You can use Mothers® Tire & Rubber Cleaner to clean off dirt, soil and old dressing from the surface or, if you're washing bucket-style use soapy water to scrub the sidewalls. To remove heavy deposits you can use a firm nylon or natural bristle brush to really bear down on them. Usually it's better to clean the tires and wheels before washing your car from the top down (that way you can take care of the dirtiest areas first, and avoid splashing wheelwell grime on an already washed car).

If you're using soapy water to scrub the tires' sidewalls, a firm nylon or natural bristle brush makes the job faster. Usually it;s better to clean the tires and wheels before washing the rest of the vehicle, so you take care of the dirtiest areas first, and avoid splashing wheelwell grime on an already washed car.

Part of properly cleaning your vehicle's tires should include taking care of them in the long run. Regular treatments with a tire dressing such as Mothers® Protectant, Reflections® Tire Care or Mothers FX® Tire Shine can help protect tires from UV exposure, cracking, fading and turning brown. You can apply this type of product directly on the tire, but it's much more efficient and cost-effective to spray it into a closed-cell sponge, and then rub the sponge onto the tire with a light buffing action.

Another caution: Don't use Mothers® Back-to-Black® (or a similar type of restorative) on your tires. Heavy restorative chemicals like that are designed for exterior trim only. Let's face it—if your tires need restoring, you probably need new tires. Also, avoid solvent-based tire and rubber protectants. Check the bottle for distilled petrochemicals—they can do bad things to the longevity of the tire surface.

Instead of spraying a tire dressing directly on the sidewall, apply Mothers® Protectant, Reflections® Tire Care or Mothers FX® Tire Shine to a sponge and then wipe it on. By doing this, you will avoid wasting the product and you'll achieve much neater results.