Now that you have that car you’ve been dreaming of for so long, you’ve got to keep it looking the way it did when you collected it. Cleaning a car is not everyone’s favourite past-time, but follow these simple steps from a detailing expert and, not only will cleaning your car be less of a chore, but it will always look like new!

1. Polish Properly
   It’s all too easy to use too much polish when cleaning a car. A few small dollops on the right applicator will do just fine for a roughly 2ft area. Ensure to work the polish into the paint in straight lines and that the entire area is thoroughly covered. Allow it to sit for the amount of time instructed by the polish you’re using before you remove and buff. When buffing, ensure you’re using a suitable microfibre cloth and that it is completely clean and dry. Using the right amount of polish also ensures that you don’t clog up the smaller areas with excess polish and you don’t get that horrible white powdery effect when it dries.
2. Don’t Forget The Glass
   There are lots and lots of glass cleaning products available on the market, however, the simplest method can often be the most effective. Take two clean microfibre cloths, one damp and one dry, wipe the glass thoroughly with the damp cloth then, before the watermarks and smears can evaporate, quickly use the dry cloth to buff the glass. This will leave the glass with a beautiful finish.
3. Attention To Detail
   It’s all too easy to forget the smaller areas such as door sills and hinges. These areas are surprisingly good at drawing the eye when dirty, especially when the rest of the car is clean. Pay particular care to the nooks and crannies when cleaning your car to make sure your hard work is not let down at the last hurdle.
4. Don’t Neglect Your Wheels
   Your wheels will see a large variety of conditions that can harm and ware them away over time. There’s nothing that you can do to stop your wheels from getting dirty, but you can limit the effects of brake dust and road dirt by applying a wheel sealant when the car is new, and regularly thereafter. Cleaning and applying sealant to the wheels regularly will prevent brake dust bonding to the wheels in the first place. It’s also well worth investing in a proper wheel brush so you can be thorough with your clean.
5. Get Those Bugs Off!
   The single best piece of advice when it comes to bugs on your car is to get them off as quickly as possible. If you have listened to the tips thus far, your paint should be well polished and protected which means that bugs and other road dirt will have a much harder time bonding to your paintwork. If you leave them for too long, however, the acids in the bugs will eat through the polish and paint and begin to leave stains that will be extremely difficult to get rid of. The quicker you get those bugs off, the better.

Source: The Telegraph