Dry your car without touching the paint

Every pass of a drying towel drags whatever the rinse left behind across the clear coat. Even a clean microfibre picks up grit from a lower panel and carries it upward. Moving air removes the water without any contact at all, so there is nothing to scratch with.

• Rinse thoroughly with a low-pressure sheet of water — most of it will run straight off.
• Start at the roof and work down, so you never re-wet a dry panel.
• Blow glass and paint on low, holding the nozzle about a hand's width away.
• Increase power for mirrors, badges, grilles, door shuts and wheels.
• Finish with door and boot gaps, opening each one and blowing along the seal.

On the low setting it clears dust from vents, seat rails, cupholders and the gaps between seats and console — the places a vacuum nozzle can't reach. Blow the debris out of the footwell first, then vacuum what lands on the mat.

Can you use a leaf blower to dry a car?

Yes, and detailers have done it for years. Moving air off the paint avoids dragging a towel across grit, which is the main cause of swirl marks in clear coat.

Will it scratch the paint?

Nothing touches the paint, so no. Rinse the car properly first so you are blowing clean water rather than pushing grit around, and keep the nozzle a hand's width from the surface.

Does it get water out of mirrors and badges?

That is where it shines. Mirrors, grilles, badges, door handles, wheel spokes and panel gaps are exactly the places that drip ten minutes after you towel-dry a car.

What speed should I use?

Start on low for glass and paint, and increase for trapped water in gaps and wheels. The variable-speed trigger is more useful here than on any yard job.