Getting Sand and Salt Out Without Ruining Your Paint

Don't even think about touching the paint with a mitt yet. You need to blast as much loose grit off as possible. I always tell my mates to use a snow foam if they've got a pressure washer. A good one like Bowden's Own Snow Job dwells on the surface and lifts the sand away so it slides off. If you don't have foam, just spend a solid 10 minutes with the hose, starting from the roof and working down. I once saw a bloke at a DIY wash start with the wheels then go straight to his bonnet, I nearly had a heart attack watching those scratches happen in real time.

Salt loves to hide in the chassis rails, behind the wheel arches, and inside the fuel door. If you don't flush these out, the humidity will turn that salt into a corrosive paste. I reckon the best $50 you can spend is on an underbody water broom or a salt-neutralising solution like Salt-Away. Give the undercarriage a proper drenching until the water runs clear. Your future self (and your mechanic) will thank you when your suspension hasn't seized up in three years.

Sand in the carpet is a nightmare. A normal vacuum just won't cut it because the grains bury themselves deep in the fibres. My trick? Use a massage gun or a palm sander (without the sandpaper, obviously!) on the carpet while the vacuum nozzle is right next to it. The vibration bounces the sand to the surface. I learned this the hard way after spending three hours on a customer's LandCruiser that had been to Fraser Island, never again without the 'vibration trick'.

In this March heat, the sun is still brutal. If you've got salt sitting on your trim and the sun hits it, it'll dry out your plastics faster than a dropped pie in the outback. Once the car is clean and dry, chuck a bit of protection on. I'm a big fan of Gtechniq C4 for trim or even just a quick spray sealant like Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax. It makes the sand much easier to wash off next time because it can't 'grab' the paint as easily.