Washing in water restrictions & complexes

Joburg water outages, Level 1 restrictions and complex rules all say the same thing: no hosepipe. A properly lubricated waterless or rinseless wash cleans a lightly dusty car safely, because the polymers lift and encapsulate dirt so it wipes off rather than scratching.

1. 1

   Know the limit

   Waterless is for dust, pollen and light road film. Mud or a week of red dust needs water — use the one-bucket rinseless method below.

2. 2

   Fold your towels in four

   Eight clean faces per towel. You will use a fresh face for every pass.

3. 3

   Mist one panel generously

   Soak the area — under-spraying is where scratches come from. Start with the roof and glass.

4. 4

   Wipe in one direction

   One gentle straight pass, lifting the towel at the end. Flip to a clean face. Never scrub back and forth.

5. 5

   Buff with a dry towel

   A dry towel brings up the gloss. Lower panels last, with your dirtiest towels.

6. 6

   Heavier dirt? One bucket

   Add a capful of Waterless Wash to a bucket of water, soak a stack of microfibres, and use a fresh one per panel, dried immediately. That is a whole car on about 8 litres.

   Bay tip · Store the used towels in a bag and machine-wash them on their own — no fabric softener.