Volcanic ash seriously abrades your car

Volcanic ash from the Icelandic volcano could make a real mess of your car's paintwork and rubber as it falls to earth. It's acidic and extremely abrasive, so what's the way to wash it off?

With lots of water, says car care specialist Autoglym. Thoroughly soaking your car will loosen any deposits, then keep it wet and lubricated while you sponge it clean to reduce the chances of scouring.

Use a pH-neutral shampoo to counteract the acidic nature of the ash, and pay particular attention to cleaning wiper blades and door seals so they don't scratch your glazing.

Using lots of small buckets of water will also reduce the risk of you reapplying ash to your bodywork.

Rinse thoroughly with lots more water before drying with a microfibre towel or synthetic chamois.

Then polish or wax the paintwork and apply a rubber treatment to seals, wiper blades and tyre sidewalls.

Repeat, repeat, repeat
Autoglym recommends that you wash your car frequently as eruptions continue, so get your elbow grease out. The last time the Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted, it kept going for more than a year.

• Track the dust cloud online and work out whether you need to get the buckets out this weekend.