Best way to clean engine? (Washing/ Blower/ Wiping)

There are lots of videos on youtube. Here is just one:

 

We're rarely if ever on unpaved roads, and low mileage, and on the west coast of North America, not a lot of air-borne dust, so the engine bay stays relatively clean. The car has a fairly complete engine underpanel, and I have added 1.5" Outside Diameter foam tubing pieces on the crimped fender edges at both side edges of the hood, making the engine bay fairly well sealed. When I do a bit of cleaning, some tools I use:

1. An old paint brush. Just go over the most visible areas, brush off what I can reach.
2. A dusting wand. One of those dust catcher style brushes, that looks like an extremely fluffy cat's tail, just push it into any and all corners.
3. A good powered wet/dry vacuum, one that can both suck and blow. Use the suction with a brush dust, and to clean the dusting wand. Use the blower mode to knock the dust out of all the corners.
4. And electric leaf blower, used similar to the vacuum on blow, just more powerful.

Here's a pic, and I haven't touched it to speak of in maybe a year. You can see the 1.5" OD tubing at the left and right edges of the engine bay:

 

Hi. I must say your car engine bay is exceptionally clean.
Unfortunately we donot have such climate, dust & sand is very common on road.

I really like your idea of putting soft foam pipes.

 

Here's something else I've found, though never followed through:

If you look at the engine underpanel there's a couple of rectangular openings. It's not clear what they're for, maybe transaxle drain axis? At any rate, there's a cover available for this, clips onto the underpanel. North American cars don't have this cover, Japan ones do I believe. Not sure why, cost cutting? Yours may or may not have this, here's the part numbers:

extra small panel that fills openings in engine underpanel:
panel no: 51447-47030
(3) clip no: 90467-07201

I'm not 100% sure of compatibility, just something for research.

 

Yeah, good thought. Still, I had ScanGauge hooked up for a few years, usually monitoring coolant temp, and never saw anything alarming. I'd agree the jury's still out, but I get the sense those two side edges being open is not that instrumental in releasing hot air, more likely just an area they didn't bother to weatherstrip. There is continuous weather strip along the front and rear.