Save Time – Five Quickest Ways To Dry Your Car

 

There once was a time when only a few choices existed to dry your car; a chamois leather, old rags or T-shirts or just leave it to dry naturally. However to avoid those annoying watermarks and potential swirls you need to remove the water as quickly and safely as you can.

Fortunately, there are now a number of other methods and tools that will help you achieve this that we will explore in more detail in this post.

In previous posts, we have suggested “sheeting” water across your car as a final rinse.

Well not only does the sheeting work to remove any last-minute bits of dust that may have landed on your car but also it serves to remove the beads of water that sit on your paintwork.

The benefit of this is twofold.

a. Vastly reduces the amount of water that is sitting on your paintwork, making drying much easier and quicker and allowing your drying cloth to be able to go further without getting saturated.

b. Quickly removes the water beads, preventing them from evaporating and thus reducing those annoying water spots that can be left behind.

To “sheet” the water, remove the nozzle from the end of your hose, hold the hose parallel to your paintwork and allow the water to run out, across and down the body of your motor.

Your next step is to safely remove whatever water is now left. There are various methods and tools for doing this, the pros and con’s of which we will look at for each one below.

1. Leaf Blower

A Leaf Blower link is an excellent tool for removing access water for your paintwork, quickly and effectively. Used machines can be obtained for as little as a fiver on eBay.

Unless you are using the same one you also use in your garden it is probably best to modify it slightly by cutting down the nozzle, to make it easier to work with and also reducing the chances of losing control of it and clipping your bodywork with the end of the nozzle. But otherwise a very effective bit of bit and especially for those hard to get into areas.

Atom Motorcycle DryerAlthough mainly produced for Motorcycle drying there are also products available that are designed specifically to remove the excess water from your motor such as these Motorcycle Dryers link some of which can also blow both hot and cold air at over 200mph, blasting any last bit of water from the crevices of your vehicle.

As a cheaper alternative, it is also worth looking at some of the Pet Dryers link on the market as many are very similar in specification.

 2. Hydra Flexi Blade

An excellent tool for quickly removing surface water for your motor and as its name suggests being made of flexible silicone it can follow the subtle contours of your bodywork.

It does have to be used with caution and you need to ensure that you wipe or rinse the blade off at every pass and be sure all the dirt and grit has been removed from your paintwork before using.

If purchasing a Water Blade link for the first time, be sure to go for oneCar Hydra Flexi Blade that can collect or channel the water off with a single or double T shape at the end on the blade.

Do not go for a bargain bucket flat blade version as if a bit of dust or dirt does get trapped there is no-where else for it to go with the flat blade version.

3. Chamois Leather

Until recently the chamois leather was by far the most common tool for removing water and drying our motors, these natural based products have stood the test of time.

Great for absorbing water, gentle on your paintwork and long-lasting (if properly cared for and stored). The downside of chamois leathers is the ringing out and the fact that there is no “nap” or “pile” and if any dirt does get picked up in the drying process it will likely rub between the surface of your paintwork and the chamois, again causing fine swirling.

4. Microfibre Drying Towel

The Microfibre Drying Towel link products have become the go-to drying tool amongst most detailers.

Super absorbent, with micro fine non-scratch fibres they are capable of absorbing up to 8 times their own weight in water.

The secret of the microfibre is that each piece of microfibre yarn splits into 8 or more triangular fibres, that not only allow it to pick up vastly more dirt and dust particles than ordinary cloths, but also gives them their the extremely high absorbency properties.

Car Microfibre Drying TowelThere are various types of microfibre drying towel available, ranging from a few pounds upwards. Some prefer a large soft deep pile towel, others a waffle weave.

It is really down to preference (mine is the deep pile link). However avoid the smooth (i.e. no deep pile) microfibre cloths available for your bodywork. These are excellent on glass but without a noticeable pile, are not suited to your bodywork.

5. Take Your Motor For A Spin

Although not the most recommended or reliable way of drying your car after washing, it is nonetheless usually very quick (and enjoyable) if you can give it a good blast up the highway!

I hope this has given you another nugget or two of useful tips for when you next wash your motor.

 

 

6 Comments

  • dave
    Posted January 23, 2012 3:12 pm 0Likes

    I have had great results using the california squeege you show hear, then I mist a product called wax as u dry, by eagle one. this really helps your towel dry and also leaves a slight wax on the surface. This works very well on black or dark cars with hiding swirls. It can be used on glass, but you will see a haze, so cleaning the windows after is a must.

  • Anna
    Posted March 1, 2012 7:40 am 0Likes

    Good thinking!

  • Barbie
    Posted March 21, 2012 7:52 am 0Likes

    Only chamoise is what we use when we clean our cars and we only use micro fiber for glass, so it wont leave water marks/spots. well, maybe I’ll try to use the towel as a substitute for chamoise.

    gonna experiment more. Thanks for sharing this!

  • Stu
    Posted January 24, 2013 1:49 pm 0Likes

    Having purchasing a stihl leaf blower last autumn, i find this a fantastic way of drying our cars after washing. I then use a good quality micro-fibre cloth to finish off. The results are superb and cuts down on time as well.

  • richard
    Posted August 11, 2015 1:31 pm 0Likes

    I bought a large microfiber towel and now use this. Does the job really well. My chamois was breaking up anyway. Ditched the sponge and now use a wash mit .but don’t need the 2 bucket system as I have easy access to the tap water. So i rinse the mit under it. My car has never looked so good.

  • jepito
    Posted October 18, 2015 5:56 am 0Likes

    I use a leaf blower

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