Many of us are dealing with brutal record breaking temperatures.  But what can we do when we want to wash or detail a car in this weather?

If you are able to schedule around the worst of heat, avoid washing or detailing midday.  Many people would suggest the alternative to be putting an emphasis on working faster or more efficiently.  Not that the urgency of the matter does not have merit, but I want to change your mindset to another concept.  Working even more carefully, working more skillfully, and overall having a plan.

Rinseless washes or (hybrid) hose pre-rinse and rinseless technique works here.  Even better if you can fill your buckets with distilled water to even further minimize hard water deposits.  This is especially beneficial for the non-professional with limited resources.

This is my advice if you are going for that traditional two bucket wash.  If there are cooler days and more importantly better times as mentioned before (dusk and dawn), then just don’t wash your car during the worst of the temperature spikes.  Overcast weather (a cloudy day) is your ally.  Having dionized water is a plus regardless, but especially under these circumstances.  If you are compromised periodically rinse with a hose, with the intention to keep the car wet and more cool.  Instead of the pre-rinse, wash, and rinse process, I would halfway or perhaps sooner through the wash process, rinse the car.  I may do this multiple times.

Have a water spot remover and or in addition to a quick detailing drying aid that performs well with removing hard water.  A quick detailer that I would absolutely recommend, and give me more confidence washing under these adverse conditions is JenKO.  Gyeon Waterspot is a good product if you get in trouble with water-spots.

If I had to do a regular washing of my car in the middle of a 100-degree sunny day, I would absolutely love using a product like the one picture below as a drying aid.  Catching water spots early with this product.

Do not allow the urgency of the moment to create bigger problems.  By that, I mean scratching or putting swirls (micro scratches) in your car due to you being in a rush.  So many , “I have these scratches” stories started with someone trying to address a situation that was not good but not nearly as bad as his or her solution.  In this case the proverbial elephant in the room is our water spots.  Water spots addressed early enough are much more easily resolved than a swirled car.  Less expensive and less time consuming too to fix!

Other key reminders here.  Know your limitations.  In regards to detailing, quality products will tend to be more forgiving in extreme temperatures.  But in general with detailing products in extreme heat, they will have a shorter working area and shorter working time.  Hydrate your body proactively and include some potassium in your diet.