Keeping Your Pride and Joy Mint: Practical Exterior Care for Aussie Conditions

Never wash your car in direct sunlight if it's over 25 degrees. The soap will dry on the paint before you can rinse it, leaving nasty water spots. If you have to do it outside, wait until later in the arvo.

Put your hand on the bonnet. If it's too hot to touch, it's too hot to wash. Give it a spray with cool water first to bring the surface temp down.

Fill one with clean water and the other with your soap mix. Follow the instructions on the bottle, using more soap doesn't always mean a better clean.

Always start here. If you do the paint first, you'll just splash wheel grime back onto your clean car. Use a dedicated wheel brush to get into the barrels.

Give the whole car a heavy rinse. You want to knock off as much loose dirt, dust, and salt as possible before you even touch the paint.

If you've got a foam cannon, use it. Let it sit for 5 minutes (don't let it dry!) to encapsulate the dirt. It makes the hand wash much safer.

Dunk your mitt in the soapy bucket, wash a panel, then rinse the mitt in the plain water bucket. Start at the roof and work your way down. The bottom of the car is always the dirtiest, so leave it until last.

Use your mitt to get into the door shuts and around the fuel cap. This is where that fine red dust loves to hide.

Rinse the soap off thoroughly. Start from the top and let the water flow down, taking the suds with it.

Lay your large microfibre towel flat across the bonnet and just pull it towards you. Don't scrub. This 'blotting' method prevents swirl marks.

If you've got a leaf blower or a dedicated car dryer, use it to get water out of the side mirrors and badges. It stops those annoying drip marks later on.

Use a proper glass cleaner and a fresh microfibre. Clean windows make the whole car look ten times better.

While the car is clean, apply a spray sealant or wax. This provides a barrier against UV and bird droppings.