How to clean matte or satin wraps safely...

Matte and Satin wraps or paint look incredible. We all know this. When the frozen E92 M3 competition appeared on Top Gear back in 2007 everyone lost their minds. Cars didn't have to be shiny to look great. But, we all learned very quickly that they needed maintaining. It is true, if a bird 'does his business' you've got hours to fix it or you will have a very expensive repair bill. 

Having said that, its popularity has grown and grown. With social media being the new car show of 2020/21 wraps and wild colour changes are the quickest way to grab attention and engagement. Someone who knows this very well is @rtwenty3 we had Nathan in for a photoshoot recently and want to highlight the products we offer with matte and satin in mind. 

Pre-wash, the start and the most important. We need to remove as much dirt and grime from the panel as possible to save contact/abrasive washing. As a matte finish is rough to the touch reducing the amount of back-and-forthing with the wash mitt is essential. Snö snow foam was made purely to clean. It will dwell for around 10 minutes, giving lots of cleaning time. 

If you have allowed a lot of time to pass and the car is very dirty you may need to opt for Först - citrus pre-wash on the lowers of the car. 

Now for the contact wash stage. At Stjarnagloss we like to add another layer of Snö, this is purely to add extra lubrication but it isn't essential. We formulated Matta shampoo to deep clean but NOT to add any gloss. Something a lot of shampoos do (including our Bubblor high gloss shampoo) but this can affect the finish of the wrap and spoil the cold, gothic look.

We would always advise a 'cross hatch' style of washing regardless of the paint type but returning to the bucket is even more important. As mentioned, scratches on matte and satin finishes are bad news and cannot be removed. So a safe wash technique has never been more important. 

A good 'top tip' would be to split a panel in half. Wash half in 1 direction (side to side) , turn the wash mitt over and wash in the other direction (up and down), then return to the bucket & rinse your mitt. Repeat around the whole car and don't try and over-stretch it. 

Drying the car, simple. Torstig drying towel and work from the top down. Be careful not to drag the towel along the floor especially on bagged cars such as Nathans insane S1 (essswaan) 

Finishing touches, like most wrapped cars it is likely the windows will have some tints on them. Our Glas - professional glass cleaner is safe to use on tints as it isn't solvent heavy. This can be used on the interior as well (where most tints are applied excluding windscreens) 

Lastly, quick detailer. Quick detailers have changed throughout the years, most adding lots of gloss. Mörk on the other hand just cleans. It helps pull greasy fingerprints and watermarks off wraps and leaves a smooth deepend finish. Apply a light mist and buff off, it's that easy. 

Now stand back and enjoy the fruits of your labour.