The Ultimate Summer Weekly Maintenance Routine (Jan 2026)

Place your hand on the bonnet. If it is too hot to touch comfortably, you cannot begin. In the Australian summer, washing a hot car causes chemicals to flash-dry instantly, leading to chemical staining and permanent water spots. If the car is hot, move it to a shaded area or wait until the panel temperature drops below 35°C.

Position the vehicle in total shade—this is non-negotiable in January. If you don't have a carport or garage, use a portable gazebo or wash at dawn/dusk. Arrange your hoses to ensure they can reach all four corners of the vehicle without dragging across the paintwork, which can cause 'hose burn' or scratches.

Prepare your buckets. Fill the 'Rinse' bucket with 18L of fresh water. Fill the 'Wash' bucket with 18L of water and add 30-50ml of high-lubricity car shampoo. Use a jet of water to create a thick head of suds. Prepare your foam cannon with 100ml of snow foam concentrate and 900ml of warm water for optimal emulsification.

Walk around the car and identify bird droppings or heavy bug guts. These require pre-treatment. Spray a dedicated bug remover or a concentrated soap solution on these spots 5 minutes before you start the main wash to soften the organic matter, preventing the need for aggressive scrubbing later.

Always start with the wheels. They are the dirtiest part of the car and require the strongest chemicals. Spray a pH-neutral wheel cleaner onto dry wheels and let it dwell for 2-3 minutes. Agitate with a barrel brush to reach the inner rim and a soft brush for the face. Rinse thoroughly. This prevents dirty wheel spray from splashing onto cleaned paint later.

Apply an All-Purpose Cleaner (APC) to the tyre sidewalls. Use a stiff-bristled brush to scrub away old tyre dressing and brown 'blooming' (antiozonants). This ensures your new dressing will bond properly. Rinse until the water running off the tyre is clear rather than brown.

Using a pressure washer or high-flow hose, rinse the car from the top down. Focus on wheel arches and the underbody to flush out coastal salt and red outback dust. Do not use high pressure on delicate sensors or old rubber seals. The goal is to remove 80% of loose grit before touching the paint.

Cover the entire vehicle in a thick layer of snow foam. Start from the bottom and work up to ensure the foam clings to the dirtiest areas longest. In Australian summer, keep a close eye on the foam; do not let it dry. Let it dwell for 4-6 minutes to emulsify surface oils and lift fine dust particles.

While the foam is dwelling, use a soft-bristled detailing brush to agitate the foam in window seals, emblems, door handles, and honeycomb grilles. These areas trap salt and dust that a mitt cannot reach. Rinse the brush frequently in your rinse bucket.

Rinse the snow foam thoroughly from the top down. Pay special attention to panel gaps and fuel filler caps where soap can hide. By this stage, the car should look clean, but a 'static film' of road grime will still remain, necessitating the contact wash.

Dunk your mitt into the soapy 'Wash' bucket. Starting with the roof, glide the mitt across the surface using only the weight of the mitt—no downward pressure. Wash one panel at a time in straight, overlapping lines (not circles). This technique minimises swirl marks and ensures total coverage.

After every panel, dunk the dirty mitt into the 'Rinse' bucket and scrub it against the grit guard to release trapped dirt. Wring it out, then dunk back into the 'Wash' bucket for fresh lubrication. This ensures you are always using a clean tool on your paintwork.

Perform a final rinse using a 'sheeting' method. Remove the nozzle from the hose and let a gentle stream of water flow over the car. This 'sheets' the water off, leaving 50% less water on the surface to dry, which is critical for avoiding spots in high-heat conditions.

Lay your large drying towel flat across the horizontal surfaces (bonnet, roof) and pull it towards you. For vertical surfaces, pat dry. Use a cordless leaf blower or compressed air to blow water out of mirrors, lug nuts, and light housings to prevent 'drip lines' later. Do this quickly before the Australian sun dries the water for you.

Apply an Si02-based ceramic detailer or spray sealant. Mist 2-3 sprays per panel and buff with a clean, dry microfibre cloth. This provides the crucial UV inhibitors needed for the January sun and creates a hydrophobic surface that makes next week's wash significantly easier.

Clean glass with an alcohol-based cleaner to remove any soap film. Finally, apply a water-based tyre dressing. Water-based options are preferred in Australia as they don't 'sling' onto the paint and won't dry out the rubber under high UV exposure like solvent-based dressings do.