Can I Use Dawn to Wash My Car? (Quick Answers)

People tend to keep their cars clean regularly to extend the life of car paint. Using the right type of car wash will make your car look shiny like new even after many days. In today’s article, we will discuss cleaning a car. 

Can I use dawn to wash my car? 

You should not use dawn to wash your car as it is a dishwashing soap that does not use the proper mechanism for cleaning the car. This formula can damage your car’s protective topcoat and fade the texture of your car’s paint with prolonged use. The cleaner may also leave a scratch on the paint. 

Choosing the right type of car wash is an essential part of car cleaning. A dedicated car wash uses a mechanism that will clean the car evenly and make the paint look shinier. 

On the other hand, dishwashing detergent contains a hard material that may leave scratches and stains on the protective layer of your car and damage the car’s paint when you clean it. 

Due to the prolonged use of dishwashing soap to clean your car, you may notice a faded texture of your car paint that makes your car look old. That’s why you should always use the recommended car wash shampoo to prevent damage to your car paint. 

Also, the car washing shampoo contains such formula that will add an extra glaze to your car paint. Below is a brief discussion on whether you can use it to wash your car’s different parts: 

Car seats: 

You can clean your car seats using dawn dish wash soap. It will remove the grease and clean the fabric of your car seats. In addition to that, it contains a cleaning booster that will cause no harm to the fabric of your car seats. 

Inside of the car: 

Although the interior of your car doesn’t contain any paint that could be damaged by using dawn, cleaning it using dawn will be completely harmless. 

Outside of the car: 

It is completely prohibited to use dawn outside of the car. The exterior of your car consists of a painted and protective layer, which can be damaged if you use dawn on it.

Is Dawn dish soap safe for cars? Does Dawn soap hurt car paint? 

Dishwashing soap is not recommended for use in cars. That goes for dawn dish soap as well. It contains a formula that will remove the stains and grease from the dishes which can be harmful when used on car paint. 

If you use the dishwashing soap on your car paint, it may react to the topcoat protective layer of your car paint and damage its texture. As a result, your car paint will look faded out and make your car look old.  

Dawn soap hurts the car paint by fading the glaze of it. Due to prolonged use, it starts to leave stains on the car paint by damaging the topcoat protective layer. 

Apart from that, the small particles in the dishwashing soap will harm the car paint and leave scratches on it. That is why it is recommended to use dedicated car wash shampoo when cleaning your car.

3 reasons why dawn dish soap cannot be used to clear cars 

Sometimes you may consider cleaning your car using dawn dishwashing soap. But that could lead to expensive damage to your car. Dawn dish soap contains a formula that is used to wash away grease and stains. 

If you use dishwashing soap to clean your cars, it will damage the topcoat protective layer of the paint. In some cases, the dishwashing soap may leave permanent stains and cause you expensive damage for repainting the car. 

Apart from that, dishwashing soap contains harsh cleaning agents that penetrate the texture of your car paint and damage it. That is why it is always recommended to use dedicated car washing soap or shampoo to clean the cars. 

Below is a description of some reasons why dawn dish soap cannot be used to clean cars:

It damages the topcoat protective layer: 

The dishwashing soap is not formulated for cleaning the car paint. It contains harsh materials that remove grease and stains from the surface. 

So, when you use dawn dish soap on your car, it may damage the topcoat protective layer of your car.

It leaves scratches on your car paint: 

Generally, most dishwashing soap contains small particles that are used to scrub along with the soap to clean the surface evenly. 

When you apply dawn dishwashing soap on your car paint, these small particles may leave scratches on your carping due to scrubbing.

It will make the car paint look faded: 

Due to prolonged use of dish soap, the car paint may look faded and washed out. As a result, your car will look old. That is why you should not use dawn dish soap to clean your cars.

When dish soap may be an okay option for your car? 

Although it is not advisable to use dish soap to clean your car, in some cases it may be an okay option. Dishwashing soap can often be used when you are cleaning your car at home. 

Also, if you do not have a bar of dedicated cleaning soap or shampoo for your car at home, you can use a little dishwashing soap. Although it should be avoided, very small amounts of dishwashing soap can be used for cars. 

If you want, you can mix a little water in the solution of dishwashing soap and lighten the mixture. In many cases, if the car has stubborn stains that cannot be cleaned with ordinary car washing shampoo, dishwashing soap can also be used. 

That is why you need to avoid prolonged use of dish soap to clean your car and use a dedicated car washing shampoo to clean the car evenly.

What kind of soap can I use to wash my car?  

When cleaning your car, you need to make sure the soap you will be using should not contain a hard type of detergent in it. Otherwise, it will strip away the paint from your car. 

There are plenty of soap options available to clean your car. You can use a soap that contains mild detergent in it. 

This will eventually prevent your car from getting damaged and will help you to get rid of almost any type of dirt or grime accumulated on the vehicle surface. 

You can use various types of washing soap or shampoo available in your house to clean the car. For example, you can use hair shampoo. 

The shampoo is considered an ideal type of soap that helps to remove any type of sticky residue or grime from the car’s surface. 

Another option can be using hand soap to clean the car for its excessive foaming formula which is harmless for the car paint, also it is used on the skin, so it can be considered harmless for your car paint. 

Below is a list of a few types of soap that you can use to wash your car: 

• Hair shampoo
• Hand soap
• Laundry detergent
• Mild dish soap

How to wash a car properly?  

Everyone loves to see their car look new. The clean interior and glossy colors of a car attract everyone. The common list of ingredients to wash a car consists of a sponge, car washing shampoo, a bucket full of water, and a hosepipe to rinse. 

Cleaning the car by following the right steps, will save you time and energy. That is why you need to be precise and make sure everything is organized when cleaning the car. Follow the steps to know more about washing a car properly: 

Wash the rims and tires first:

Due to driving in different terrains, the rims and tires become the dirtiest part of your car. The first thing you’ll need to do is scrub off the tire and rim of your car using the right type of car washing shampoo and then rinse it off. 

Rinse first then apply shampoo: 

You need to rinse the surface of your car before applying shampoo. This will help to wash away loose dirt and have more form when scrubbing. 

Scrub from the top and rinse again:

Once you’re done with applying car washing shampoo all over the car, it’s time to scrub the car thoroughly. 

Start from the top of your car. Gently scrub the surface to get rid of any grime accumulated on it. Once done, simply rinse off the car with clean water using a hosepipe.

Final Thoughts 

It is not recommended to use dawn dish wash soap to clean your car because it is not formulated to clean a car. In addition to that, it can damage the top protective layer of your car paint. In addition to that, the small particles present in the dishwasher soap may leave scratches on your car.