How to Get a Professional Detail at Home Without Making a Mess of It

Never, ever wash a car in direct Aussie sunlight if you can help it. The water dries too fast and leaves spots. If you don't have a carport, do it at 7am or after 5pm.

Touch the bonnet. If it's hot, the chemicals will flash dry and leave marks. Hose the whole car down with cool water first to drop the surface temp.

Fill your wash bucket with your soap (I reckon Meguiar's Gold Class is the best bang-for-buck) and your rinse bucket with plain water. Put your grit guards in the bottom.

Check your windows and sunroof. I once soaked the interior of a brand new Merc because the owner left the back window cracked. Not a conversation you want to have.

Blast out the wheel arches and underbody first. You want to get the heavy mud and salt off before you start using chemicals.

Start with the wheels while the rest of the car is dry. Spray your wheel cleaner on, let it sit for 2-3 mins (don't let it dry!), and agitate with your brushes. Rinse thoroughly.

Coat the whole car in a thick layer of snow foam. This dwells on the paint and drags the dirt down. Let it sit for 5 minutes. This is where you grab a coffee.

While the foam is on, use a soft brush to go around the window seals, badges, and grilles. These areas hold dirt that a mitt can't reach.

Rinse the foam off from the top down. Be thorough. You should see most of the surface grime disappear here.

Using your two buckets, wash one panel at a time. Dip the mitt in soap, wipe the panel (no pressure!), then rinse the mitt in the plain water bucket before going back for more soap.

While the car is wet, spray iron remover on the paint. If you see purple streaks, that's the iron dissolving. Rinse it off after 3 minutes.

Use a clay mitt with plenty of soapy water as lubricant. Gently glide it over the paint until it feels smooth as glass. This removes the 'pips' in the paint.

One last blast with the pressure washer to make sure all the clay lube and iron remover is gone.

Lay your large drying towel flat across the bonnet and pull it towards you. Don't 'scrub' the car dry; let the towel soak up the water. Use a blower or compressed air for the mirrors and gaps.

Open the doors and wipe the inner sills with a damp microfibre. This is the mark of a pro detail. Don't forget the fuel flap.

Use a dedicated glass cleaner and two cloths. One to wipe the grime, one to buff it dry. Pro tip: wipe vertically on the inside and horizontally on the outside so you know which side the streaks are on.

Apply your sealant. If using a spray ceramic, do one panel at a time. Spray on, wipe with one cloth, buff with a second clean cloth. This gives you that 'wet' look.

Apply a UV protectant to your plastic trims (like the wipers and bumper plastics). It stops them turning that ugly chalky grey.

Apply your tyre gel with an applicator pad. Don't put too much on, or it'll flick up onto your clean paint as soon as you drive off.

Give the carpets a quick go. Use a stiff brush to loosen the sand first, essential if you've been to the beach.

Walk around the car with a torch (or your phone light). Check for any leftover wax or water spots. Done.