Top Car Cleaning Tips Every Car Owner Should Know

March 12th, 2020 by Fix Auto USA

Car cleaning is essential, particularly for car owners who want to extend the lifespan of their vehicles. But, when it comes to car cleaning, problems can sometimes arise.

In some instances, car owners become complacent, and they try to ignore odors and clutter that linger inside their vehicles. Or, car owners sometimes feel too busy to dedicate time and energy to clean their cars — despite the fact that cleaning a car can deliver long-lasting benefits.

If you clean your car today, you can take the first step to maintain a stunning interior and exterior. Plus, you can reduce the likelihood of car interior and exterior problems that diminish your vehicle’s value.

How to Keep a Car Clean: Tips You Need to Know

There is no surefire formula on how to clean a car, but there are many things you can do to maintain a neat, tidy vehicle, such as:

1. Wash Your Car Properly

Dish soap is not intended for use on your car’s exterior — in fact, applying dish soap to your car’s finish can reduce the life of your vehicle’s paint. Instead, use a cleaner that is formulated exclusively for vehicles.

You can find car wash soaps from Chemical Guys, Meguiar’s, and other industry-leading brands at an auto parts store. Once you pick up a car wash soap, follow the instructions on the product’s label.

In addition, use a car polish in combination with a car wash soap. A car polish helps you clean and smooth your car’s paint.

2. Perform Regular Car Interior Cleaning

Dirt, dust, and other debris can become major problems, especially when it comes to maintaining a pristine car interior. To address these issues, you need to clean your car’s interior regularly.

Car interior cleaning can be fast and straightforward. If you know which areas of your car’s interior to clean — and how to clean them — you can often clean your interior in just minutes.

To clean your car’s interior, here’s what you need to do:

Remove Trash from Your Car:

Grab a trash bag, pick up trash across your car’s interior, and dispose of it properly. This should be done daily or as frequently as possible to minimize the risk of lingering odors or excess car interior clutter.

Clean Your Car’s Steering Wheel, Dashboard, and Center Console:

Use a dry toothbrush or canned air to clean your car’s steering wheel, dashboard, and center console. You can also use a damp microfiber cloth to remove debris from your center console.

Clean Your Car Seats:

For cloth seats, use a combination of water, vinegar, and dish soap for a full clean. Meanwhile, for leather seats, apply a mixture of water and dish soap and wipe down the seats until they are completely dry.

Clean Your Car’s Windows:

Use a window cleaner to wipe down and clean your car’s windshield, back window, side windows, and rear-view and side mirrors.

Clean Your Car’s Carpet:

Remove the floor mats from your car and shake them out to remove debris. Also, apply baking soda to the floor mats and carpet, let it sit for about 30 minutes, then vacuum the mats and carpet.

Remove Odors:

Apply baking soda to your car’s floors and seats. If odors still persist, use an enzymatic cleaner or place a dryer sheet under your car seats.

You should perform a deep clean of your car’s interior at least once every week or every other week. In doing so, you can keep your car’s interior in great shape for an extended period of time.

3. Pick Up Car Cleaning Essentials

There is no shortage of car cleaning products available, and distinguishing the top products from all others is sometimes difficult. If you can identify car cleaning essentials, you can pick up these items and use them to clean your vehicle’s interior and exterior seamlessly.

Car cleaning essentials include:

Microfiber Wash Mitt:

A microfiber wash mitt fits comfortably on your hand and makes it easy to lift and trap dirt and grime. It is also reusable and machine-washable.

Headlight Cleaner:

Cloudy headlights and taillights can be worrisome, but a headlight cleaner allows you to make your headlights and taillights shine once again. This cleaner can usually be applied in a single step and simplifies headlight and taillight maintenance.

Car Duster:

A car duster offers a terrific option to quickly remove pollen and other debris from your car’s exterior. It can be placed in the trunk of your vehicle and used regularly to limit the risk of car exterior damage caused by various debris.

Car Vacuum:

A top-notch car vacuum includes different attachments you can use to clean out every nook and cranny in your vehicle. It also offers powerful suction to remove debris in your car’s carpet and a compact design that ensures you won’t have to worry about a bulky vacuum.

Finally, you don’t need to be a car detailing expert to maintain a clean vehicle interior and exterior. If you commit time and energy to perform regular car cleaning, you can achieve your desired results. Over time, your car cleaning efforts will make your vehicle’s interior and exterior dazzle.

 

This blog post was contributed by Fix Auto Yorba Linda, a leading industry expert and collision repair shop servicing the northeastern Orange County.