At the moment the roads are very dirty.
So just out of interest, what do you use when washing the car by hand.
Just plain water or do you use some type of wash and wax ?
Pre wash - snow foam, allow to dwell 5 to 10 mins. Pressure wash thoroughly to remove as much contamination as you can. This is the contactless stage and you want to get as much off as you can before you start contact washing.
Wash - Use two bucket method with a quality wash mit which will help avoid scratches and swirls
Rinse - Pressure wash thoroughly
Dry - Do not recommend chamois, use a quality micro fibre drying towel if you are contact drying
After washing and drying thoroughly it’s a good idea to wax or apply a coating that will make the next wash easier and help protect your paintwork from contamination, damage. This
Graphene Spray is my favourite right now.
These are the basic detailing steps, extra steps needed depending on level of contamination eg may need clay bar prep prior to applying protective coating (wax, graphene etc)
A website like
The Ultimate Finish is a great place to find the kit you need and would recommend checking out guides on YouTube, example below. How obsessive you want to get is up to you of course, it can become addictive, but you should know the basics.