How to Save Money When Washing Your Own Car (Without Scrimping on Quality!)
February 28, 2025
With fuel prices soaring since 2020 and day-to-day maintenance costs rising, taking your car to a professional car wash is becoming something of a luxury. But it’s important to remember that cleaning your car isn’t just about how it looks. Regularly washing your car can help to maintain its resale value and protect the body of your car from rust and corrosion, saving money in the long-run.
The good news is there’s a simple solution to all this – and that’s cleaning your car yourself. Rather than spending £5 to £10 a week on professional car washes, you can make significant long-term savings by investing in a set of car wash tools and taking the DIY route.
Sure, there’ll be an initial outlay as you build up your car wash kit and finding the time to wash your car might sometimes be tricky. But with the right tools, products and know-how, you can save big on the cost of regular car washes and take satisfaction in achieving shiny, showroom results yourself.
In this post, we’ll take a closer look at just how much you could save by cleaning your own car and provide some useful tips and advice on achieving professional results.
Professional car wash vs DIY car wash: How much could you save?
There’s no question that professional car washes offer a quick and convenient way to keep your car shiny and clean. But whether you use a hand car wash or a machine, relying on these services is the most expensive way to maintain your car’s paintwork.
So, just how much could you save by switching to home car cleaning? With some rough estimation and a few calculations, you can do the maths.
Let’s say you spend £7.50 a fortnight on a professional hand car wash. That’s £195 a year or £16.25 a month – a sizeable chunk for those watching the pennies.
Now let’s say you made the switch to home car washing. Assuming you’re starting with zero tools and products, you will need:
Pressure washer – £50-£100
Two buckets – £2-£5
Two sponges – £2-£5
Two microfibre towels – £2-£5
Car shampoo – £5-£10
So, even if you chose a top-of-the-range pressure washer, premium tools and high-quality car shampoo, the cost to get a car wash kit together would be cheaper or comparable (depending on the products you choose) to the annual cost of using a professional car wash. And that doesn’t cater for the fact that things like buckets and pressure washers will likely last years, effectively slashing their price per annum over several years.
Remember, too, that you’ll be able to use these products again and again; car shampoo is the only thing you’ll need to replace if you keep your tools in good condition. So even if the initial outlay is off-putting, the long-term savings you stand to make warrant the expense.
What’s more, you don’t need a pressure washer to clean your car, so if that’s the one big expense that’s putting you off, don’t be deterred. A hose can do a good job of rinsing your car, or you can just swill everything with a bucket of water.
Note: The prices listed above are for illustrative purposes only.
How to save money washing your own car
We’ve touched on how the tools can be cheaper than using a professional car wash, but there are even more tips on how to use these tools that’ll save money on top of your initial investment.
Use high-quality products and look out for discounts on these
High-quality products usually require less of them to be effective, but they do come at a premium. However, consider that if a litre bottle of two car shampoos costs £6 and £10 if you’re using double the amount of the product to do the job, you’ll end up spending more in the long term.
You might also find that higher-quality products are available in deals, so keep an eye out for them on online retailers.
Care for your tools
Although buying your own tools might save you money, if they don’t last, they’ll soon eat away at those savings. Keep things like plastic buckets out of the sun to avoid them becoming brittle and cracking, and keep sponges off the floor so that they don’t become too dirty to use.
Don’t overuse water when not required
One of the biggest costs when washing a car is the water, although it’s difficult to calculate in the moment. We’d advise being conservative with your water usage to avoid excess spending and wastage, particularly during summer months when water infrastructure can be strained.
Wash with care
Washing with care will not only save wear and tear on tools, conserve water, and lead to a better finish, but it will also allow you to assess for damage to your car, like scratches, dents and cracks in the windscreen. This can save money by allowing you to fix them before they become major issues.
The benefits of washing your own car
Here at Simoniz, we’re firm believers in DIY car washing, and think there are lots of benefits to doing it yourself, aside from saving money. Sceptical? Read why we think it’s the best option below.
1. You get better results
We’re not saying professional car washes do a bad job, but when it comes to cleaning your own car, you choose the standards you want to set. Doing it yourself means you can spend time doing a customised job, focusing on the areas you want to focus on. Plus, it also gives you the opportunity to detail your car inside and out, allowing you to spot those areas you didn’t know needed attention.
2. It’s satisfying and enjoyable – and you’ll feel accomplished!
OK, we understand that this is a subjective point, but we think cleaning your own car can be satisfying, rewarding and, ultimately, enjoyable. Spending an hour or so showing your car some love can remind you why you bought it in the first place, and there’s no greater feeling than getting done and standing back to admire your handiwork.
3. You’ll learn new skills
From using a pressure washer to waxing the paintwork, there are plenty of skills you’ll need to master to guarantee great results when cleaning and maintaining your car. This can be an enjoyable process and may give you the confidence to tackle other maintenance tasks around the home and garden (like jet washing your patio, for example).
4. You can spot issues that need addressing
Cleaning your car is a good opportunity to give it a once-over and check for problems that could become bigger issues. For example, loose or damaged components on the undercarriage or spots of rust on the alloy wheels can be a sign that remedial action is needed. And when you’ve finished washing your car (which you should be doing every fortnight) now’s the perfect time to carry out those regular maintenance checks, like the oil, tyre pressures, coolant, and screen wash.
5. You’ll be more careful with your own car
Knowing the hard work you’ve put in to keep your car clean could lead to you taking more care of where you drive your car and how you drive it. Yes, you might have been paying someone else to do it, which has its drawbacks, but having to use your elbow grease might make you think twice before driving through a puddle.
6. It can be convenient – you can save yourself a trip
The trip to the car wash can add extra time to your morning commute or eat into your weekends, even if the wash only takes a matter of minutes. This time might be better served by getting the sponge and bucket out at home and dedicating half an hour to the job of cleaning instead of dedicating 30 minutes to travelling.
7. It can save you money!
As we’ve been banging on about, after the initial investments of a pressure washer, sponges, buckets and shampoo have paid for themselves, you’ll be saving money with every wash. More expensive parts like pressure washers are likely to last for years to come, making them cheaper per year with every year of use. A pressure washer isn’t just for cleaning a car, either. A pressure washer also provides extra value by having the ability to clean patios, fence panels, driveways and more!
Expert advice for cleaning your car at home
Whatever your age, wherever you live, and no matter your skill level, we believe every motorist can clean their car themselves. And to help make sure you get the results you want, we have a huge range of car care guides that can take the stress and guesswork out of at-home cleaning and maintenance.
Below, we’ve put together a selection of tips and advice from Simoniz experts, perfect for those making the switch to DIY car washing for the first time…
Always use the two-bucket wash method – one bucket for clean water and shampoo and the other for cleaning your dirty sponge. This stops you transferring dirt back onto your car, which can lead to swirl marks and light scratches.
Apply wax at least twice a year – ideally at the start of spring and again in the autumn, as this guarantees year-round protection. Read our beginner’s guide to wax for more useful tips on protecting your car’s paintwork.
Always use dedicated car cleaners – using products like washing up liquid can harm your car’s protective finish, increasing the risk of corrosion and scratches. Don’t cut corners; buy high-quality car care products that offer the best results.
Don’t neglect the interior – if you want your car to feel as good as it looks, cleaning the interior is as important as the exterior. Visit our Interior Products page for our essential products for keeping the inside of your car clean.
Use the right products for the right material – whether you’re cleaning plastic bumpers, alloy wheels or leather car seats, there are products you can buy to care for individual areas around your car. Going this extra step may cost more, but you’ll be thrilled with the results.
If you’re looking for the best-in-class car shampoos and snow foams, take a look at our range of exterior car washing products.
We hope this guide has inspired you to give DIY car cleaning a go – and save money in the process. For more motoring and car care advice, head to the Simoniz blog or check out our complete product range.
