No one likes driving a dirty car. If you are a car enthusiast, you probably are far more particular about your car cleaning process than most people.
However, for many, car cleaning involves hosing off the exterior or just driving to a car wash service. But, if you live in a place with a dusty and dry climate (like those of us in Tucson), then you could be dealing with a dirty car far more often than others.
In addition to the exterior, dust and dirt can easily mess up a car’s interior as well. Here are a few important tips on how you can keep your entire car clean – inside and out!
Simple Tips to Keep Your Car Interior Clean
Cleaning the interiors of your car is not a complicated task. Focusing on a few key areas can help you keep your car clean and dirt free.
Cleaning the Seats
The one area which needs particular attention are the seats. Consider the following seat cleaning tips:
- Scrub your seats clean with a washcloth, sponge, or even a brush using an all-purpose diluted cleaning solution.
- If you tend to eat in your car or if you often drive with kids, food particles will fall on the seat covers and get lodged in the all the tiny cracks and seams.
- In addition to dirtying your car, food particles need to be cleaned out for hygienic purposes.
- Use a brush or toothbrush to clean out lodged and stuck food crumbs from your car seat covers.
Cleaning the Floor Mats
Whether it is rubber based or cloth based, cleaning your floor mats is necessary and it helps your car smell nice and clean.
- Start by vacuuming the mats to remove any food or dust particles.
- Once vacuuming is over, for a cleaner feel, wash the mats – you can either mix some baking soda into water or use a liquid cleaning agent.
- If your car floor mat has stains, you can get rid of these stains using a stain removing cleaner.
Replace Cabin Filter
Changing the cabin air filter is an important yet, often overlooked, aspect of cleaning the interior of your car.
- Changing or replacing the cab filter can effectively improve the quality of air inside your car since it filters out pollutants.
- Check your car manual to know how often you should change the air filter.
- However, it is best done once every other year, or every 15,000 – 25,000 miles.
Simple Tips for Keeping Your Car Exterior Clean
The exterior of your car can get damaged from environmental factors and the rigors of driving over time. Consider the following tips to keep the exterior clean.
Wash the Car Exterior
Proper cleaning of the exterior requires more than just plain water. Consider the following:
- Add some concentrated car wash solution to a bucket of water.
- Most auto stores sell a car wash cleaning solution.
- Instead of a washcloth, it is better to use a sponge to clean the car exterior.
- To clean the windows, use a glass cleaner.
Car Waxing
Once you are done with washing your car, waxing is necessary to protect the paint and finish.
Cleaning Dirty Car Headlight Covers
It is only natural that car headlight covers will gather dust and get clouded and foggy with regular driving. Driving at night with foggy or clouded headlights can be dangerous as it prevents you from seeing the road clearly.
You will need a bucket of soapy solution, fine sandpaper, car wax, and polishing solution to clean the headlights. If you don’t have sandpaper, you can use a toothbrush and toothpaste to clean the headlights or just soap and water.
- Once the headlights are wet, sand the headlights in a sideways motion (or just use a cotton cloth).
- Rinse the headlights with clean water and wipe with a dry towel.
- Repeat the process until the headlights are clear.
- After they are clean, make sure the headlights are completely dry and water-free.
- Apply the polishing compound – if you have an electric buffer, it can speed up the process.
- Finish off by covering the headlights with car wax to keep the headlights protected.
Spray the Exterior with Protectants
Routine spraying of protectants on the plastic, vinyl, and rubber parts of your car can keep these areas protected against damage from dust and dirt. Make sure you use protectants for your car’s windows and doors as well as the tires.
A Clean Car Means a Happier Owner
Cleaning your car on a regular basis can help maintain its look and condition. It is an important issue during reselling as well. Proper maintenance requires following the above-mentioned cleaning tips and getting your car routinely serviced by a professional car service.
Car Mechanics You Can Trust!
Looking for professional car service for your car? Do you want servicing and repairs that you can trust? Give Accurate Services a call today at 520-620-9129 or schedule an appointment online!