Keeping Your Pride and Joy Mint: The Weekly Maintenance Routine That Actually Works

Never wash a car in direct Aussie sun if you can help it. The water dries too fast, leaving water spots that are a nightmare to remove. If you have to, work in small sections or wait until the arvo when the sun's lower.

Put your hand on the bonnet. If it's hot enough to fry an egg, it's too hot to wash. Let it cool down in the garage first.

Get your buckets filled and your towels ready. There's nothing worse than having a soapy car and realising your drying towel is still in the laundry.

Wet down the concrete or driveway around the car. This stops you kicking up dust onto the wet car while you're working.

Look for bird droppings or bat guts. These need extra soaking. Don't try to scrub them off dry, you'll regret it.

Always start with the wheels. They're the dirtiest part. If you wash the body first, you'll splash wheel grime back onto clean paint. Spray your wheel cleaner on cool rims and let it dwell for 2-3 minutes.

Use your dedicated wheel brush to get into the barrels and a soft brush for the lug nuts. Rinse thoroughly.

Cover the whole car in a thick layer of snow foam. This isn't just for the 'gram; it softens the dirt. Let it dwell for 5 minutes, but don't let it dry.

While the foam is dwelling, use a soft detailing brush to go around badges, door handles, and window seals. This gets the 'gunk' out that a mitt can't reach.

Blast the foam off, starting from the top and working down. Pay extra attention to wheel arches and door sills where red dust likes to hide.

Dunk your mitt in the soapy bucket, wash a panel (start at the roof), then rinse the mitt in the plain water bucket to drop the dirt. Repeat.

Wash in straight, overlapping lines. No circular motions! If a piece of grit gets caught, a straight scratch is easier to polish out than a swirl.

Rinse the whole car again. I like to take the nozzle off the hose for a final flood rinse, it helps the water sheet off, making drying easier.

Lay your large microfibre towel flat across the bonnet and pull it towards you. Don't rub. Just let the towel soak up the water.

If you've got a leaf blower or a dedicated car dryer, use it to blow water out of the mirrors, lights, and grilles. (Your neighbours might think you're a bit mad, but it stops those annoying drips later).

Open the doors and wipe down the sills with a damp, older microfibre. Don't use your good paint towel for this!

Clean the outside glass. Use two towels: one to spread the cleaner, one to buff dry for a streak-free finish.

If you're using a spray sealant or quick detailer, now's the time. Mist it on and buff it off panel by panel to boost that shine.

Apply your tyre shine. I reckon a matte or satin finish looks way classier than that 'greasy' wet look, but each to their own.

Check for any spots you missed. Usually, there's a drip under the wing mirrors, there always is!