When we go to apartment complexes, we do so with written agreements with the property manager so that they are aware of the services being performed on site and have given permission to do so. When apartment complexes don’t allow car washing on the premises, what do you do?

Take it to a car wash (sorta)

This is the simplest solution, however car washes don’t really do a good job at doing detailed work. Often they miss spots, and don’t really give a lot of care into the process. You’ll have streaky windows, and dirty wheels. Often to do a decent job you have to do it yourself in the end.

Wash Your Car Yourself

This would be the best solution for those who want to save money and have a good job done of their car. It is time consuming, but I’m going to share with you some tools and products (words that are underlined are the links to the amazon page and purchases using the links also help support the blog) that will help get the job done at an apartment complex when you don’t have access to power or water. This is actually the process I use when washing at a location where eco-friendly options are the only option.

How To Wash The Exterior of Your Car At An Apartment Complex Legally

You’re going to want a waterless wash soap. I recommend Optimum No Rinse, otherwise known as ONR. This solution is a highly lubricative product that you should spray on to the vehicle and then wipe away. This can be used on every part of the vehicle safely. I recommend buying a big pack of cheap square microfiber towels that you can fold into 4th’s and then use one square and spray at a time for each section of the car. Each square should represent one wipe. This will help prevent scratching the vehicle.

Quick Tip For Spotting Streaks When Using A Waterless Car Washes

These types of washes are prone to streaking so we recommend using a color matching paint correction light like this Master Elite one to spot streaks more easily.

What About If My Truck is Muddy?

Waterless wash methods cannot be performed when the vehicle is overly soiled. This is because the mud will severely mar and scratch the paint. You will need to use free flowing water or a pressure washer to clean this off which often can’t be done at an apartment complex. A great solution for this is to take it to a car wash to get the mud off and then take it back to your apartment for the finishing touches with a waterless wash method.

How To Clean The Interior of My Car At an Apartment Complex Legally?

We recommend using a vacuum with a battery pack like this Milwuakee Portable Wet/Dry Vacuum. This will allow you to do the majority of the detail job without an electrical wall outlet.

Other than this, you will need to use some more of those cheap microfiber towels and an all purpose degreaser/cleaner for most vehicles. If you have a vehicle with more sensitive surfaces, we recommend P&S Interior Detailer. Use this with a microfiber to get the majority of cleaning done in a vehicle.

What if You Don’t Have The Time and Still Want a Mobile Car Detail Service?

Contact us (if you’re in San Diego) or a local mobile detailer if you’re not in our area. We will happily do a mobile job for you as long as we have permission from the property manager. Let us know which apartment complex you’re at and send us the property manager’s contact information and we will attempt to receive written permission. We practice safe waterless wash methods as well as reclaiming water with water reclamation mats. We also use a compact van design and quiet equipment so no one is disturbed. You can contact us here:

Other than that, Stay Shining San Diego!

If you would like to book a mobile detailer in San Diego, go to book.claritycarwashing.com and download our free app at book.claritycarwashing.com/app