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There's something undeniably satisfying about stepping into a clean and fresh car. However, getting a car that is used and dirtied by the entire family every single day back to spick and span can be quite the effort.

If the weekly car wash is starting to feel like a drain on your precious weekend hours, here's how you can minimise the effort used while keeping your car spotless both inside and out.

1. Wash your rims first

First tip here is to wash your rims first. Your rims are the closest part of the car to the ground that is highly visible. They thus not only collect a good amount of road grime but also all that brake dust produced from everyday driving. This means they are likely to be far dirtier than the rest of the body panels on your car.

Washing them first will thus ensure that you won't have to wipe down your car again if you let dirty water from the rims splash onto the paintwork.

And of course, there's the psychological advantage of tackling the most difficult-to-clean part of your car now, before your hands and knees start to tire from washing the rest of the car.

If you find cleaning your rims a real chore, try sitting on one of those small plastic stools as you clean your rims. They can be bought from Ikea for small change, will easily fit into a corner of the boot of your car, and will take a good mount of strain away from your knees.

Also, don't forget to give Sonax Beast Wheel Cleaner a shot. The cleaner is designed to tackle the most stubborn dirt, including burnt-on brake dust, oil, and rubber residue as well as other road dirt, so you won't need as much effort to scrub down your rims at every clean. Quick Tip: Always try to wash your rims when its cool to touch before spraying on the wheel cleaner!

2. Get a car shampoo and use it liberally

If you think that simply hitting your car with water is going to save you some time and money, you're dead wrong. Water may be sufficient to rinse of dust but it is not going to be enough to combat the oils, tree sap, tar, and any other stickier contaminants that a car will pick up when out on the road.

Using a car shampoo here will aids to soften any grime and dirt that accumulates on your paintwork as you drive, giving more cleaning power with every physical wipe across your car's body.

Car shampoos are also critical as they add that all-important lubricity to your car's body surface as your wipe it down with a microfibre towel. A higher lubricity means that small pieces of dirt are less likely to scratch and leave swirl marks on your car, which can only be removed with polishing.

If you're looking for a no-fuss, easy to use shampoo, why not try out the Sonax Gloss Car Shampoo?

It is available in a convenient one-litre bottle, so you can simply hide it is one corner of your car's boot. It is also specially formulated to cut through any road grime, and is suitable for use on paintwork, metal, glass, plastics, and rubber so you can simply leather it on all over your car, and simply get on with getting it all cleaned up! And this one 1.0-litre bottle can get you about 50 washes, super economical!

3. A little bit of sealant goes a long way

But what if you still want to save on the effort you put into keeping your car's body clean?

Well, here's where a nice sealant will help you on your effort to keep your car clean. Sure, applying a coat of sealant will add an extra step to your car cleaning routine, but do bear in mind that you won't be applying your sealant coat every week.

And once a coat is applied, it will give your car's paint a water beading effect, reducing the amount of water spots and dirt that can get embedded into the paint, which you will find makes each subsequent cleaning so much easier. So you’re putting in a little more work now in order to save on a lot of work later!

The Sonax Spray + Seal is a high-quality sealant that acts like a professionally applied ceramic coating that can be applied by simply by spraying it on your paint and rinsing it off, so there's no need to worry about uneven applications ruining your paint. And better still, it offers a two to three-month durability, so that's multiple sessions of easier car washing headed your way, with just a couple of squeezes from that spray bottle and a quick rinse. How's that for time saving?

4. Wash spills in the car as quickly as possible

If you're using the car to fetch the family back and forth, you'll know that food crumbs and spills are practically inevitable unless you stop everyone from eating in the car.

If an accident does happen in the cabin, make sure you have plenty of towels or tissues on hand to soak up any mess, and don't ever get tempted to leave clean up to the next day. The high temperatures in the car will make anything go rancid and leave behind horrendous smells in as little as a few hours.

And if you're looking to buy yourself a few extra minutes after each spill, there's also the Sonax Xtreme Cockpit Cleaner and Conditioner to consider using.

With a simple spray and wipe, the cleaner and conditioner is not just an easy solution to clean up your car's interior, it will also protect your interior plastics without leaving any slick or shiny residue. And it also offers up a nice pleasant fragrance so your car both looks and smells fresh every time you open the driver's door.

And for your seats and other leather surfaces, there's also the Sonax Xtreme Leather Cleaner and Conditioner Milk to use. It offers protection against spills with its waterproofing properties and rejuvenates both real and synthetic leather with the addition of jojoba oil. With a simple spray on and wipe off application, it will keep your seats protected against difficult cleanups in the future!

5. Don't forget about the places you can't see

And speaking about keeping the interior smelling fresh, if you want to keep your car clean, don't forget about those places that you don't necessarily see everyday.

The air-conditioning vents in a car can house a good amount of dust and coupled with the moisture that builds in them from condensation, can lead to musky smells building up in your car.

Of course, these vents will be impossible for you to get into to flush out, but Sonax has an innovative solution that will require literally just a simple opening of a can. With the Sonax AC Cleaner, all you'll have to do is open the can and leave it in your car with the air-conditioning running for just 15 minutes and your car is good to go again.

Sonax's AC Cleaner is additionally packed with Probiotics, which will ensure that bacteria buildup is practically suppressed for up to six months, so you're guaranteed a fresh-smelling cabin for months to come, all without any effort whatsoever!

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