What kind of car
Steps I always use with no problems (obviously Dana had some I never had)
Put a plastic bag over battery, dizzy, fuse box ect just to be careful.
water down the engine, avoid electrical areas obviously. spray on some simple green, use a brush to aditate dirty areas, hose off. start engine, ejoy a clean engine bay
This is just advice and if you destroy your engine, Im not responsible
BUT I have done the above many times with no problems