It’s Friday morning, you’ve got a bucket of soapy water, a sponge and a dirty car. The temptation to get your pride and joy washed, wiped and dried ASAP, but unfortunately, there’s no such thing as a quick, quality wash. To get a flawless finish without damaging your paintwork you need to take your time, use the right equipment and above all, enjoy it, as cleaning a dirty car is as therapeutic as it is a weekly necessity.

Waitrose.com auto care

To keep your car in tip-top condition you don’t need a garage full of expensive cleaners and polishes. In fact, you don’t even need automotive-specific products at all, as windows, plastic trim, carpets and upholstery can be spruced up with household cleaners such as Windolene, Pledge, Air Wick and Vanish. However, waitrose.com does indeed stock Armor All’s car care products, which range from a simple sponge to A/C cleaner. Waitrose has everything you need for your Friday morning wash and here’s the best way to use it.

Sand and dust

Your first job in creating a showroom shine is to get rid of that dreaded layer of sand and dust. Blown in almost daily from the surrounding desert, it can leave a light coating of abrasive particles on your bodywork that will scratch your clear coat if ‘cleaned’ with a cloth. Rinse this off with a heavy stream of water (don’t blast sand, as that could also result in microscopic scratches) then get your cleaning solution ready.

Not washing up liquid

A common mistake is to squeeze a load of washing-up liquid into a bucket and get scrubbing. Although great for removing grease from dishes, the strong detergents in washing up liquid can strip your car’s paint of any protective wax, leading to a dull finish. Also, you should never ‘scrub’ paintwork; always be gentle as possible with it to avoid scratches.

Baby shampoo and bicarbonate of soda

What you need here is some car-friendly body wash (such as Armor All Ultra Shine Wash), or alternatively, mild baby shampoo or even bicarbonate of soda. Baking soda is actually a great all-rounder when it comes to cleaning the car and can be used inside and out. For an effective homemade car wash solution, add one cup of baking soda to 4.5 litres of hot water, stir and apply to your bodywork with a microfiber cloth. Scotch Brite microfiber cloths are best for the initial rinse as they trap dirt inside the weave and away from your precious clear coat.

Two bucket method

For best results, you need two buckets; one containing your cleaning solution and the other filled with clean water to rinse your micofibre cloth in. If you use a single bucket, all you’re doing is wiping the dirt off, then returning all the muck to the cleaning solution, which ends up back on your car. Instead, using the two-bucket method, all your dirty water ends up in the second bucket, which you can empty and refill with clean water as soon as it gets mucky. Also, don’t drop your micorfibre cloth into either of the buckets, as dirt accumulates at the bottom.

Wipe down

Immediately wipe any excess water away with a Scotch Brite car cloth or an Armor All PVA chamois. Never ‘air dry’ your car here in the UAE as the sun can bake water spots into your clear coat, damaging it and making it very difficult to correct, especially on black cars.

To finish off, apply a coat of wax to your spotless bodywork. Work in small areas using a clean microfibre cloth wiping off any excess with a second clean microfiber cloth. This microscopic layer of wax creates a smooth surface area that makes it difficult for dust and sand particles to stick.

Conclusion

Car wash time in the UAE is all about removing that damaging thin layer of sand without scratching your car’s bodywork. Rinse as much as you can before you start, use the two-bucket method, finish off with a protective layer of wax and enjoy yourself, it’s what Friday mornings are made for.