ALT-5 Spring Cleaning Ideas for your Car
From 3arf
For many people, the arrival of Spring signals the time for a thorough, deep cleaning of their homes. There are other areas that we spend a lot of our time in and are probably due for a Spring cleaning, too. One of these is our vehicles. The following is a "to do" checklist for the Spring cleaning of your car.
- Start by actually cleaning out the car. Remove everything that you and your passengers have left inside so that you have an empty car to begin with.
- The seats of our cars get absolutely filthy as they pick up any dirt or debris that we have on us as we sit down, as well as any crumbs that we drop throughout our travels. If you have seat covers, remove them and run them through the washing machine or clean in whatever way is appropriate for that fabric. If you don't use seat covers in your car, use a shampooer with a hand nozzle and clean them, being sure to suck up all the water that you can and keep the doors open for the rest of the time that you are cleaning to allow proper drying.
- If you think that the seats were dirty, imagine what the floors of your car go through. You track dirt and everything else you walk through right onto them. Remove the floor mats and shake them out, then use a pressure washer to clean them. Lay them out in the sun to dry. While they are drying, vaccuum the flooring and shampoo if necessary.
- The glove compartment and other console type parts of your car are often "catch-alls" for every receipt, penny, piece of trash, and anything else that seems to have nowhere else to go. Remove everything that is in these areas and go through it all, returning only what is essential for your vehicle to them. While they are empty, clean them with a vaccuum hose and a damp cloth or wipe.
- The windows and mirrors should be cleaned with either a glass cleaner or vinegar, using newspaper to avoid leaving lint behind. Be sure that there are no streaks left behind by wiping thoroughly and not cleaning them directly in the sun.
- All interior surfaces, such as the dashboard and door coverings can be cleaned by wiping down with a damp cloth or wipe and then using a protectant, such as ArmorAll. If you have drink holders, you may need to clean inside of these with an old toothbrush to remove any spills that have sat for who knows how long.
- Spray your interior cloth areas, such as flooring and seats with a scent that you like and place a complimentary air freshener somewhere in the car.
- Open up the trunk and remove anything that you don't need to be carrying. This will not only look clean, but it will also save you gas as you are reducing the weight of the vehicle. Vaccuum out the bottom of the trunk.
- Wash your car using a cleaner that is formulated specifically for automobile cleaning. Rinse thoroughly and use a drying cloth that is extra absorbent so that you don't end up with water spots.
- Don't forget the tires and wheels! There are special cleaners that remove all the road grime from them by just spraying on, allowing to sit, and wiping off.
Finally, your vehicle Spring cleaning is complete and you can take a well-deserved rest. Most of us spend a lot of time in our cars, getting from one place to another. It is so much nicer to spend our driving time in a clean, fresh vehicle. This is also a good time to schedule a maintenance check with your preferred mechanic.
