# How often do you wash your car? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 17, 2025, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/1024050 "2025-10-17T13:18:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2025, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/1024050/41 "2025-10-17T21:02:32Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > My 1926 Model T and 1968 VW Bug are kept spotlessly clean. I hand wash both of these. There is no way in hell that I would take either one through a mechanical car wash. I’m literally laughing out loud at the thought of trying to run a Model _fricken_ T through a machine car wash. Yeah, that’s not a good idea. Growing up, my dad was a big car guy, and liked to keep his clean. So I’m used to hand washing my car, and that’s what I did until I got this subscription service. It just makes it easier, which is why I can do it so frequently. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2025, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/1024050/42 "2025-10-17T21:07:25Z")
> [@Orville\_mogul](#): > > You’ve got a car with volcanic dust all over it, maybe a carwash isn’t your biggest problem right now 🙂 Could be worse. [![](https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/02/c9/3f/be/a-car-munched-by-lava.jpg) ](https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/02/c9/3f/be/a-car-munched-by-lava.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2025, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/1024050/43 "2025-10-17T21:11:44Z")
Ordinarily, my answer would be “once a year, or maybe less”, and I find it risible that “less than once a week” is the threshold for “very seldom”. But I’ve had to wash it twice in the past couple of months, due to the damned lanternflies gunking it up. ---
**Author:** ![DaveUnknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@DaveUnknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveUnknown)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2025, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/1024050/44 "2025-10-17T21:12:32Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Does anyone still wash their cars in their driveways anymore? I have opportunistically washed the car in a downpour/thunderstorm in a bathing suit just b/c it was hot out and I didnt feel like dragging out a hose. ---
**Author:** ![BostonBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bostonblue/32/21570_2.png) [@BostonBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BostonBlue)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2025, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/1024050/45 "2025-10-17T21:15:50Z")
Hi, where I live, commercial car washes are few and far between, so hand wash on the drive is the norm. (Black car so once a week!) Do you use the gas station washes for convenience or are there rules against washing at home? Also do you find any scratches after going through the wash? ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2025, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/1024050/46 "2025-10-17T21:53:07Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I find it risible that “less than once a week” is the threshold for “very seldom” I thousand pardons, my good doper. I meant no offense. I just figured people either did it regularly, which I figured would be once a week or more, or they only did it when they figured it needed it, which would be less than once a week, but not never. Bad assumptions on my part. > [@BostonBlue](#): > > Do you use the gas station washes for convenience or are there rules against washing at home? It’s not a gas station wash. It’s a business dedicated to washing cars. I can think of 3 just within my local area, and 2 more are under construction. It’s kind of crazy how many there are (but it’s Florida, so that might account for a lot of the crazy) Also, I live in an apartment complex, with a car in a parking lot. They have a spot where you can wash the car, but the vacuum is non functional. > [@BostonBlue](#): > > Also do you find any scratches after going through the wash? I was warned about that by somebody in the office, but I have not had that problem. My car is a 2022, so it has a few little nick and scrapes already, but nothing from the car wash. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/1024050/47 "2025-10-18T03:31:14Z")
For all practical purposes, never. Maybe three times a year. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/1024050/48 "2025-10-18T03:47:38Z")
I’m pretty sure that is a Dodge Colt Vista (My Daily Driver) Never washed. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/1024050/49 "2025-10-18T04:13:37Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I find it risible that “less than once a week” is the threshold for “very seldom”. I had to work my way through that a couple of times to figure out what it meant. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/1024050/50 "2025-10-18T04:14:46Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > but it’s Florida, so that might account for a lot of the crazy) Wise words. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/1024050/51 "2025-10-18T04:22:57Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Those in the rarely, like once or twice a year, to never group - > > Do you feel your car has aged adequately in terms of its finish, or is that just not on your radar as something you care about? Or both? Other? 1 I don’t have to worry about salt — too cold. 2 I don’t have to worry about rain. We don’t get much light rain. When we get rain, it’s usually heavy and it doesn’t leave little drop marks. 3 not much bird droppings (since I had pigeon spikes installed on my house); what I get I just hose off quickly. 4 not much tree sap; no trees over my driveway 5 little driving on country roads (the dust on country roads is the main source of dirty cars in my area). 6 no military tradition of clean, shiny and spotless 7 or I may just be lazy ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/1024050/52 "2025-10-18T04:59:33Z")
I honestly don’t give a damn what my car looks like. As long as it’s not rusting or anything that affects the functionality of the car, its appearance is for the most part irrelevant to me. In fact, I’d prefer that it look crappy rather than brand spanking new, since that’s less likely to attract thieves who might break into it. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/1024050/53 "2025-10-18T05:57:23Z")
I voted “more than one a week” but must add qualifiers. During periods of dryness, I can “wash” my car with one of those paraffin infused car dusters, but my main focus, nay, obsession are my wheels and exhaust tips: they must be spotless as the situation allows. 150 miles of brake dust accumulation on the wheels has me skeeving. Cleaning them with a foam bottle washer I strive to keep the inside barrels as clean as the exterior of the wheel. Said brush also works great on the exhaust tips: inside and out. Brembo calipers get the toothbrush. Hand wash preferred ( I find doing so therapeutic ) but in inclement weather I’m not too proud to use a subscription car wash ( or “all you can eat”…thanks LSL 🙂 ) or if time is short. In any case, once a week at minimum. Underbody wash with a hose, or the spray bar in an automated carwash. Compressed air in the engine compartment. Not a lot of work as it seems: easy to keep clean, not so much so to de-grungify. Full disclosure: I am fortunate to be in an area with mild winters though. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/1024050/54 "2025-10-18T11:09:17Z")
I used to drive on gravel/dirt/mud roads every day. And also lots of time in snow and slush. I washed car would stay clean until the next time I drove it. I only washed it when it got hard to see out of the windows. Finish on it is fine, not that I care. > [@Chronos](#): > > I find it risible that “less than once a week” is the threshold for “very seldom”. Seriously. Once a month would be very often. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/1024050/55 "2025-10-18T11:32:31Z")
I picked once a month. That’s the closest choice, although it might be a bit more often depending on season. > [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > My pickup truck’s purpose in life is hauling things or towing things. It hauls firewood, tows campers and trailers, and has all kinds of miscellaneous junk thrown in its bed (including literally a ton of bricks - it turns out that a pallet of pavers from Home Depot weighs almost exactly 1 ton). It tows a 10,000 lb. trailer like it’s almost nothing. Its purpose is to work, not to look pretty. I agree with this, but only for the bed itself. The rest of my pickup is kept clean and shiny. Within a few weeks of buying a new truck, the bed looks like it belongs to a paving contractor. I only install a bed liner when I’m ready to trade it in. Given the number of holes drilled, and cutouts for brackets, hoses and other pass-thrus – it’s easier to just cover it all up. I don’t clean it on trips, so on long journeys it starts looking pretty bad (bugs, rain, mud, etc.). Sometimes I’ll go to one of those manual car washes so I can clean the windows and mirrors for a few bucks, but leave the rest of the mess for when I get home. I’m surprised how many people have monthly wash subscriptions. I’m leery of them given how hard it is to cancel subscriptions nowadays. I wash mine in the driveway, and use the commercial wash places rarely, just for getting the top and underneath sprayed. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/1024050/56 "2025-10-18T11:44:18Z")
I also have the monthly subscription. So I use it practically every day. I’ll even go through when it’s raining out. I paid for it and they don’t carry over. 1 wash per day use it or lose it. I drive past the place every day so why not? It’s just 6 minutes. I get an underbody flush, clear coat, and blow dry for $24 a month. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/1024050/57 "2025-10-18T12:23:22Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > When you arrive, there are attendants that will scrub your front and back (especially good for getting the bugs). Wow, what exceptional service! All the car washes I’ve been to only work on the vehicle 😀 I rarely got my old Jeep washed. Since getting a new vehicle a couple months ago, I got it washed once at the local car wash and I was astounded to find it’s now $10– and that was the absolute base price after turning down about a dozen up-sell services. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/1024050/58 "2025-10-18T13:27:19Z")
My wife’s car gets lifetime daily free washes at the dealer we bought it from. The staff sprays the grill and wheels and does a quick vaccine before it goes through the wash. But the dealership is a tad out of the way so we only use it about once per week, if that. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/1024050/59 "2025-10-18T13:27:44Z")
Vacuum! Damn auto correct! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2025, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/1024050/60 "2025-10-18T13:44:45Z")
Here’s a poll with choices that more thoroughly covers the actual spectrum of Doper carwashing. 🙂 _Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/1024050/60))_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/1024050.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/1024050.md?page=4)