Keeping your Car Clean Without a Hosepipe

With large swathes of the country under a hosepipe ban, and cars being covered in bird lime, windscreen bugs and dust and grit, how do we wash the cars without blasting the scratchy stuff off with a pressure washer?

Autoglym has shared some good practices and we summarise it to ensure your car looks sparkling and fresh. Here are the 10 top tips:

1. At the top of the list is an oldie, and that’s to wash your car in the shade and preferably in the early morning when it’s cooler.

2. Wheels can take time to clean depending on how intricate they are, so attack those first, then clean the bodywork next to avoid dried on soap suds on the paintwork.
   Using a an alloy wheel cleaner will help shift hard-to-remove brake dust and other detritus, making cleaner easier.

3. A pre-wash spray is recommended, which can be applied via a dedicated spray bottle, or a spray attachment to a bottle. This is a hand pump spray, not a snowfoam covering. This will loosen the worst of the dirt, and is great for the lower panels. Rinse off with a watering can after a few minutes.

4. Bug splats on windscreens can be hard to remove, requiring some considerable elbow grease, or, to make lighter work of it, Active Insect Removers are available to buy for a particularly buggy windscreen. This is designed to soften and loosen the bugs on the front of the car and on the windscreen.

5. When the pre-wash has been done, and rinsed with a watering can, use a good brand of car shampoo in a bucket, and keep another bucket filled with clean water.
   After washing a section of the car with the soapy mitt or sponge, dip it in the separate bucket of clean water to rinse the dirt and grit off thoroughly as this ensures you don’t wash your car with grit on the mitt or sponge, and helps avoid the build up of swirl marks in the paint.

   Good practise is to work from the top of the car down.

6. If you find bird lime on your car, or tar from road re-surfacing, use specialist products to remove them. Not only does it make it easier to remove, but it won’t damage the paintwork in the process. Bird lime remover and tar remover can be found from most good car cleaning brands.

7. Rinse the soapy bodywork with a watering - it can be difficult for some to lift a watering can, so start rinsing at the bottom, and when the can is lighter, rinse the top. For SUV’s and MPV’s use a stepladder safely if you can, with someone holding the ladder securely, passing the watering can and rinse a section of the top of the car at a time.

8. Don’t let the car air dry as it will leave streaks, so quickly after rinsing, use a suitable microfibre towel, or towels, to dry the car.

9. Use a detailing spray, such as a wax spray or ceramic spray when drying to give the car a deep shine. Simply spray on wet paintwork and dry with the microfibre towel.
   It will also add a thin layer of protection to the paint to help stop it from being marked by bird lime. Just avoid spraying the glass with it.

10. Use a good, smear free glass cleaner to ensure the last of the bug splats are removed and the glass is perfectly clear. Use it inside, too, as grime can build up on the inside of the windscreen.

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About the Author

Graeme Cobb is a lifelong car enthusiast with a passion for writing about cars, EVs, industry updates and more.

You can find Graeme on 𝕏 at @graeme_cobb