How to Use a Clay Bar

A Clay Bar is used to remove embedded surface contamination that still remain after a maintenance wash. Often, these contaminants are not always visible on the paint to the naked eye, but if you run your hand over it, you will feel the roughness, particularly on horizontal panels such as the boot lid and bonnet.

Properly prepped paint should feel as smooth as glass. Only after proper claying, should you start to polish or apply layers of protection. Don’t forget, clay bars can be used on glass, wheels, lights and more.

You should clay your car at least twice a year, or before you plan on polishing it. More often if you notice contaminants building up quickly from where you park your car, at work or home.

Your vehicle should be decontaminated, washed and dried thoroughly before using a clay bar. Check out our washing guide and fallout removal guide

To clay your car you will need a clay bar and lubricant. We recommend a dedicated Clay Lube. The clay bar lubricant does exactly that, provides a slippy surface for the clay to move across. Running dry clay on paint will result in marring, and no one wants that!

How to Use a Clay Bar:

Make sure the vehicle has been properly washed and dried.
Break off a small piece of clay that you will be working with and shape it into a flat surface
Working in small 18″ x 18″ sections, spray he lubricant onto the surface, ensuring full coverage of the area you are working in.
Gently glide the clay bar over the area using overlapping passes, up/down or left/right Do not lean on the clay bar, just glide it across. The clay will absorb the contamination. Examine it regularly, and fold it over to reveal a clean clay surface if needed. Don’t be afraid to do a few passes over the area.
The clay will begin to move more freely over the surface, and when you can feel no more friction, the area is done. Check the clay, if its heavily contaminated, discard that piece, and get another.
Wipe off any excess clay lube with a clean microfiber towel.
Repeat the above steps until the entire vehicle has been done.

To increase the life of your clay bar, spray the bar with a clay lube and store it in its container. A very popular Clay bar kit is the Dodo juice Basics of Bling clay Bar Twin Pack and the Bilt Hamber Auto Clay is also a top seller