Cleaning your paint does not mean washing your car, it means removing oxidation and contaminants, adding emollient oils back into the paint and smoothing out the surface of the paint. There are several products on the market that will accomplish one, two or all three of these functions. In fact, there are so many products by so many names, that the correct choice may be confusing. Before we start, let's define some broad categories of products.

CLEANER:

If you examine your paint through a microscope, it would look like a mountain range with peaks and valleys. The friction or abrasive (don't get nervous at the word abrasive) type cleaner will clip the tops of these mountains off and help fill in the valleys, to approach the optimum smooth plane that offers the greatest depth of shine. Friction cleaners are usually described as fine, medium or heavy cut. When in doubt, use the least aggressive product. A chemical cleaner will usually strip equal amounts of hill and dale and thus not help smooth the paint. A cleaner should also remove old wax and other contaminants in the paint. Chemical type cleaners are usually more effective in removing the remains of 100kmh bugs, stains, tree sap and tars. Avoid silicone-based products as they are not beneficial to paint and can cause problems down the road. Ask any professional car painter their thoughts on silicone products, and you will usually get a 30-minute tirade.

GLAZE:

A glaze usually denotes a superfine friction type of cleaning agent, usually with essential emollients and lubricating oils and may even contain some mild chemical cleaners. Glazes will usually remove mild swirl marks, scratches, refresh the paint with oils and smooth out the finish.

POLISH:

A polish is normally a non-abrasive product based on a nutrient oil matrix and may or may not have a chemical cleaner as part of the package. Most polishes use fillers to help cover swirl marks.

COMPOUND:

A compound is the "coarse sandpaper" of the paint-cleaning world. This should be used only if the paint is in serious trouble and all else has failed.

CLEANER/WAX:

A combination, one-step chemical cleaner and a wax. Some may not be a fan of these types of products, as they are required to perform two very diverse functions simultaneously. A cleaner should remove old wax, so how does it simultaneously apply a coat of new wax? You may wish to use this type of product only in emergency situations.

WAX:

There are two broad categories of wax, organic and polymer based. The organic waxes may be derived from plants such as Carnauba, or varmints, such as bee's wax. The polymer-based waxes are usually collected from specially trained robotic bees that gather the polymer nectar from plastic flowers (or it may be made in chemical factories).

DEGREASERS/TAR/BUG REMOVERS:

These types of products are normally solvents designed to dissolve surface contaminants such as road tar or bugs. There are two broad classifications of solvents, petroleum distillates and citrus based. The quality citrus products tend to be gentler on the paint. Any degreaser/tar/bug remover will remove wax. So after you have rid your car of the remains of Billy bee, you will have to re-wax the area. Be aware that many of the popular over the counter tar removers are based on kerosene and may cause long-term damage to paint.

How often should you clean the paint? The correct answer is based upon several factors. If your car is a "garage queen" and only sees the light of day once a week or so, then once a year is usually often enough. If it is a daily driver, and sits out in the elements day after day, then twice maybe three times a year may be required. Your paint will tell you when it needs to be cleaned. It may scream at the top of its little lungs or it may be more subtle and simply lose its lustre and look dull. If the finish is subjected to acid rain, and the effects of highly acidic bird offerings, then you may have to clean specific areas of the finish a little more often. If someone tells you to clean the paint each time you wax, then they are either trying to sell you another paint job or have an excess of cleaner they are trying to unload.

Power tools and fine finishes, some would say, do not mix. There is nothing that a power buffer can do, that you cannot do by hand. The advantage of power is speed. This also applies to getting yourself into trouble. The edges of your body panels and raised/creased areas of the sheet metal have the thinnest layer of paint. When the body is painted, the liquid paint will tend to flow away from these raised areas. A power buffer will concentrate its energy on the thin paint of these high points. If you must use a power buffer, use only closed cell foam pads and use one pad for each product. Do not use lamb’s wool type of pads, as they are swirl marks waiting to happen. Most importantly, use only a cleaner/glaze/polish type product that is specifically formulated for use with a power buffer. The frictional heat of a buffer will cause some product's abrasives to clump together and make your hood look like a newly ploughed cornfield. Most people do not appreciate this look.

The first step to your cleaning/waxing regimen is to wash your car with a quality car wash and dry thoroughly. The benefits of a clean surface cannot be over emphasized, unless you are a fan of swirl marks and feel that hairline scratches are attractive, wash thoroughly before starting.

Pick a section of the car such as the hood, door, top or whatever. Glaze/polish this section of your car completely, redoing any section(s) that need additional help. The glaze/polish should produce the deep gloss that you desire. Once this section dazzles you with its brilliance, then and only then apply a coat of wax to this section. Realise that the wax is nothing more than a clear protectant and will not remove or hide scratches or swirl marks. Once this section of your car has been completed, move onto another section and begin the glaze/polish and wax process again.

If your paint has swirl marks, acid rain marks or faint scratches, then you may wish to use a glaze. The definition of a faint scratch is one that you can see but not feel. If you can feel the scratch with your fingernail, then it is beyond the scope of this article and should be treated as a paint chip. Rule #1: Use the least aggressive product/technique to get the job done! It is very easy to repeat an application of a mild product to achieve a result, but is very expensive to replace paint when you have gotten too aggressive. If your paint does not have swirl marks/scratches, but has lost some of its lustre, then you may consider using a polish. Some prefer glazes to polishes, but that is somewhat subjective and very dependent upon the condition of the finish.

Any cloths you use on your car should be 100% cotton and should be washed in the washing machine using only detergent. Do not add any fabric softener to the water, dry them in the dryer.

All glazes/polishes should be applied to a cool surface and in the shade. Never wash, clean or wax your car in the hot sun. Rule #1, if you can hold your hand comfortably on the surface of the paint, then you can clean and/or wax your car. Apply with your choice of a soft 100% cotton cloth, applicator pad, or closed cell foam pad. Squirt a small amount onto your pad/cloth and then apply to the paint surface. Do not apply any product directly onto the surface, as you will tend to use too much and may wind up with an uneven result. Work into the surface with a linear motion, front to back, back to front, the way the air flows over the car. Do not go around in circles. If a piece of grit lodges under your pad, you have made sandpaper and a circular motion will produce a 360-degree swirl mark. All scratches are most visible at a 90 degree viewing angle, so a circular swirl is visible from any vantage point. A linear type scratch is only noticeable from a very narrow viewing angle. Work the glaze/polish into the surface using moderate pressure until all that is left is a slight haze. (Read the directions on the bottle to determine the manufacturer's recommended method.) Buff out the slight haze with a soft 100% cotton cloth. Buff out a small section, shake out the cloth (away from the car) to remove any grit and rebuff with a new section. Keep using new sections of cloth and change cloths frequently. Try and use old flannel sheets, they are super soft and produce a brilliant shine. When the chosen section of the car has been completed, rebuff with another clean cloth. If you are happy with the shine and deep gloss of the section, apply a coat of your favourite wax.

The most important advice is to use the least aggressive cleaning product to accomplish the task. It is easy to redo an area with a gentle product; it is rather costly to replace paint once you have gotten enthusiastic with a very aggressive product.