Thread: Poor old Solomon Grundy...

...He's still half dirty!

Just spent the last two hours cleaning the inside of the Defender. Nothing flash, just a vacuum and wet chux wipe down plus windows. The cleaning routine is a very Zen thing for me - I get in the zone. Having a nice, clinically clean vehicle interior makes everything seem somehow right with the world. Now I just have to find time to do the outside...

So it got me wondering - what does everyone else's cleaning regime consist of? Mine typically takes about an hour outside followed by an hour inside. Very few chemicals, mostly just water and elbow grease. Things are also not helped by the fact that Defenders have soooo many nooks and crannys that aren't covered up with upholstery. It's sometimes hard to know where to stop.

Here's my typical checklist
Outside: 1.5 hours approx (unless there's bugs and a lot of mud)

• High pressure hose down - including underbody and flush chassis rails
• Careful high pressure trigger hose in engine bay if necessary
• Chux wipe all over with water + a glug of kerosine
• Scrub alloy wheels with water & kero
• Hose down again - shower head
• Chamois dry all over including door jambs
• Polish tyres with shoe nugget (old trick I learnt from the Alfa car people - no silicone & doesn't flick stuff onto the bodywork)
• Wipe down plastic covers in engine bay, spray WD40 around if hosed

Inside: 2 hours approx (unless someone threw up in there)

• Empty out cubby jack, tool kit & first aid kit
• Vacuum throughout including window channels & under rubber matting
• Wet chux wipe rubber floor matting & underneath (many changes of water necessary)
• Clean wet chux wipe vinyl & plastic surfaces
• Clean air vents with pipe cleaners (line them up neatly )
• Follow-up vacuum dog hair off fabric upholstery
• Vinegar water clean windows with newspaper
• Put stuff back in
• Put #@%* jack back in (takes about an hour on its own )

Interestingly I rarely ever use polish. I find if the paintwork is kept relatively clean most of the time it just isn't necessary. Helps having the vehicle parked undercover too.

So what do others do and are there any little tricks people have picked up they might like to share?

For my landy ( a series 3)

Step 1. Open all doors and windows.

Step 2. Remove all items affected by water from vehicle

Step 3. Apply high powered hose

Step 4. Let drip dry, or take for a drive.

total time, 15mins