Shift the Sludge: Getting Mud and Red Dust Off Without Ruining Your Paint

If you've just come back from the red centre and your car is covered in fine dust, do not just spray it with a hose immediately. I learned this the hard way on a black Commodore I used to own, it just turns the dust into a thick, abrasive paste that gets into every crevice. If it's just dry dust, use a leaf blower or compressed air to get the bulk of it off first. It sounds weird, but it works heaps better than making mud pies on your bonnet.

For thick mud, you need a decent pre-wash. I reckon Bowden's Own 'Snow Job' or Meguiar's Gold Class through a foam cannon is the way to go. Let it dwell for 5-8 minutes (but not in direct sun, obviously). This breaks down the bond of the dirt so it slides off. A customer once brought me a Ranger that was caked in river silt; without a foam soak, I would've been scrubbing for a week. The foam does the heavy lifting for you.

Most people wash the bits they can see and forget the rest. If you've been near the coast or in muddy tracks, that salt and gunk is sitting in your wheel arches and chassis rails. I usually chuck a lawn sprinkler under the car for 10 minutes while I'm prepping my buckets. It softens the hard stuff under there so it actually washes away when you hit it with the pressure washer later.

If you're cleaning mud, you need two buckets. One with your soapy wash (I love Autoglym Pure Shampoo) and one with plain water to rinse your mitt. If you only use one, you're just picking up grit from the bottom and rubbing it back onto the car. I made this mistake once on my missus' car and she didn't let me hear the end of it for a month because of the swirl marks. Get some grit guards too, they're cheap as chips and save your paint.