# How often do you wash your car? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 6, 2006, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/359574 "2006-06-06T04:31:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Arien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arien)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/359574/1 "2006-06-06T04:31:10Z")
For men, when it rains. Sometimes I hose it off if it hasn’t rained in a while and it’s dirty. ---
**Author:** ![mrald](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@mrald](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrald)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/359574/2 "2006-06-06T04:38:18Z")
when I can no longer remeber what color it is supposed to be, but I live on a dirt road, made up of mostly red clay. My white(I think) car is always dust orange. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/359574/3 "2006-06-06T04:42:34Z")
I keep ending up with white cars. In order to clean them I have to spend time with a spong or brush. Just spraying it down doesn’t work. I try to clean it once a month. During cold winters I stretch that once a month quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![dre2xl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/34f0e0/32.png) [@dre2xl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dre2xl)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/359574/4 "2006-06-06T05:18:57Z")
Not nearly often enough. When I start being annoying by the food crumbs in the jambs, which is every 2 months or so. ---
**Author:** ![Mesquite-oh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@Mesquite-oh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mesquite-oh)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/359574/5 "2006-06-06T07:31:18Z")
I drive a black Xterra, it actually looks better dirty, especially with mud splatters. It does not look cool with gleaming white bird poop on it- that is when it gets washed. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/359574/6 "2006-06-06T07:38:46Z")
If you live in Las Vegas, it is easy to know when I wash my car - it rains the following day. So, I guess that means about four times a year. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/359574/7 "2006-06-06T08:44:34Z")
My van has been vacuumed on the inside many times, but only washed on the outside once. I’ve had it for about 7 years. My current car has been washed once. I’ve owned it 3 months. It isn’t dirty, though. I plan on actually washing this car fairly often, because it’s actually a nice car (2000 Toyota Camry). It helps that both the car and the van are dark grey. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/359574/8 "2006-06-06T10:38:31Z")
I remember doing it once when a kid through an egg at it at Halloween. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/359574/9 "2006-06-06T11:01:40Z")
Some kid egged my car on Hallowe’en 2001. Another kid egged my car on Hallowe’en 2002, on the same door. I therefore decided to wait until _after_ Hallowe’en 2003 to wash it, in case some kid did it again. The more concise answer to your question is: about once every two or three years. ---
**Author:** ![dbygawdcapn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dbygawdcapn/32/3995_2.png) [@dbygawdcapn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dbygawdcapn)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/359574/10 "2006-06-06T12:15:34Z")
I have a close friend that owns a small chain of car washes and I usually get a free wash anytime I visit him at work, which amazingly enough, is anytime that my car is really dirty. ---
**Author:** ![Oy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bc8723/32.png) [@Oy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oy)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/359574/11 "2006-06-06T12:37:20Z")
At LEAST once every twenty years, whether it needs it or not! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/359574/12 "2006-06-06T12:44:23Z")
About twice a year. I just don’t care much. I do make sure to wax it once a year, so that the paint under all that dirt doesn’t go to shit. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/359574/13 "2006-06-06T12:44:53Z")
Eh, durring the spring and summer months I get into a “Car Wash Frenzy” and wash it about every other week. To me it’s fun. Get yourself a six-pack, turn on some tunes and go to town. A paradigm of manlyness! Durring the winter months… Eh, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/359574/14 "2006-06-06T13:01:47Z")
when I got it, i washed it like twice in the first month. I haven’t washed it in two years. Waste of friggin time. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/359574/15 "2006-06-06T13:06:05Z")
Do partial washes count? ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/359574/16 "2006-06-06T13:53:51Z")
Every time it rains. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/359574/17 "2006-06-06T13:57:01Z")
I live in Upstate NY, it’ll rain before I get around to washing it. And from November through March I can’t wash it anyway, it’ll freeze the doors shut. So…when it rains, only. We live in an apartment, or I would wash it myself in the summer. There’s a great deal of pleasure, I think, in washing your own car. My SO washes and waxes his every time he goes to his parents’ home. I’d love to help but his dad thinks it’s not women’s work. :dubious: > [@chriscya](#): > > I drive a black Xterra, it actually looks better dirty, especially with mud splatters. It does not look cool with gleaming white bird poop on it- that is when it gets washed. Tee-hee. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/359574/18 "2006-06-06T13:57:55Z")
Once a month or so. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/359574/19 "2006-06-06T14:03:42Z")
Wash? Car? I understand the words, but not the question. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/359574/20 "2006-06-06T14:36:31Z")
I used to wash my car several times a week. Now it gets run through the carwash every week or two, depending on how dirty it is. The sap coming off the trees is really bad this spring. I also wax it every spring and fall. At 165,000 the paint still shines. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-often-do-you-wash-your-car/359574.md?page=2)