A home car wash sounds simple, but most scratches happen during washing and drying. It is usually not one big mistake. It is a handful of small habits that drag grit across the paint over and over. Once you know where the scratches come from, it gets a lot easier to avoid them. The goal is not perfection. It is keeping dirt from turning your wash mitt and towel into sandpaper. A few small upgrades in process make a bigger difference than buying a fancy soap. Why Washing At Home Causes Scratches Most paint scratches from washing are really dirt scratches. Road grit sticks to lower panels, bumpers, and behind the wheels, and that grit needs to be lifted off the surface instead of rubbed around. When you use one bucket, a worn sponge, or a towel that has picked up debris, you are basically grinding that grit into the clear coat. Another factor is pressure. A light wipe with a dirty mitt can scratch more than a firm wipe with a clean, lubricated mitt. That is why the w ... read more