Cleaning Dust From A Classic Car

[simoncars]

A strange question.

I’ve a few classic cars that I wash and detail every few weeks / months. I drive them at the weekends if the roads are dry, and they usually stay very clean, etc.

I have them stored in my garage, so after a few weeks they can tend to get some very light dust. I don’t want to rub the dust off, but I also don’t want to put them through a full wet wash.

Any ideas on the best way to clean the light dust from them, without a full wet wash process?

[Koolkat969]

Not a strange question at all.....know exactly what you mean!

Optimum no rinse wash seems quite popular for this kind of scenario. This and a few others in this video by Forensic Detailing.... ..
https://youtu.be/9WrZ9Zk4HeQ

[swisstoni]

Detailing spray originally developed to remove light dust from cars that had been taken to a show, or similar, where there was no real need to wash the car again.

[finlo]

Your perfect opportunity to buy a battery leaf blower!

Edited by finlo on Sunday 1st May 21:45

[Red9zero]

A decent quick detailer or buy a cover

[Camelot1971]

finlo said:

Your perfect opportunity to buy a battery lead blower!

Only trouble is, air doesn't blow the dust off! I tend to just rinse off the dust with filtered water and that seems to work ok, but its a bit of a faff.

[sgtbash]

high rpm duster

[200Plus Club]

You can buy a very soft impregnated brush (French if I recall) for this very task. It's anti static or similar and picks dust off without leaving residue or smears and no effort needed.

[_Leg_]

Pet dryer. I use one to dry my classics and blow water out of nooks and crannies after a wash and air dust them when they've been sat in the garage.

Plenty on Amazon. £60-80.

Also useful on my modern stuff after i dry them off for blowing the water out of badges, wing mirrors, wheels etc so you dont get those streaks after a wash.

[Chubbyross]

Another fan of optimum no rinse (ONR) here. It’s fantastic stuff. I dilute it to the recommended dilution ratio, soak six or seven good microfibres in a clean buckets, then pre-soak each panel with the ONR from a spray bottle before gently wiping each panel down whilst folding the microfibre regularly so I don’t rewipe dirt back onto the paintwork. I then gently dry each panel as I go with a soft drying towel. It leaves a great finish and I can do each car in about 45 minutes.

The important part of this process is spraying each panel before wiping. I spray the paintwork and ten to leave it for a minute so I’m not wiping dry dust around.

[Belle427]

A compressed air blow gun helps to shift a lot of it.

[Unreal]

I have a barn full of classics. Most are driven occasionally. They all have soft covers and only need washing a couple of times a year. The only reason for leaving them uncovered in a barn would be if I got some pleasure from cleaning which I don't. An annual thorough clean and wax is enough. Other than that a car might get a rinse off at a jet wash before driving home and going back under the cover provided it's dry.

[DickyC]

My dad had one of these:



A Nenette impregnated car duster. It seemed old fashioned in the sixties.

But you'll never guess:



Still available! £17 from Amazon.

Plastic rather than wooden handle but, y'know, small sacrifices.

[simoncars]

Great advice and help, thanks.

I'll read up on some of the products, thanks.

[200Plus Club]

DickyC said:

My dad had one of these:



A Nenette impregnated car duster. It seemed old fashioned in the sixties.

But you'll never guess:



Still available! £17 from Amazon.

Plastic rather than wooden handle but, y'know, small sacrifices.

That's the one I meant. Really effective on dust

[DickyC]

200Plus Club said:

That's the one I meant. Really effective on dust

Apologies 200, I missed your post or I would have quoted it.


/unintentional age related errors abound

[loughran]

I use a California Car Duster, it works really well.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/California-Car-Duster-CCD...

[200Plus Club]

DickyC said:

Apologies 200, I missed your post or I would have quoted it.


/unintentional age related errors abound

No worries I couldn't remember the name lol, age related also!

[politeperson]

How about this dusty one I cleaned at the weekend.

3 phase jet washer took about 45 seconds.