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Home >> Cleaning >> Area >> Car >> Car Exterior Cleaning

How to Remove Water Spots from a Car

By Joan Clark

Our cars represent us in the world, and so we want them always to look their best. But, acid rain, sprinklers, and mineral-heavy tap water can result in different types of water spots and ugly blemishes that mar the paint and take away your car’s swagger and shine. That’s why you must know how to remove water spots from a car whenever you encounter them.

Water hits our vehicles all the time, and if we know how to remove water spots from car windows and paint, we can rest easy knowing that we’re ready to get rid of hard water stains. This guide looks at how to get rid of water spots on a car using a few easy and quick cleaning and preventative methods.

We give you cleaning plans to bring your car’s paint back to life, and you’ll also find out how to keep your vehicle from getting water spots in the first place. We’ll prepare you for any water stains you run across.

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Table of Contents
  1. Getting Rid of Water Spots on a Car
  2. Remove Water Spots from a Car
    • Buff the Car with a Chamois
    • Give the Car a Vinegar Rinse
    • Use Detailing Clay on the Car
    • Apply a Commercial Water Spot Remover
  3. How to Remove Water Spots from Car Windows
  4. Preventing Water Spots
    • Wash the Car with Distilled Water
    • Apply a New Coat of Wax
    • Apply Synthetic Sealant to Your Car

Getting Rid of Water Spots on a Car

Cars live outside, so, naturally, they get wet. You’re sure to encounter mineral deposits and other unsightly blemishes that can ruin your vehicle’s good looks, and you need to know how to remove water spots from a car using a DIY recipe when the situation arises.

It’s easy to get rid of hard water stains when you know what you’re doing, so you should always have a cleaning method ready to go when faced with deposits and dull water-marks.

Remove Water Spots from a Car

This section gives you our tried-and-true methods for how to get rid of water spots on a car. You can use these recipes to clean spots from your paint, and they’re also great when you want to find out how to remove water spots from car windows, too. Learn the ways to clean auto glass and your car with these recipes the next time a rainstorm leaves your car looking like it contracted measles.

Buff the Car with a Chamois

Some water spots on the car’s surface can easily be wiped away if you have the right tools. A chamois or microfiber towel is perfect for buffing away fresh water spots on your paint or windows, and it won’t harm your paint as you use it.

If you opt to try buffing out the mineral deposits, test the method out on a small area before attacking the entire car, so you don’t waste your time.

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Buffing Out Water Spots

  • A dry chamois or microfiber cloth
  • Gloves
  • Paper towels
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Use some dry and clean paper towels to soak up any excess water before you begin buffing. Use long, back-and-forth motions to avoid leaving swirl marks on the wax.

Apply only enough pressure to remove the stains, and if they don’t come off, move on to a more robust cleaning option rather than continuing to bear down and possibly damaging the finish.

Give the Car a Vinegar Rinse

Vinegar is your home’s cleaning champ, and it takes care of water spots in a hurry, too. The acetic acid in vinegar is perfect for cleaning away mineral deposits leftover from hard water or rain. A diluted vinegar solution addresses tough hard water spots and won’t damage your finish or paint.

Give this cleanser a whirl when buffing doesn’t take care of the problem. At the same time, vinegar is ideal for removing bird poop from a car hood and eliminating bug spatter, too. It may even take care of bits of tar.

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Vinegar Car Cleaner

  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • 1 cup of cold water
  • Microfiber cloths
  • Gloves
  • Bucket
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Make this cleaning product for your vehicle with equal parts vinegar and water. Apply the vinegar solution with a cloth to all parts of the car, and let it sit for a minute.

Use a dry microfiber towel to wipe the spots away with long, back-and-forth motions. Repeat until your car is spot-free and shining brightly. You can store the remaining vinegar solution in a spray bottle for future spot cleaning needs.

Using vinegar to clean car windows, as well as those in the home, is the best way to keep them shiny, without spots, and streak-free. Don’t forget about your head and taillights. Clean headlights with vinegar, too, to keep them clear and increase visibility at night and in inclement weather.

Use Detailing Clay on the Car

A clay bar might not spring to mind when you think about effective water spot removers, but auto detailing clay is perfect for cleaning spots off your paint job quickly and safely.

Professional detailers have long used claying as their secret weapon for sanding away blemishes, and you can use it on your car to restore it to a showroom shine.

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Detailing Clay Spot Remover

  • A bar of auto detailing clay such as Meguiar clay, broken into three or four large chunks
  • Gloves
  • Chamois
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Hold one of the pieces of clay in the palm of your gloved hand, and run it up and down over your car’s windows and paint until the bar glides smoothly and without any bumps.

The clay grabs any debris from the paint surface and leaves behind a professional-looking finish. Brush any clay crumbs off your car with a chamois when you finish using the bar.

Apply a Commercial Water Spot Remover

If you’ve tried buffing, using vinegar, and rubbing your car with clay but still have water-marks, you might have to turn to the professionals. Commercial spot removers do a fantastic job of eating off mineral deposits and other water spots without damaging the underlying surface.

To get hard water spots off car windows, first find spot removers at home improvement stores or online. Most of them do a bang-up job on your automobile.

Follow the manufacturer’s instructions when you use a commercial cleaner, as failure to do so may void the guarantee and release the company from having to support you if there are any issues.

Because commercial spot removers may contain harsh chemicals, wear gloves and all other appropriate safety gear when you use one.

How to Remove Water Spots from Car Windows

Your car windows and paint are prone to gathering water on their surfaces, so window and winshield cleaning likely take place more often than washing the entire car, but you can take some precautions to reduce or eliminate hard water residue on these surfaces.

Clean car windows without streaks with a homemade recipe that includes vinegar or rubbing alcohol. Wiping carefully after spritzing the surface with the right tool also ensures a streak-free shine.

There are plenty of preventative measures that you can engage in to ensure that your next spot-cleaning job is smaller and more manageable. Stopping water spots before they set in keeps your car looking handsome all year long and ensures that you have good visibility at all times while driving.

Clean hard water spots off glass windows as you discover them to keep them clear and shiny all year.

Preventing Water Spots

This section covers methods of keeping water stains from your car’s paint or windows. In this section, you’ll find advice for a spot-free wash and will learn how to apply a new coat of wax to guard against future spots. The more preventative care you give your car now, the longer it will look like new.

Wash the Car with Distilled Water

One of the main culprits that cause water spots, aside from the rain, is tap water. If you rinse your car with garden hose water when you wash the car, you might be inadvertently dousing it with hard water and creating spots.

Distilled water contains nothing but water, and rinsing with it means you won’t have mineral deposits that dot your vehicle when they dry.

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Distilled Water Car Wash

  • Distilled water
  • Car soap
  • Bucket
  • Car wash mitt
  • Chamois
  • Glass cleaner
  • Paper towels
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Move your car out of direct sunlight. We recommend you use a commercial car soap, but the best household soap to wash car windows and paint will do an outstanding job, as well. Mix the soap in a bucket of clean water from a hose, and apply it to your car in long, back-and-forth movements with a wash mitt.

Rinse the car with distilled water. Clean the windows with glass cleaner and paper towels. Then, dry the vehicle with a chamois.

Apply a New Coat of Wax

Wax is the barrier that protects your paint from wear and damage, and it’s essential to have a good coat of it on your car to keep water spots from developing. When you apply wax to your vehicle, you create a slick and waterproof surface. Rain will bead off a new wax job and run off the car.

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Auto Wax Application

  • Carnuba wax or other car wax
  • Wax applicator
  • Chamois, microfiber cloth, or another polisher
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Make sure your car is clean and dry before you begin applying the wax. Warm the wax in your palm to get it soft and spreadable, and then use an applicator to spread the wax over the paint in a thin layer.

Let the wax harden, and then buff it with a microfiber cloth or chamois. Repeat until the car is gleaming.

Apply Synthetic Sealant to Your Car

Clearcoat sealants are an effective alternative to natural waxes and harden into an impenetrable shield against water spots.

Keep your car spot-free and looking great with a coat of sealant, and it won’t wear down or cloud up as quickly as wax. Try a paint sealant to repel rain and water spots for a long time.

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Synthetic Sealant Application

  • Sealant
  • Wax applicator
  • Microfiber cloth or chamois
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Make sure your car is spotless and dry before you apply the sealant. Use a foam applicator to spread the sealant in a thin layer across the paint. Allow the sealant to dry, and then buff it to a shine with a chamois or microfiber cloth.

We hope you had a great experience exploring our water spot removal guide. Your car is your public face to the world, and you want to keep it looking beautiful.

But, water spots dull the finish and make your car look shabby. Our guide gives you winning recipes and methods that you can use to clean off spots and keep them from returning.

Discover how to remove water spots from a car with our guide, and keep your ride looking like new. We show you how to get water spots from your paint and windows and bring your car back to life. #waterspots #car #water #spots
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