It’s a question many people ask – how do you keep a car clean with the minimum of fuss?

Well there’s the car wash, but from a young age I was freaked out by the large brushes sweeping over my head. It felt like monkeys climbing all over the car at the safari park!

The two-bucket method
If you have the same aversion as me, a trick I use is the two- bucket method. One bucket full of normal warm water (the rinse bucket) and the other bucket full of shampoo (the wash bucket). Using a mit or pad, grab a fistful of soapy water from the wash bucket and start washing the car from top down. When the mit or pad needs reloading, dunk it into the rinse bucket and give it a good shake. Then pick up fresh soapy water from the wash bucket.

You will soon build up a pattern. This method reduces the mud you drag back onto the car and ensures harmful grit stays in the rinse bucket. Look at the bottom of the wash bucket and it has stayed perfectly clean.

Once the car is all washed (don’t forget the wheels), use a detailing spray with a deep microfibre cloth, spray the panels you are drying and wipe over with the cloth to dry them. The use of the spray helps reduce the damage caused by any loose material not washed away previously. My dad always used a Chamois leather, however these end up literally as hard as leather! The Chamois also has no pile to catch any stray grit and can drag it across the paint.

Use a wax to give the perfect finish
Use a good quality gentle polish to remove any fine scratches from the panels and use a wax to give the perfect finish. There are two types of waxes – a traditional wax, which can be clear or come in a variety of colours, or you can use a synthetic sealant wax.

The difference; normal wax is based on natural products, will last a few weeks and burns off easier in the sun, whereas a synthetic sealant will last for a few months and will not burn off so quickly, it’s slightly harder to apply and will feel a bit sticky. Both of these waxes offer a sacrificial layer that protects the finish you have spent ages gaining with the wash and polish, and also fills in any fine scratches.

After this, I recommend a detailing spray containing wax and microfibre cloths to keep it in tip top condition. A quick wipe over once a week for 10 minutes is all that is needed during the spring or summer. Jay Leno, the American chat show host and avid car collector, rarely washes his cars. He only ever uses a detailing spray as a way of avoiding rust and protecting the electrics.

Better for the environment
The final step involves the washing machine – a joy of using microfibre cloths/mitts is that you can throw them in the wash and they will come up nicely ready to use again. Much better for the environment.