Do-It-Yourself Car Washing

1. If you’ve got dead insects stuck to the car bonnet, avoid scratching your car’s paintwork by removing the insects quickly and easily – before you wash the car – by dipping a pair of old panty hose in a bucket of suds and gently wiping the hardened insects off.

2. Don’t be tempted to pick or scrape off tar deposits on your car’s paintwork before washing– it won’t work. Buy a tar-removal product and the deposits will come off in a flash, or try using a bit of linseed oil. Washing the car afterwards will remove any oily residue left behind.

3. Remove tar deposits thrown onto the wheels or hub caps of your car using a bit of white spirit on a clean cloth.

4. Toothpaste is a fast and powerful cleaning agent for removing rust stains on alloy wheels, or try a commercial product.

5. Current water restrictions in Australia prevent car owners from using a hose to clean their cars, but you can use a bucket. Wet the car first, starting from the roof and working downwards, then mix non-detergent car cleaner with water in a second bucket. Wash with a mitt or soft rag, in small areas at a time, making sure you clean, rinse and dry as you go, to avoid sections of the car air-drying and leaving marks. Rinse out the mitt from time to time, to avoid scratching the car’s paintwork.
 

From: 10,001 Time Saving Ideas