Detail it
the right way.

Pre-wash

The pre-wash lifts as much dirt as possible before anything touches the paint. Less grit on the car means fewer swirls when you wash. Only rinse first if there's caked-on mud: road film, salt and grime are what a pre-wash is made for.

How to

1. Mix Citrus Wash 10:1 in a pump or trigger sprayer (about 90ml in a litre). Go up to 5:1 for a very dirty car.
2. Spray the whole car in a fine film, lower panels, arches and sills first.
3. Leave it 1 to 5 minutes, depending on how dirty it is. Don't let it dry.
4. Rinse thoroughly, top to bottom.

Good to know

• Stick to 10:1 for regular washes. Using it stronger every time wears waxes and sealants faster.
• At 4:1 it's an engine bay degreaser and shifts tree sap and old organic marks. Cover electrics and air intakes first.
• Door shuts, hinges, badges, grilles and rubber trims: spray at 10:1 to 5:1, leave 1 to 5 minutes, agitate gently with a detailing brush, rinse. Re-grease hinges after.
• Don't use it on un-lacquered aluminium, chrome or vinyl wraps.

Use Citrus Wash Detailing Brush Set

Snow foam

With a pressure washer, snow foam is the safest way to soften and lift dirt before you touch the paint. Arctic Meltdown is pH neutral, so it's ideal for regular washes and safe on waxes, sealants, ceramic coatings and delicate finishes.

How to

1. Add about an inch (100ml) of Arctic Meltdown to your foam lance bottle and top up with warm water.
2. Turn the gauge on the lance towards (–) until you get an even, clinging film of foam.
3. Cover the car and leave it 5 to 10 minutes while it slides down, taking the dirt with it.
4. Rinse thoroughly, top to bottom, before it dries.

Good to know

• Thick foam isn't better. A fine blanket that clings for about 5 minutes does the work. Thick foam clumps and slides off sooner, and only the layer touching the paint is cleaning.
• Very dirty car? Spray Citrus Wash first, then foam over it with Arctic Meltdown for the best of both.
• Need more power from your foam? SuperFoam is hyper concentrated, around 20ml in your lance bottle.

Use Arctic Meltdown Snow Foam Lance

Two bucket wash

One bucket of shampoo, one of plain water to rinse your mitt, ideally with grit guards. The rinse bucket keeps grit out of your shampoo and off your paint.

How to

1. Add Champs to your wash bucket: about 40ml in 10 litres (a 20 litre bucket half full). Fill the second bucket with plain water.
2. Start at the roof and work down, half a large panel at a time. The dirtiest areas, sills, bumpers and behind the arches, come last.
3. Glide the mitt with no pressure. The shampoo lifts the dirt, the mitt carries it away and the water rinses it off.
4. After every section, rinse the mitt in the plain-water bucket and rub it on the grit guard before reloading.
5. Rinse the car thoroughly.

Good to know

• If the mitt starts to drag, add a little more shampoo. A dab straight onto the mitt adds extra slip on soft paint.
• Very dirty car? Pressure rinse first, use a little more shampoo and change the rinse water when it gets dirty.
• Check your mitt for grit, leaves or bugs every time you rinse it.
• Liquid ceramic shampoo (about 10ml in 10 litres) tops up your protection every time you wash.
• Rinse out buckets, mitts and brushes after every wash. Dirt left in them scratches paint and stops shampoo foaming.

Use Champs Liquid EZ Buckets

Wheels and tyres

Wheels carry the worst of the dirt. Give them their own brushes, ideally their own bucket, so brake dust never ends up on your paint. Viper is non-acidic and safe on all wheel finishes.

How to

1. Mix Viper 10:1 to 3:1 for regular cleans, or use it 1:1 or neat for heavy brake dust.
2. Spray the whole wheel and leave it to dwell like a pre-wash. Often a pressure rinse is all it needs.
3. For stubborn dirt, agitate with a wheel barrel brush behind the spokes and a tyre brush on the sidewall.
4. Rinse thoroughly.
5. Once the tyres are clean and dry, work a small amount of Revolution into them with an applicator pad.

Good to know

• Caked-on brake dust? Clean the wheel first, then use Aurora. Putting it on a dirty wheel wastes it.
• Any dirt left on the tyre stops the dressing bonding, so scrub them clean first.

Use Viper Wheel Barrel Brush Tyre Brush Revolution

Decontaminate

Washing removes loose dirt. Decontamination removes what's bonded to the paint: iron fallout from brakes, railways and workshops, tar, and tree sap. It's time when the paint feels rough after washing, shows tiny orange dots or still looks dull. For most cars, that's about every 6 months.

How to

1. Wash and rinse the car first, so Aurora only works on what's actually bonded.
2. Spray Aurora in a fine, even film on cool paint and wheels.
3. Leave it a few minutes. It turns purple as it dissolves the iron. Don't let it dry.
4. Rinse thoroughly, top to bottom. Repeat on any stubborn areas.

Good to know

• Got a clay bar? Use it after Aurora, with plenty of lubricant (shampoo mixed about 10:1 in a sprayer works). Glide in straight lines with almost no pressure, 50cm by 50cm at a time, and refold it as it discolours.
• Tree sap can be acidic, so remove it promptly. Citrus Wash at 4:1 helps.
• Decontaminating before you protect helps your sealant or wax bond and last longer.

Use Aurora

Drying

Drying is where a lot of swirls start, so use as little friction as possible. The H2Zero towel's 1400gsm loops soak up a whole car's worth of water.

How to

1. Dry the glass first. A slightly damp towel absorbs water better.
2. Lay the towel flat on a panel and pat it, or drag it gently with no pressure beyond its own weight.
3. Work around the car panel by panel, finishing with the lower panels.

Good to know

• Don't use drying aids with your drying towel. They soak into the fibres and stop it absorbing. Use buffing cloths for those instead.
• Wash the towel before first use and let it air dry. Avoid detergents and fabric softener.

Use H2Zero Drying Towel

Protect and gloss

Protection is the last step. It keeps the car cleaner for longer, makes water bead and sheet off, and adds gloss. Pick the method that suits your time.

Good to know

• Is the wax ready? Swipe a finger across it. If it smears, give it longer. If it wipes clean, it's ready to buff.
• Less is more. Over-applying makes products smear and hard to buff. Not on hot panels or in direct sun.
• Graphene Wax takes a little more effort: keep the layer very thin and add a second coat at least an hour after the first.

Use Fusion Quartz Chromance Insta Gloss SiO2 Ceramic Wax Applicator Pad

Glass and interior

Glass

1. Spray Clarity X onto the glass or a fishscale glass cloth.
2. Wipe it over, then buff dry with a second, clean glass cloth.

• Wipe one direction inside and the other outside. If there's a streak, you'll know which side it's on.
• Drop the windows a little to clean the top edge that hides in the door seal.

Interior

1. Vacuum first, using a detailing brush to loosen dust from vents and seams.
2. Spray Finito onto a microfibre cloth, not the dash, so nothing ends up on the glass.
3. Wipe, then flip the cloth and buff to a clean satin finish.
4. Leather: spray Hide, work it in gently with a soft brush and wipe away the lifted dirt.

• Finish freshly vacuumed mats by brushing the pile one way then the other with a pet hair remover for that freshly detailed, striped look.

Use Clarity X Fishscale Glass Cloth Finito Hide Pet Hair Remover