Cleaning your car to perfection is a fine art, but you don't need to be a professional detailer to achieve that showroom shine. Here's some top tips which will help you improve your car wash routine with minimum effort and maximum results.

1) Start with a clean bucket

It may seem like common sense but if you store your car wash bucket in the garage or the garden shed chances are that it's going to have collected a layer of dust and dirt by the time you dig it out again. Give your bucket a good rinse before you get started and you won't have lost before you've started.

2) Never use kitchen detergent on your paintwork

It might be tempting to slip a bit of washing up liquid into your wash bucket to save a bit of time and money, but the detergent in the liquid can attack your clear coat leaving your paintwork vulnerable to damage and corrosion. It's always best to use the right tools for the job so invest in some good Car Shampoo which is formulated to protect and clean your paintwork gently.

3) Avoid direct sunlight when drying your car

The best time to get your car washed is when the sun's out right? Well not necessarily, direct sunlight with evaporate the water and soap from your paintwork leaving behind heat stains or watermarks to ruin that perfect shine. You want to be able to dry the car off yourself with a chamois leather or a microfibre cloth so pick a spot in the shade or wash your car on an overcast day,

4) Wash your car from top to bottom

And I don't mean be thorough about it. Well yes, be thorough about it but in this case I mean it literally. Start from the bottom and when you get round to cleaning the roof and bonnet all the dirt you wash off will trickle down over your clean trims and wheels and will ruin all your hard draft. Work methodically and take your time over it.

5) Use two buckets

Whilst we are on the subject of buckets, keep a separate bucket of clean water to rinse your cloth or sponge in before placing it in your suds again.  This will limit the build up of dirt but will also mean there's less chance of getting debris trapped in your cloth to scratch up your paint.

6) Avoid automatic car washes

Even if they are well maintained, debris gets trapped in the rollers and can scratch your paintwork. IF you have an expensive paint  job it's always worth going that extra mile and doing a manual wash.

7) Always dry your paintwork

Whether you are a chamois advocate or love a microfibre cloth, always dry your paint off thoroughly to avoid watermarks caused by evaporation.

8) Take care when using power washers

Stick your hand in front of  the jet stream before washing. If the pressure is too much for you to handle then don't use it on your paint work. Turn the pressure down and take it easy!

BONUS: Never trust birds

This speaks for itself really...

Article first published Tuesday 1st Sep 2015 08:00:00