Car washing · 6 min read
How to wash your car properly, step by step
Give the products time to work and rinse carefully. Here is how to use our self-service wash bays.
Self-service car wash in Oslo
How to use our self-service car wash
All the equipment is ready in the bay. A wash takes fifteen minutes.
- Open around the clock
- Self-service car wash from NOK 50
- Fast charging 150 kW
- Årvollveien 23
How to wash, step by step
The terminal has five programmes. Use them in this order, and let the degreaser and foam work before you rinse.
1Degreaser
50 seconds
Apply to the rear and the sides, up to the mirrors and windows. Leave it for 5 to 10 minutes.
2Foam
1.5 minutes
Apply on top of the degreaser. Leave it for 3 to 5 minutes.
3High pressure
6 minutes
Rinse from the bottom up. Hold the nozzle 20 to 40 cm from the car.
4Vacuum cleaner
6 minutes
Vacuuming the inside of the car.
5Screen wash
40 seconds
About 4 litres of screen wash.
| Step | Programme | Time | How to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Degreaser | 50 seconds | Apply to the rear and the sides, up to the mirrors and windows. Leave it for 5 to 10 minutes. |
| 2 | Foam | 1.5 minutes | Apply on top of the degreaser. Leave it for 3 to 5 minutes. |
| 3 | High pressure | 6 minutes | Rinse from the bottom up. Hold the nozzle 20 to 40 cm from the car. |
| 4 | Vacuum cleaner | 6 minutes | Vacuuming the inside of the car. |
| 5 | Screen wash | 40 seconds | About 4 litres of screen wash. |
Why the order matters
Apply the products in the right order and give them time to work before rinsing.
- 1
Degreaser first
Apply it to the rear and sides, where road tar and salt collect.
- 2
Foam on top
The foam goes over the degreaser and loosens the rest of the dirt.
- 3
Let it work
Give the products a few minutes to loosen the dirt before rinsing.
- 4
Rinse from the bottom up
Rinse from the bottom up, so the dirt does not run down over parts you have rinsed.
Rinsing too soon washes away the product before it has loosened the dirt.
What it costs
Self-service car wash is paid with electronic tokens at the terminal. One token costs NOK 50, and the smallest purchase is one token. You can buy these amounts at a time:
- NOK 50
- NOK 100
- NOK 150
- NOK 200
You pay by card or Vipps at the terminal.
What each programme does
Each programme has its own job. Once you know what they do, you also know which ones you can skip.
- Degreaser
- Degreaser dissolves grease and oil. That is what holds asphalt, tar, diesel and road salt to the paint. It needs 5 to 10 minutes to work, which is why it goes on first. Foam alone does not remove this, however long you rinse.
- Foam
- Foam loosens ordinary dirt, soot, pollen and insects. It forms a thick layer that stays put, so it has time to work. Laid over the degreaser, it also keeps that wet so it does not dry before you rinse.
- High-pressure rinse
- High-pressure rinse removes the dirt that foam and degreaser have loosened. Rinse from the bottom up, so clean water does not run over surfaces that still have product on them. Finish with one pass from the top down.
- Vacuum
- The vacuum is for the inside: seats, mats, boot and the gaps between seats. It runs for 6 minutes, which covers a normal car if you take the mats out first.
- Screen wash
- Dispense screen wash into your car's windscreen washer reservoir. The programme supplies about 4 litres.
How long a normal wash takes
An exterior wash takes about 15 minutes. Programme times are 50 seconds for degreaser, 1.5 minutes for foam and 6 minutes for the high-pressure rinse. Allow time for the products to work. Vacuuming adds another 6 minutes. After washing, move your car to a charger and let it dry while it charges.
Never washed a car yourself?
Everything is ready in the bay. Degreaser, foam and the pressure washer each have a separate spray gun. Follow the instructions on the terminal, select a programme and wash the car yourself. The bay is yours while you use it.
The first time, read through the programme on the terminal before you buy tokens. Buy NOK 100, and you have enough to try every step without rushing. Start with degreaser on the rear and sides, where the dirt is thickest, and let it work while you cover the car in foam. Keep the nozzle 20 to 40 centimetres from the paint when you rinse. Closer than that can damage trim and decals.
Wash and charge in one stop
Wash your car first, then move it to a charger and let it dry while it charges. Both are in the same building at Årvollveien 23, 0590 Oslo, Norway.
ChargingA better result than an automatic car wash
An automatic wash runs the same path over every car. You see where the dirt is and go back to it.
- Rims
- The brushes in a machine rarely reach between the spokes. With high-pressure rinse you reach everywhere, behind them too.
- Door sills
- The sills are hidden when the doors are shut, so a machine never washes them. You open the door and rinse.
- Front
- Insects and road grime stick hard to the front. Degreaser and time to work loosen what a quick machine wash passes over.
An automatic wash is built for speed and treats every car the same. When you wash yourself, you decide how long the degreaser works and how much time you spend on wheels and the lower part of the car. That is where road salt sits, and where a machine most often misses. You also avoid rotating brushes against the paint.
About the wash bays
- Two doors with two wash bays
- Each bay has room for four cars, but is used by one. You get space around the car, not a narrow box
- Indoors, dry and well lit. No washing outside in sleet
- Open 24/7
- Entrance height 2.20 metres. The site is inside a parking garage
- Location
- Indoors
- Wash bays
- 2
- Locations
- Årvollveien 23
- Entrance height
- 2.20 m
- Open
- 24/7
Degreaser
Its own gun on its own hose. Loosens tar, asphalt and winter salt.
Foam
Its own gun on its own hose. Loosens ordinary dirt before you rinse.
High pressure
Its own gun on its own hose. You never switch equipment halfway.
Screen wash
You fill it yourself and pay per litre.
Air gun, free
Blow water out of mirrors, trims and locks. Costs nothing.
Water tap, free
Fill a bucket or rinse the mats. Costs nothing.
Vacuum cleaner
For the inside, 6 minutes on the terminal.
Common questions about the wash
From NOK 50. How the tokens work is explained under What it costs, further up the page.
About fifteen minutes. That includes the time the degreaser and foam need to work. High-pressure rinse runs for 6 minutes, and the vacuum for 6 minutes.
No. If the car is just dusty or dirty from normal driving, foam is enough. Use degreaser when there has been salt on the roads, or when you see black spots of asphalt on the sides.
Foam loosens ordinary dirt. Degreaser is stronger and dissolves grease and oil, such as asphalt, diesel, tar and winter salt. If you use both, apply the degreaser first and the foam on top.
Yes. The terminal takes card and Vipps. You need no app or agreement.
The entrance height is 2.20 metres. The site is inside a parking garage, so tall vans, cars with a roof box and cars with a bike rack on the roof do not fit.
Yes, both are in the same building. You wash the car first, plug it in afterwards, and let it dry while it charges. Then it is both clean and fully charged when you drive on.
News
Related articles
Car washing · 5 min read
Why your car needs washing in winter
Road salt collects on paint and the underbody. Here is why regular winter washing matters.
Need an answer first?
Call us or visit the contact page for questions about washing or fleet agreements. If a charger will not start, call Current on +47 91 91 45 54.
Thomas Laiq · Owner · Main contact