In the UK, we are currently experiencing a mini heatwave. Clear skies, beautiful sunshine and temperatures we normally expect on the continent. This change in the weather does increase the amount of people that venture outside, the appropriately named "fair weather" detailers/valeters. The question that comes up every heat wave is, IS it OK to wash my vehicle in the sun?

The answer isn't a straight forward one, but hopefully our explanation will help you make an informed decision and get the best from your washing experience.

You will have almost certainly witnessed a Rainbow and seen a similar effect when water is sprayed into the air on a sunny day? If you haven't, try it! The reason for the rainbow is, each droplet of water is like a lense,  refracting the light and magnifying it. Magnifying the suns rays increases the chances of damaging your vehicles paint. If you then add in shampoo etc, the end results could be catastrophic. Emphasis on COULD BE!

In our free guide to Scratch Free washing, we recommend that you avoid washing in direct sunlight, but if you can not avoid it, wash small areas at a time, remove shampoo and excess water and dry the paint as quickly as possible. Hotter climates should take extra care.

Its not just the paintwork that you need to be careful of, glare from paint, glass, chrome etc. could damage your eyes and when there is water in the atmosphere, you can often feel a bit cooler, not realising the full impact of the sun, resulting in burnt skin, without realising.

Overall we would recommend that you don't wash your vehicle in direct sunlight, but if you cant avoid it, take care and follow our guidelines.