Tips For Cleaning Your Car

Spring is in the air! This time of year, people start to think about spring cleaning. Most people typically start with cleaning their homes — but don’t forget about your car. According to a study done by the Harvard Health Watch, the average American spends 101 minutes a day in their car. If you spend that much time in your car, you may want to consider spring cleaning your car, too!

Here are some car spring cleaning tips that you can check off as you do your spring cleaning:

1. Wipe Down and Clean the Interior of the Car

First, grab a garbage bag and throw out all the trash that is on the floor of your car. That also includes cleaning out any extra “stuff” you may have accumulated in your car over the winter months, like sweatshirts, gloves and ice scrapers that you won’t need any more this season. (Put those in your trunk until next winter!)

Use interior car cleaner to wipe down the dashboard and console carefully. Avoid getting cleaner spray on any electrical connections – you don’t want to get them directly wet. Wipe down the interior of the doors and cup holders, too. (Those areas get particularly dirty.) Be sure to dry everything thoroughly.

If you have leather seats, use leather car care cleanser to wipe down your seats, too!

Organize the remaining items in your car. Put your sunglasses, garage door opener, gum or mints, toll money and other items in their proper place. If you don’t have a garbage bag for your car, this would be a great time to purchase one to have in your car, so the trash doesn’t end up on the floor again.

2. Clean and Vacuum the Carpet and Floor Mats

Winter can be rough on mats and the carpet of your car. First, take out the floor mats and shake them off outside. Next, use a stiff brush to loosen the dirt and debris from the carpet and floor mats. Use a handheld vacuum to clean the carpet and mats to get rid of the dirt and any road salt, mud and other debris. If things are really bad, you may need to get out a carpet cleaning machine.

Once your inside is clean, buy a car air freshener to make the inside smell as good as it looks. Forget about the old pine tree looking air fresheners that hang from the rear-view mirror, the ones that plug into your vents smell great and are discrete.

3. Wash the Tires

Clean your tires to make them sparkle! Use non-acid cleaners to get your tires clean without damaging your tires with harsh chemicals. Use a stiff brush to remove any tough dirt or oil. A toothbrush is also useful at getting into the smaller areas of your tires. Rinse the tires off thoroughly.

4. Wash the Outside of Your Car

The best kind of car wash is a hand wash. It’s best for your car’s exterior and won’t damage your paint job. Use a cleanser that is made for cars – avoid dish or household soap. If your windshield is full of bug splats, you may want to pre-treat. It’s best to use a microfiber wash mitt to wash your car.

When washing your car, use the “two bucket system.” Get two buckets. The first one should contain your soapy water and the second holds the rinse water. Use the rinse water bucket to rinse the mitt before you dunk it back into the soapy water.

After you’ve soaped up and washed your car, hose your car off with water and rinse it thoroughly. To dry, you can use a paint-safe squeegee. You can also use a microfiber drying towel. NOTE: If you use a squeegee, be careful. If you have a small piece of dirt in between the blade and your car, you can scratch the paint. Dry your car thoroughly so you don’t have spots.

5. Clean Your Windows

Now that your car is clean inside and out, it’s time to put on the finishing touches by cleaning the windows inside and out. Household glass cleaner with ammonia can be too harsh for car windows. Try to find a cleaner without ammonia. Spray the cleaner directly onto the microfiber cloth and wipe down your windows. Remember to also clean your rearview mirror and outside mirrors, too.

6. Examine Your Wiper Blades

Winter is harsh on wiper blades – especially if there’s been a lot of snow and ice. Next, check your wiper blades to make sure there are no signs of cracks or wear. With the spring showers coming soon, you’re going to need to have properly working wiper blades! Replace worn wiper blades as soon as possible. While you’re checking, make sure that you have enough windshield wiper fluid!

7. Check Your Tire Pressure

You may have found that you had to fill your tires up during the winter months. Your tire pressure is going to fluctuate again as the temperature gets warmer in the spring. Get out your vehicle’s owner’s manual and see what the recommended tire pressure is and make sure your tires have the right amount of pressure in them.

Hopefully these tips have helped inspire you spring clean your car. So get out your cleaners, brushes, towels and elbow grease and make your car shine inside and out! If you find that your car needs servicing this spring – like your AC needs repairing – Neil Huffman Acura at Oxmoor can help. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.

 

 

 

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