Stores all out of hand sanitiser, but you still need a bottle in your car? Here's an easy way to make some yourself at home, with two ingredients. If made correctly, this homemade hand sanitiser is about as effective as using soap and water, according to a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University in New York.

Chances are, your car isn’t as clean as it could – or should – be. You’ve taken it to the carwash once in a while, but you can still see paint swirls and grime stains. If this sounds familiar, your car could benefit greatly from a thorough detailing – right at home!

You may think that keeping your engine bay clean is unimportant, but an engine bay covered in oil and grit allows premature wear in the pulleys and bearings, or hides serious issues like gasket leaks.

Firstly, tape up the area around the headlights. Next, spray your headlights wet and start sanding the headlight with a 800 grit sandpaper. Spray water while you sand in one direction to make the process easier. Follow with a 1000 grit and a 2000 grit sandpaper. Lastly, polish the whole headlight with a wool buffing pad and polisher.

Perhaps the simplest and most vital aspect of car maintenance is checking on all of a car’s fluids. What’s more, fluids play a huge role in almost every aspect of your car, including fuel economy and longevity. Keeping them at the proper level will help your car last longer and drive better, a logic we can’t argue with.

When inspecting a vehicle’s fluids, it’s always important to cover the six essential fluids in your car.

An engine air filter is one of the only lines of defense a car’s engine has from the elements. A clogged filter will cause an engine to work harder than it needs to, leading to the failure of internal components due to added strain.

Many drivers overlook this fact, that the only thing keeping us in control are the four contact patches with the road – our tyres. When checking your tyres, be sure to check tread depth and always test several different tread grooves around the tyre; the Land Transport Authority (LTA) legally requires tyres to be replaced when they reach a depth of 1.6mm.

Spark plugs are essential in a car's operation - in short, they create a spark of electricity that ignites fuel and drives a car’s pistons, starting the car. A spark jumps the gap between two electrodes in each plug, eroding minute amounts of metal from each one. Over time, the gap gets too large for the spark to jump, resulting in misfires, poor fuel economy, and a check engine light. To remove the old spark plugs, first remove the ignition coil and boot, then unscrew the plugs with a swivel socket. Before installation, check that all new spark plugs have an electrode gap according to manufacturer specifications. If the gap is too small, open it with the gap gauge; and if the gap is too large, tap the side electrode lightly on a solid surface. Once you have verified that the electrode gap is correct, you may proceed to install the new spark plugs. When tightening the spark plug, be sure to use a torque wrench to tighten it exactly to specification!

It might sound odd, but the key to keeping your car running smoothly and efficiently is a good battery connection. Without a good connection, the combustion engine, as well as other electrical accessories, won’t run as smoothly as the manufacturer intended.

Your car's cooling system is essential to the efficient operation of your engine, and at the centre of it all is the coolant itself. Most cars need their cooling system flushed every 2 years, as that's when the coolant's corrosion protection starts to degrade. Before you begin, be sure that your engine has been off long enough to sufficiently cool down. Start by de-pressurising the system and removing the radiator drain plug. Depending on your car, you might need to disconnect the lower hose from the radiator to drain all the coolant. Once the original coolant has been drained, fill the system and start the engine up, before draining it once more after it's cooled down. Repeat the process again, before beginning the final fill-up with new coolant. As you fill up the system with new coolant, be sure to check your car's service manual for a coolant fill procedure in order to eliminate air in the system. When replacing the coolant, you may opt to use a pre-mixed coolant for convenience, or add water to a coolant concentrate.

Get the kids to complete this crossword puzzle of Bridgestone vernacular!