Among all the other things that a person might possess, a car has to be one of the most beneficial and priced possessions one can have. And since we are so dependent on this particular vehicle, it is important that we make an effort to keep it clean in our spare time.
Now, there are a lot of methods that you can use to keep your car clean but hopefully, the following steps will help you to get through the tiresome process.
So, why not hand it over to a professional for auto detailing?
While this might be one of the easiest ways to clean your car, it can cost you loads of money which won’t be fair to you and your hard earned money. So instead of spending that much amount (approximately $200-$250) twice or thrice a year from your salary for professional detailing, why not do it yourself in your spare time?
Things you will need for the cleanup:
- Vacuum cleaner with attachments
- Two empty boxes or garbage bags
- Glass cleaner
- A bucket of clean lukewarm water
- A microfiber cleaning cloth
- Rubbing alcohol
- Scrub brush
- Liquid dish cleanser
Step One:
Get rid of all the trash like food wrappers, used tissue papers, empty soda cans etc. into one of the garbage bags or boxes. Take the second bag and put down all the other necessary things that you keep in your car and put it aside.
Step Two: Soft Surfaces
- For soft surfaces, vacuum the floor mats with the upholstery attachment and keep them somewhere clean until you are done cleaning the entire car. Use the vacuum cleaner again to vacuum the seat of your car, the ceiling and the floor. Make sure to take some extra time while cleaning the ceiling if you’re a smoker.
- Vacuum underneath the seats, the ceiling, edges of the seat rails, the console, in-between the seats and all the other places where you can find dirt.
Step Three: Hard Surfaces
- For hard surfaces, clean the console, cup holders, dashboard and other surfaces filled with dust and dirt with the brush attachment of the vacuum cleaner.
- Take a microfiber cloth and dip it into a mixture of a few drops of liquid dish cleanser in a pail of warm water to clean the steering wheel, door handles, dashboard and console. Exclude the surfaces covered with glass. Squeeze and rinse the cleaning cloth from time to time so that you don’t soil the surfaces. You can also use a fresh microfiber cloth if the old one gets covered with dirt.
- Look for dark smudges or stains on the floor and use a mixture of cleanser, warm water and a clean cloth to wash it off. If the stains still remain, use a scrubbing brush. Dry off the surface using a fresh towel.
- Use rubbing alcohol and a clean cloth to remove smudges and stains on the upholstery. Wash it off with a wet cloth to eliminate any remaining odour.
- Take the floor mats and use a brush to scrub off any stains with a mixture of cleanser and warm water. Keep them in the sun to dry.
- Remove any fingerprints or smudges from the windows with a glass cleaner and a fresh microfiber cloth.
- Put the floor mats back in place when dried off.
- You can give your dashboard a brand new and shiny appearance by buying the products used for this purpose and apply it with a clean cloth. Dry off the surface with another fresh cloth to give the finishing touch.
Keeping it clean:
Yes, cleaning your car can give you a hard time and hence you can try minimizing the damage by keeping it clean regularly. Keep plenty of plastic trash bags in one corner of your car to stash all the soda cans, food wrappers etc. to make more space. Dump it off in the trash can when you’re home. You can also keep a clean cloth in the console so that while you’re stuck in traffic, you can easily clean off the dirt.
