How To Make Homemade Car Wash Soap In 4 Easy Steps

If you wash your car regularly, you’d know that car wash shampoo or soap may not always be available for you to use.

In those moments of unavailability, what should you do when you need to wash your car?

It’s time to get into your DIY mood and create your homemade car wash soap with ingredients available at home. 

Quick Answer

As a whole, you can create your homemade car wash soap with household materials like vinegar, baby shampoo, mild soap, warm water, orange, lemon, essential oil, and more to wash different parts of your car

However, there is a warning about using other alternatives that are not dedicated car wash shampoo.

You must rinse off immediately after washing to prevent water spots, and clean the car with a microfiber cloth.

However, you can still create your homemade alternative for situations where other options are not available. 

Read on to learn how.

Homemade Car Wash Soap

Keeping your car clean is necessary. You don’t need to wash your car every day, but you have to when it’s dirty.

It’ll be nice to have spare homemade car wash soap if you don’t have the manufactured one. 

Quick Answer

On average, you can make homemade car wash soap by mixing baby shampoo, mild fine or liquid soap, and warm water. 

Then, you can wash your car with it and rinse it afterward.

To break it down, here’s how to make your homemade car wash soap:

Ingredients needed:

  • A cup of baby shampoo
  • A cup of mild fine or liquid soap
  • Warm water
  • Cold water 

Steps:

  1. Mix the soap and shampoo with an adequate amount of warm water to dilute it, mitigate its effects on the car and prevent it from damaging the paint. 
  1. Stir the mixture with a stick or long spoon to get enough foam to cover your vehicle. The foam will lubricate the vehicle and remove the grime and dirt without removing the wax, polish, or sealants.
  1. Rinse your car with cold water; the dirt will easily slide off without damaging it.
  1. Dry the car immediately using a microfiber cloth.

You can use this on some occasions without adding additives or artificial thickeners.

It’s easy to make and effective in washing cars.

Homemade Car Carpet And Mat Wash Soap

You must occasionally wash your car’s carpet and mat to remove dirt and prevent it from smelling.

Thankfully, you can create a homemade soap that will effectively remove that and get it to smell good afterward.

Quick Answer

On average, you can create a homemade car carpet and mat wash soap by mixing household ingredients like vinegar, essential oil, baking soda, fabric softener, baking soda, hot water, and more

You must remove debris, stains, dirt, and stink from your car’s mat and carpet.

They collect more dirt than you think, and this homemade mixture cleans them. How? 

Ingredients:

  • Two tablespoons of fabric softener
  • One cup of white vinegar
  • A spray bottle
  • Two tablespoons of baking soda
  • Essential oil
  • ¾ to a cup of hot water
  • Half a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid
  • A clean open container 
  • Warm water

Steps:

  1. Brush off dirt, debris, and remnants from the carpet for an easy wash and to prevent rubbing in a stain.
  1. Mix all the ingredients in the container and pour them into a spray bottle for easy application. 
  1. Spray the mixture on the rug and carpet and leave it to settle. If they have accumulated much dirt, you have to dip them into a container that has the mixture. 
  1. Use a brush to scrub and rinse off. Then leave them out to dry.

Homemade Car Windshield And Window Wash Soap

You can create a separate wash for your car’s window and windshield.

This will help you remove grime and dirt stuck on the windshield. How do you create this washing soap?

Quick Answer

On average, you can create a homemade car windshield and window wash soap by mixing vinegar, lemon or orange essential oil, liquid dishwashing soap, and purified water.

It’s that simple.

Ingredients:

  • Two cups of purified water
  • ¼ cup of vinegar
  • Orange or lemon essential oil
  • Half a teaspoon of liquid dishwashing soap
  • A microfiber cloth or paper towel
  • A spray bottle

Steps:

  1. Mix vinegar, liquid dishwashing soap, essential oil, and cold water into the spray bottle. This will help remove the grime on the window.
  1. Spray the mixture on the window and wipe it with a microfiber cloth. Don’t leave the mixture to dry on the window to prevent streaks, spots, and marks.  

Is DIY Car Wash Soap Safe For Car Paint?

DIY car wash soap is not always safe for car paint.

DIY car wash soap recipes often includes ingredients like dish soap, hand soap, baking powder, or vinegar, which can be too abrasive and cause damage to the paint.

Vinegar is also known to leave car paint dull after contact, meaning that the surface needs to be polished to look shiny again.

An alternative to DIY car wash soap is a touchless car wash.

If you choose to use a car wash, make sure it is a touchless one. All other options are unsafe for cars and make a car look like beat up over time.

Touchless car washes use harsh car wash solutions to get rid of dirt, but it is better than scratching your car’s finish with a DIY car soap.

Another DIY car wash soap alternative is to use Optimum No Rinse. It is a product especially developed for cleaning cars without the need to rinse before or after. This means that Optimum No Rinse is a very time efficient option for cleaning a vehicle.

Lastly, if you have a pressure washer at your disposal, this is also a great way to clean your car superficially and quickly.

If you care about your car’s outer appearance, washing it with dedicated car wash soap specifically designed for cars is the best option.

Stay away from making car wash soap yourself if you do not want to damage the finish of your vehicle.

Can You Wash Your Car Using A Detergent At Home Like Dawn Dish Soap?

Using Dawn Dish Soap or any other detergent to wash your car at home is not recommended.

It is unsafe and can strip away paint protection, leaving your car exposed to the elements.

Dish soap, hand soap, laundry detergents, or other detergents used at home are not ph-neutral and contain harsh chemicals that can damage the paint on your car.

Additionally, detergents do not provide enough lubrication for a thorough contact wash.

Using these products during a contact wash will damage the surface of your car and lead to scratches and swirl marks.

Key Takeaways: 

  • You can create homemade car wash soap with baby shampoo, liquid dishwashing soap, and warm water to dilute,
  • Rinse off the mixture immediately after washing,
  • Clean your car with a microfiber cloth to prevent the soap from drying on the car and scratches.

References:

https://www.charmcitycirculator.com/what-to-use-instead-of-car-wash-soap/

https://www.tipsbulletin.com/homemade-car-wash-soap/

https://altdriver.com/gearhead/homemade-car-wash-soap/

https://www.autos.com/car-maintenance/how-to-make-your-own-car-wash-soap

Jan-Lucas Ganssauge
Jan-Lucas Ganssauge