Make old like new

BEST LEATHER CLEANING PRODUCTS

Cleaning your leather on a regular basis is keeps its sumptuous texture up and continues to make it supple. Autoglym Leather Cleaner (£6.49) and Leather Care Balm (£9.99) are excellent choices for cleaning and deodorising leather upholstery while also protecting it.

The all-in-one Mer Leather Cleaner (£6.99) also comes highly rated while Gliptone GT12 liquid leather cleaner and its GT11 conditioner (£6.50/£7.50) are popular with forum users because of the 'new leather' smell.

BEST BUMPER CLEANING PRODUCTS

It's never too late to bring faded bumpers or door handles back to life. Turtle Wax Platinum Black Bumper and Trim Wax (£7.49) and Mer Bumper and External Vinyl Cleaning Gel (£6.99) both come highly recommended and offer outstanding results at reasonable prices. Autoglym Bumper Care (£6.49) is popular with car owners online who rate it for its durability.

BEST CAR CLEANING PRODUCTS

Giving your car a good wash beforte selling is essential. Invest in an effective and efficient 'super rag' such as Kent Car Care's Microfibre 2-in-1 Noodle Mitt (£4.58). A showy rag can help you get through the most stubborn of stains.

We also recommend ValetPRO Poseidon's Carnauba Wash (£5.95), winning plaudits from critics and car owners alike. It has an almost wax-like finish. Continuing with the bonkers names, Dodo Juice Supernatural Shampoo (£12.95) is actually good value as it can be diluted far more than many of its competitors and offers remarkable cleaning results.

Now onto buffing. To give your car a showroom gleam once cleaned, a polish with the reasonably-priced Farecla Wax Top (from £14.99 for 1-litre) will do the job.

Avoiding chemicals altogether, check out CarPlan Ecocar Polish (£5.99), derived entirely from plant and vegetable extracts.

BEST HIGH PRESSURE WASHER

Most of us have moved on from buckets you know. A Halfords HP2000 Pressure Washer (£100) will make life easier. Alternatively, give water a miss and help the planet by using DWG Ultra-Ion waterless car wash (£6.90). This water-free cleaning solution offers top quality results but saves water from going down the drain.

BEST FOR CLEANING ALLOYS

Lastly, don't forget to clean your tyres as well. To buff them up, use CarPlan Tyre Slik (£4.99) or Simoniz Back to Black Tyre Shine (£4.99). For brake dust-stained alloys, try to avoid products using chemicals that can damage an alloy's lacquer.

Online forum users again recommend products such as Meguiars Hot Rims All Wheel Cleaner (£8.49) and the biodegradable Very Cherry non-acid Wheel Cleaner from Autobrite (£6.99).