Tires can become one of the dirtiest parts of your vehicle if you don’t clean them regularly. They have to bear the worst of whatever you put your vehicle through. They can quickly accumulate a lot of debris, salt, and road grind and become the ugliest part of your otherwise clean looking car. So it is crucial that you clean them regularly.

However, having your tires and rims cleaned every week can become quite cumbersome. You have to bear a heavy price for having your tires detailed. You have to find time out of your weekly schedule to drive your car to the detailers and wait for it to be processed. So, it is a valuable investment of your time to learn to detail your tires and rims yourself.

We have prepared an easy to remember guide that will walk you through the steps of cleaning your tires at home. Doing it yourself can save you a lot of time, hassle, and money.

Be prepared

The first step is of course to prepare your inventory. You will need:

• A wheel & tire cleaner
  To get the dirt and all the other gunk out easily
  Our Recommendations
  • Signature Series Wheel Cleaner
  • Diablo Gel Oxygen Infused Foam Wheel and Rim Cleaner
  • Sticky Citrus Wheel Cleaner Gel
• A protective tire coat
  To give the wheel a protective layer to keep dirt out of the paint coating
  Our Recommendations
  • Nice and Wet Tire Shine Protective Coating
• A car shampoo + Dedicated Wheel Bucket
  For general lubrication while cleaning
  Our Recommendations
  • Maxi Suds 2 High Foam Maintenance Shampoo & Gloss Booster
  • Honeydew Snow Foam Extreme Suds Cleansing Wash Shampoo
• Rubber & Tire Protector
  To keep the rubber of the tires safe from all the chemicals, UV light
  Our Recommendations
  • VRP Vinyl, Rubber, Plastic Shine and Protectant
• A set of brushes to clean the tires with
  Our Recommendations
  • Gerbil Wheel and Rim Brush
  • Wheel Woolies Wheel Brushes
• OPTIONAL: Iron Remover
  To remove the brake dust from the wheel and protect it against rust
  Our Recommendations
  • Decon Pro Iron Remover and Wheel Cleaner

Now that you have prepared your tire cleaning kit, you are ready to start cleaning your tires.

1. Rinse the tires with pressured water. This helps get all the loose gunk and dirt out from the surface and prepare the tire for deeper cleaning. Rinse both the tire and the rims thoroughly.
2. Apply the tire cleaner. Spread/spray it across the face of the wheel thoroughly. Make sure that you don’t miss the inner barrels and the brake calipers. After applying the cleaner, let it sit for about 30 seconds.
3. Scrub away. Start with the tire and scrub until it’s surface is clean. You should be able to see white foam on the tires if they are clean. If you see dirt mixed in or browning in the foam, you will need to redo this step until you get clean white foam.
4. Now it’s the wheel’s turn. Use the longer brushes to clean the inner side of the rims where the thicker and wider brushes are not able to reach like the wheel barrels and behind the bigger brake kits. Add soapy/shampoo water in your tire cleaning bucket for your brushes to help with the cleaning.
5. Use the detail factory brush to get to the narrower parts of the wheel such as the lug nuts.
6. Rinse it all down once you’re done. Get all the dirt and foam that’s come off the tires with pressured water.
   Your tires are now clean. But you should still follow the optional steps mentioned below.
   
7. Use an iron remover to get the brake dust and iron particles from the skin of the rims. Spray the iron remover on the face of the wheels. Let it dwell for a few minutes and then rinse it away. Never let the iron remover dry on the surface of the wheels.
8. Apply the wheel protectant. Spray it on the wheels and then rinse it off. Don’t let it sit on the surface. This will help keep the tires easier to clean during maintenance washes.
9. Use a towel or air blower to dry the tires for the final step.
10. Apply a tire dressing using a soft pad. This helps keep the rubber of the tires protected from UV and also gives the tires a nice detailed final touch. Making them shinier too!

And you’re done! You have successfully cleaned your tires by yourself!