A beautiful paint job can elevate the appearance of your car and add character and what would previously have been an average-looking car. However, one of the biggest threats to car paint is hard water spots. While the craters that they leave behind look like they would be easy to remove, they require effort, time, and financial investment to clear, especially if left to sit for long. So, it’s no surprise that most people want to know how to remove hard water spots from car paint.
You can use several methods to remove water spots from your car paint successfully. Some of these methods require commercial solutions, while others use solutions you can make at home with common items such as vinegar. Some methods, such as polishing, even require the use of power tools.
Whichever method you use, when done correctly and with high-quality materials, removing the water spots should prove a doable task. This article gives a comprehensive analysis of the cause of these water spots, safely remove them, and how to avoid them.
Does Vinegar Remove Hard Water Spots On Car?
Vinegar is seemingly ubiquitous in every cleaning guide recommended at home. It is used to clean tiles, kill weeds, and remove other stains, so it should come as no surprise that you can also use it to remove water stains from your car.
White vinegar contains acetic acid, which will readily dissolve any calcium carbonate and any other minerals. You can use white vinegar since its slight acidity makes it useful against alkaline deposits.
However, the 2.5 pH of white vinegar may be too aggressive for your car’s clear coat, so it is recommended that you dilute it using some distilled water. To use it against water spots on your car, you will need:
- Some distilled water
- White vinegar,
- A clean bucket
- Paper towels
- An old cotton towel
- A spray bottle
Mix 3 parts of distilled water and one part of white vinegar in a bottle and shake it gently to ensure it is completely mixed. Then spray the body of your car with this solution until it is completely saturated.
Put the remaining solution in a bucket, topping it up as needed. After immersing a towel in the solution in the bucket, lay it over the area of your car that needs cleaning, allow it to rest for some minutes, and scrub away the water stains. You can then hose down the car using clean water.
Does Vinegar Affect Car Paint?
Vinegar is not all that acidic by volume (unless you use the one meant for pickling) and should not damage your car paint.
However, ensure you dilute it appropriately before you use it. When using white vinegar, which has acetic acid, you can mix equal parts of vinegar and water or three parts of water to one part vinegar.
Will WD 40 Remove Water Spots?
You can use WD-40 for the removal of water spots. It offers a quick solution for removing water spots since it reacts with the minerals in the water and loosens up their bonds, which makes the removal of water spots a lot easier.
How Do I Stop Hard Water Spots On My Car?
While removing water spots from your car after they form is just as effective, it still requires a lot of time, effort, and significant monetary investment. Preventing these spots from forming in the first place is overall a more effective and sustainable solution. Some of the best ways to prevent getting any hard water spots on your car are:
- Protect your car with a wax
Using wax or sealant on your car’s exterior is one of the most effective ways to avoid getting water spots. Wax will act as a barrier that keeps water droplets from beading up on the surface.
If there are no beads on your car’s surface, you are very unlikely to get water spots. Instead, the water sheets away from the car’s surface. Another argument for getting a wax/sealant layer is that it will be much easier to get rid of water spots than it would be on unwaxed paint.
- Dry your car quickly
Remove any water from your car’s surface before it has time to dry and leave a water spot behind. It is harder to get any water spots out of the car if it dries on its surface, even more, crucial when the weather is hotter.
When you use extremely hard water, it is common to get a powdery residue after the water dries, thus the need to wipe the water away immediately.
- Shelter your car from extreme sun
The longer you leave your car in the extreme sun, the harsher the damage will be. Higher temperatures speed up the development of corrosive water spots on the car since the water dries off faster, leaving an oily residue behind. The spots then become harder to remove the longer they are left in the sun and baked on.
I recommend washing your car in the early mornings and late afternoons when the temperatures are not as high. Keep your car out of the extreme sun even when you do not plan on washing it.
- Shelter the car from sprinklers and rainfall
Lawn sprinklers and rainfall are two of the most likely sources of water on your car. Almost all water sources will contain mineral content to some degree, which can cause water spots on your car. And because this water will likely hit your car while away from it, you will not be around to dry your car quickly.
The solution is to park your car away from any sprinklers and sheltered from any rain. Even when your car is stored in the garage, it is essential that you also wrap it up in a car cover to prevent any water from leaky roofs and pipes from getting to it.
- Check constantly
Check your car for water spots and other contaminants as often as possible if you are serious about maintaining a perfect finish. While it may sound extremely tiring, checking your car constantly for water spots will inevitably be cheaper and less exhausting than trying to remove spots that have long settled in. Keep checking your car for water spots because removing the spots before they stain or etch the surface is much easier.
- Wash with distilled water
Even when you take extra care when washing and drying your car, you will likely still miss some water beads that will leave water spots as they dry. If you are washing your car on a hot day, the likelihood of this is even higher as the water is baked out by the sun. However, all this becomes a non-issue if you use distilled water.
The reasoning behind this is simple really, no mineral content = no residue = no water spots. Nevertheless, it is also important to note that always washing your car with distilled water could be costly and likely unfeasible.
Are Water Spots Permanent?
The permanence of any water spots on your car largely depends on how long you let them sit before you remove them. The best way to make sure that these spots fully come off is to remove them as soon as possible. The quicker you work on them, the easier you will remove them.
Repeated and prolonged exposure of your car to water spots can make these spots impossible to remove. Any water spots that you allow to sit for some time on your car surface will eventually etch onto your car painting. Once so etched, removing these water spots will require you to remove some of the clear coatings from your car to remove fully.
Does Baking Soda Ruin Car Paint?
No. You can use baking soda to clean your car without damaging the paint. All you need to do is make sure that the baking soda is diluted appropriately. First, you can mix at a ratio of 1:2 of baking soda to water and use that solution to clean your car. You can experiment with other baking soda to water ratios until you find the best one for you.
Will Windex Hurt Car Paint?
Windex is an American brand for hard-surface and glass cleaners. While Windex works brilliantly on glass, please do not use it on car paint. On the glass, Windex will strip away any streaks, grime, or dirt. However, glass is much stronger than car paint, and thus this effect Is not easily transferable.
When you clean your car paint with Windex, it will eventually strip away the car’s finish. It is much safer and cheaper, in the long run, to clean your car paint with products that are meant for car paint or other household products.
Will Rubbing Alcohol Hurt Car Paint?
If used at high concentrations, rubbing alcohol can permanently damage your car paint. This damage is due to the high concentrations of ethyl found in the alcohol that can eat through your car paint and cause fading and discoloration of the affected parts.
However, when diluted correctly, rubbing alcohol has a lot of uses. You can use it to polish residues, inspect correction results, and clean oil or grease stuck on car paint. Nevertheless, we don’t recommend using it on fresh paint.
What Should You Not Use WD-40 On?
While the uses of WD-40 are seemingly endless, there are still places where it would be a mistake to use it. Some of these include:
- Door hinges, where it could attract dust and dirt and end up destroying the look of your hinges.
- Locks- the spray can prematurely wear down internal mechanisms.
- Paintball guns- the spray can melt seals in the gun.
Will WD-40 Hurt Car Paint?
One of the ways you can use WD-40 is to fix small scratches on your car paint. However, one of the top questions around this subject is whether WD-40 is harmful to your car paint. It is first important to understand what WD-40 is made of. The components of this solution include (the exact proportions of these components are likely to change between countries:
- Less than 35% of petroleum base oil.
- Approximately 45-50% of low vapor pressure isoparaffinic aliphatic hydrocarbons
- Less than25% of flammable aliphatic hydrocarbons
- Approximately 2-3% of carbon dioxide
While some of these components, when used individually, may cause damage to your car paint, it is important to note that in WD-40, these components are carefully mixed to precise proportions to form a safe solution to use on your car paint.
However, just because it does not cause any physical damage to your paint does not mean it is completely harmless. First, WD-40 leaves behind a certain smell and greasy appearance that may not be appealing to everyone.
Second, WD-40 is very attractive to dirt. While it may disguise scratches on your car in the short term, the whole area will likely get filthy soon.
Does Car Wax Prevent Water spots?
Yes, it does. Car wax is the best way to prevent water spots from forming on your car. A wax coating will act as a barrier on the car’s surface to protect it from contaminants and outside elements. Instead of the water beading up, it will sheet away. If there are no or minimal beads, then water spots are unlikely to form, and if they do form, you can quickly take care of them.
What Causes Water Spots After Washing the Car?
As mentioned above, water spots are formed by the mineral deposits left behind after water allowed to sit on your car dries. There are three primary types of spots that can form on your car’s surface.
- Regular water spot
These are the water spots caused by a build-up of total dissolved solids and naturally occurring minerals found in water.
- Bonded mineral
These spots are formed by microscopic particles that come from sources such as forest fires or wood stoves. The particles can fall on your car in the form of dust or get mixed up with rainwater.
Acid rain- which has a higher nitric and sulfuric acid content- combines with these contaminants to form water spots, with deposits left behind after the water evaporates. If not removed properly, these deposits can erode the clear coat of your car.
- Etching
You will typically see etching after the spots are baked into the car’s finish due to high heat. If the etching is too severe, you might have to use an abrasive means to correct it. Since improper handling and correction techniques can damage the car irreparable, it would be best to seek out a professional in this circumstance.
Can You Wash a Car With Hard Water?
The hardness of water is usually determined by the amount of calcium, magnesium, and other minerals that it contains. Hard water, which has a high amount of these minerals, is not recommended when washing cars. After the car is washed and some water is left behind on the car surface, it leaves behind minerals and corrosives.
The mineral deposits from small craters on your car surface grow larger with repeated exposure. These spots, while they may seem harmless at first, can permanently damage your car’s surface if left on for too long.
Is Vinegar and Baking Soda Safe for Car Paint?
Yes, vinegar and baking soda are safe for car paint. When using white vinegar on your car, make sure to dilute it sufficiently. You can mix the vinegar and distilled water equal or dilute it further to a 3:1 ratio of water to vinegar.
Just as with vinegar, you should mix an appropriate amount of baking soda into the water for washing your car. You can start at a 1:2 ratio of baking soda to water and adjust the ratios to suit you.
How Do You Remove Stains from Car Paint?
Even when the utmost care is taken to prevent water spots, you will likely still get them a few times. Below are some of the best methods you can use to remove water spots from your car.
- Rewash and re-dry your car.
While this may seem dubious (washing your car did create the problem in the first place), it is a good first try. First, with any method you use to remove water spots from your car, you will need to wash it as a preliminary step to eliminate any particles that may scratch the surface when you try to remove the stains. Second, a second car wash with the proper techniques and steps might be enough to remove the water spots.
You will need hosing down water, a bucket of warm soapy water, another bucket of rinse water, a soft washing sponge, and microfiber drying towels.
To get the best results, use the two bucket method to clean your car. With the two bucket method, you dunk your washing mitt into the soapy water, clean the car’s surface, then rinse out the mitt/sponge in the clean water. You can then soak it in soapy water and continue washing as so.
Below are some helpful tips for effective car washing.
- Before you start washing your car, blast the whole vehicle with water first. Blasting will dislodge any surface particles and pre-lubricate the car surface for the wash sponge to glide over.
- Before you wash your vehicle, it is also important that you wash the wheels of your vehicle. The rollers of your car will often be loaded with brake dust which is notorious for getting embedded into paint and causing scratches. Blasting these particles away before washing is crucial to effective washing.
- A great way to wash your car is to wash it a panel at a time using the two bucket method. Remember to respray each section as you go, so ensure that it is properly lubricated.
- Wash the car only when the paint is cool to prevent any spots from getting baked in.
- Dry your car as quickly as possible after washing from top-down. If possible, enlist the help of another person to help dry the car as quickly as possible before the water evaporates.
- Detailing clay
The clay decontamination treatment commonly referred to as claying, the clay decontamination treatment uses a putty-like, synthetic bar to remove contaminants from the car’s surface. The bars that this clay comes in can be kneaded, shaped, and used as an eraser.
Detailing clay is usually used with a lubricant included with the product and is better for small, localized water spots. Since it also removes the mineral residue by force, this method is best used after other softer methods such as using vinegar have failed.
When using detailing clay, here are some expert steps to follow.
- After spraying the car with some water, apply the lubricant solution to the car section that you plan on claying. You can also apply the lubricant to the clay tool so that the contaminant comes off much easier.
- You can then rub the clay in a back-and-forth motion, following the vehicle’s lines. Make sure you hit every spot and avoid claying in a circular method to avoid damaging your car’s clear coat.
- Using vinegar
As mentioned above, a vinegar wash is also an effective way to remove water spots from the car. Since white vinegar is slightly acidic, you will need to mix it with equal amounts of water, spray it on the car, then use a clean microfiber cloth to wipe away the surface. You may need to wipe down the surface several times for stubborn stains, with 30-45 second soaks before spraying and wiping again.
If the vinegar stays too long on the painted car, it will start eating into the clear coat.
- Commercial removers
Commercial water stain removers are also a simple and quick way to remove water stains from your car. Although different removers will likely have different ingredients, there are still some common ingredients such as distilled water, a lubricant, usually mineral oil, and some other ingredients such as solvents, buffers, conditioners, etc.
Commercial spot removers usually work best when you use them on glossy paint surfaces, and you should not use them on matte or flat surface paint.
To use these commercial removers, first, rewash and dry your car. Then apply the remover to the stained areas using a foam applicator and rub it into the paint in two or three passes. You can then finish by rubbing the compound away using a dry and clean cloth.
- Paint correction
This method is usually reserved for when all other methods have failed to remove the water spots. It is usually used for the most severe cases of damage to the clear coat or the paint. Paint correction used polishing tools and abrasive compounds to remove the stains. The steps to follow when using this method are:
- Prepare the car panels. Use your painter’s tape to section off any areas you don’t want to polish with your buffing wheel.
- Use a clean microfiber cloth or an applicator pad to apply the compound to each panel until fully covered. For the best results, spread the compound thin since when you apply too much, all you do is waste it and likely hamper finishing times.
- Using the polishing power tool you prefer, the spinning pad parallels the car surface to avoid swirl marks. Apply constant pressure and move the tool back and forth over the surface. The stains and scratches will start disappearing as the clear coat heats up and the paint starts warming up. Repeat this in the next section
s till you are done.
- Keep rinsing off the foam pad to prevent it from getting saturated with compound.
Will Lysol Hurt Car Paint?
Lysol is a well-known brand of disinfecting and cleaning products. Despite its numerous uses, Lysol is not recommended for use in cleaning cars. You can easily use other solutions that are meant for car paint or a milder homemade solution. However, if you must use Lysol wipes, be sure to pick ones that do not have bleach.
Can WD-40 Remove Scratches On Car?
One use of WD-40 is to remove scratches from your car’s surface. It works best with scratches that have not yet been cut through your car’s clear coat. When something scratches your clear coat, it will produce a fine, light dust that will sit in the scratch and highlight the damage until you clean it out.
First, the WD-40 will clear out any powdery residue still in the scratch. Then, since the WD-40 is clear, it will act as a short-term substitute for the clear coat, fill the groove, and moisturize the edges. While it is not a permanent replacement for a clear coat, it is a great way to fix the appearance of scratches temporarily.
To use WD-40, wipe down the area carefully using a microfiber cloth, blast with the WD-40 to clear away any dust, and fill the groove. You can then finish off with a rub using a microfiber cloth.
Final Thoughts
While removing water spots from your car is a definite way of clearing up your paint job, preventing these spots from forming in the first place. Several methods listed above are quick and easy in preventing water spots, such as shading your car from rain and extreme heat. Still, most people want to know…
How to Remove Hard Water Spots from Car Paint
Removing water spots from your car paint should be a quick and easy process with the right tools, equipment, and technique. You can also use solutions that you can easily make with products in your homes, such as baking powder and vinegar.
Thank you for reading this article to the end, and I pray that it has been informative and answered any questions you had. Kindly leave any questions, comments, and suggestions in the comments section below.