A lot of time is spent in the car in the course of a week: from commuting back and forth to work, to driving Junior to soccer practice and running errands. Day-to-day life can get in the way of regularly maintaining appearances of one of our favorite assets: our beloved car.
Regardless of the kind of car you drive, a good scrub will make your daily commutes all the more enjoyable. With long car rides coming this summer, let’s roll up the sleeves and scrub and wipe away the mess that winter left behind inside our cars. Here are some of our favorite tips to get you started:
The Attack
1. Vacuum the entire interior of the car, including seats and rugs. The Shop-Vac or the coin-operated vacuum at the local car wash is more suitable for this because most handheld vacuums don’t deliver enough power to get the job done.
2. Contain the seat grime. Wipe down leather and faux leather seats with an all-purpose cleaner and a damp, lint-free cloth. Tougher stains can be dealt with using products specific for cleaning leather or hiring a professional. Heavily-soiled cloth seats can be harder to clean, depending on the source of the stain. General soiling can be dealt with a laundry stain remover.
3. Windows deserve attention. Foam-based cleaners are helpful because they don’t run down the sides like regular cleaners do. However, an effective and wallet-friendly cleaner is also one you can make yourself using non-toxic stuff: we love mixing a cup each of distilled vinegar and water in a spray bottle to clean away the fingerprints.
4. Hard-to-reach areas and seat belts can be scrubbed clean with an old toothbrush using a spray solution of dish soap mixed with water and wiped with a damp cloth.
The Maintenance
1. Contain the trash before it gets out of hand. Purchase a mini garbage can that can sit between bucket seats or use plastic bags. Trash should be emptied out every week.
2. Avoid snacks that are mess-prone whenever possible: crumbly cookies, crackers, and dark-colored sugary drinks. Disposable wipes are handy for sopping up any sticky residue.
3. Invest in durable, all-weather mats made of rubber. Good quality floor liners are designed to catch salt, snow, mud and more. When the mats get dirty, just toss them out for a good shake or hose them down with clean water.
4. Monitor the stench. Neutralize strong car odors with air fresheners infused with baking soda. Heavy-duty odors such as spilled milk or vomit may require the help of a professional to eradicate.
We hope you found these tips handy and we would welcome some of your favorites to share in a future blog post. Feel free to contact us or leave us a comment.
Image credit: Gideon Geldenhuys
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