Everything you need to know about DIY car washing

Driving a spotlessly clean car is one of life's joys but – at anywhere from around $20 for a basic wash up to nearly $200 for a no-stone-unturned clean and detail – there's not always room in the budget for a professional wash. But that's no reason to drive a dirty vehicle. Follow these tips and your car will look like it's just come off the showroom floor for a fraction of the cost of a pro clean.

You really don't need a lot to clean a car. At a minimum, quality car-wash detergent, cleaning cloths, a soft brush, two buckets and a household vacuum cleaner. If you want to keep up with professionals you'll want a drying cloth, some protectant, tyre shine, wax and polishing cloths. Few of these products cost more than $10–$20 individually, meaning you can cobble together a quality car-wash kit that will give you months and months of home washes for the price of a single pro wash.

If you really want to make your car look new again you need to clean the cabin and boot. More importantly, you should attack them first to avoid sullying a wet, freshly cleaned exterior with dust and dirt.

This is the big one. In one bucket is your detergent, in the other is clean water for rinsing your cleaning cloth after each go at your car. Why? Because this minimises dirt build-up in the cloth, reducing your chances of rubbing it and other contaminates back into the paintwork and leaving micro-scratches which can mar the end result.

These are the ultimate protection for your paint, attaching either a high-pressure washing machine or garden hose and allowing you to spray your car with a foam that breaks down dirt and gunk. It means most of the grime can be washed away with a simple rinse before you wash your car properly, further reducing the micro-scratch problem.

Old-fashioning sponges and chamois hold and trap dirt, and are a big contributor to the micro-scratch issue. They should be banished from your car-cleaning kit and substituted with microfibre towels, which are designed to release dirt from their hold, making them infinitely preferable for both washing and drying a car.

The biggest difference between an amateur wash and pro clean is professionals get into hard-to-reach spots, and so should you. Common examples include air vents, the seams between cabin panels, the door jambs (the areas bordering the doors that are exposed when they are open), the space below the windscreen wipers (a trap for dirt, leaves and other junk), along the bonnet and boot shut lines (pop the bonnet and boot to get to these dirt traps). Can't get to the dirt? A cloth over the end of a flathead screwdriver, a cotton tip or toothbrush can all go a long way. For hard-to-budge fluff on carpet or upholstery, try a lint roller or inside-out sticky tape.

If you want your car to really pop, there are a few more things you can do. To avoid unsightly watermarks blighting your paintwork, dry your car with a drying towel or, if you have one, a household air blower. Consider applying a traditional wax or increasingly common ceramic coating, which will not only give your paintwork added protection but increase its shine. Inside, a quality spray or wipe-on protectant can revive tired-looking plastics. For that final showroom-floor touch, a spray-on tyre-shine product will make all the difference.

^Disclaimer

^{Viva Energy Australia Pty Ltd (“Viva Energy”) has compiled the above article for your general information and to use as a general reference. Whilst all reasonable care has been taken by Viva Energy in compiling this article, Viva Energy does not warrant or represent that the information in the article is free from errors or omissions or is suitable for your intended use.}