up wringing them out repeatedly.

私はこれでブロアーを使うのやめました。一瞬で水滴がなくなります。圧倒的な吸水力です。#シルクドライヤー #silkdryer pic.twitter.com/hPVeWC6L6X

— Hiro@ポルシェがわが家にやってきた (@boxster_gts) July 21, 2021

But this towel can absorb water from a whole 911 without wringing. In fact, even if you do try to wring it (which is hard because it’s thick), hardly any water comes out.

As for durability, I’ve been using it for several months with no issues so far. Since it’s a towel, the absorbency will eventually decline with wear, so I avoid washing it to preserve its absorbency. Washing inevitably reduces absorbency, so after use, I just hang it in the sun to dry and reuse it. (Since it’s only used to wipe water off a clean body after washing, it doesn’t get very dirty.)

Drying the Body

If the coating is still in good condition and glossy, I just lightly dry wipe to remove fine water drops and finish. If I want a bit more shine, I wipe with SurLuster’s Zero Drop. If the coating is wearing off, I sometimes use the maintenance product that came with the coating.

Tire Dressing

I don’t do this every time, but if the tires look whitish, I apply tire wax. I always use water-based tire wax. The owner of the shop that repainted my 964 wheels told me that oil-based wax can damage the wheel’s clear coat over time and cause peeling, so he doesn’t recommend it.

I use SurLuster’s tire wax. It naturally darkens over time without that overly shiny look, so I like it. It’s also easier to apply without getting on the wheels, especially on low-profile tires. (For high-profile tires like on the Cayenne, I sometimes use a foam-type No Touch UV wax.)

Water-Repellent Glass Coating

I don’t do this every time, but I apply it once or twice a year, usually before the rainy season. For a proper job, I use an oil film remover pad to thoroughly remove old oil film. This pad is easy to use and requires relatively little effort to remove existing coatings, so I recommend it.

After removing the old coating, I apply the classic “Glass Coat Hybrid Strong” and finish by wiping it off. Considering cost performance, water repellency, and durability, this product is excellent.

Interior Cleaning

I rarely clean the interior, but if there’s dust, I vacuum it. For leather interiors, I wipe the leather with a tightly wrung towel to give it some moisture. I don’t use any polish or dressing on plastic parts.

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That’s how we wash our Porsches at home. Car washing is a deep subject—you can get as detailed as you want—but within limited time and equipment, I focus on doing it efficiently and with minimal effort.

Of course, you don’t have to follow every step. Feel free to adopt whatever parts you find useful.