Best Tips for Keeping Your Car Clean

If you spend a lot of time in your vehicle, you’ll want to make the experience as comfortable as possible. A clean car is an essential place to start. Maintaining your vehicle’s interior can transform your driving experience by giving you a fresh, welcoming place to sit during your daily commute, weekly errands, and other tasks.

What Products Should I Use?

Each part of the car needs its own special treatment to remove the film of dirt and dust, that can build up inside the vehicle. Knowing what to use is essential to achieve the desired results.

Seats

Use a stiff, bristled toothbrush to loosen crumbly messes for cloth upholstery. Vacuum thoroughly to remove the mess. Mix upholstery cleaner or laundry detergent with water and scrub dirty upholstery to restore its like-new appearance. Use club soda or a mixture of water and baking soda to remove tricky spots and stains. To clean vinyl upholstery, vacuum loose crumbs and scrub the surface with a damp Magic Eraser.

Steering Wheel

Determine what your steering wheel is made of and wipe it down using a cleaner specific to that material. An all-purpose cleaner will work on faux leather or plastic, while a leather conditioner is essential for a real leather steering wheel. Apply the cleanser with a microfiber cloth. A soft, bristled brush will remove stubborn dirt embedded deeper in the wheel.

Dash

Use Castile soap and water to wash your car’s dashboard. This will break down dirt for a fresh, clean surface. Rub down your dash with baby oil on a soft rag to get a beautiful sheen.

Windows

Clean windows defrost faster in cold weather, ensuring that you always have a clear view of the road ahead. Use glass cleaner and a microfiber cloth to remove fingerprints and other dirt from the interior of your car’s windows. When you’re washing the windows, start by rolling them down halfway. Run a clean cloth over the top of the window to begin. This will help prevent sticking and keep the frame clean.

What Should I Keep in My Car to Make It Smell Good?

A fresh aroma in your car is an essential part of maintaining a pleasant space. No one wants to ride in a vehicle that smells old, musty, or messy. Use the following tips for a great-smelling ride:

Essential Oils

Essential oils provide a great fragrance and are available in so many varieties that you can create a custom scent just for your vehicle. Drip your chosen oils on cotton balls, clay disks, or wood diffusers to add a pleasant scent to your car. You can also use a blend of baking soda and essential oils to control unpleasant odors and add a delightful aroma to your vehicle. Just put this blend in a mason jar and poke holes in the lid. Keep the jar in a cupholder or another safe spot.

Air Fresheners

Commercial air fresheners are a fast and easy way to enhance the smell in your car. Plan to replace these every few weeks to keep things smelling fresh.

Household Items

Some household items will add a delightful smell to your vehicle when you stash them in the car. Dryer sheets are one quick and easy option. Just stash a few beneath the seats and let the smell drift upward. Coffee beans have a strong aroma that you can use as well. If you like the smell of steaming java, fill a sock with whole coffee beans and place it in the car.

How Can I Keep My Car Clean?

A few smart strategies can go a long way toward keeping your car clean. Use these tactics regularly to ensure your vehicle stays in good condition drive after drive. When you make a habit of cleaning up promptly, you can avoid the major messes that can accumulate over time and keep things manageable.

Provide a Place for Trash

Keep a small trash receptacle in your car so there’s always a place for trash. This is especially important if you eat in the car because food wrappers, straws, cups, and paper bags can accumulate quickly and leave you with a dreadful layer of debris in the bottom of your vehicle. A trash can is still important even if you don’t dine on the road, though you may get away with something smaller. Empty the trash every time you’re at a gas station filling up so it never has a chance to accumulate.

Use Removable Floor Mats

Purchase removable plastic floor mats for your vehicle to contain messes and streamline your cleaning routine. Mats with a slight lip around the edge can contain messes easily, so even spilled coffee can’t ruin your day. The waterproof vinyl surface makes it easy to lift out the spill and dump it outside the vehicle. You can rinse off these mats with a hose and wipe them down with baby wipes to get them looking like new.

Keep a Small Vacuum on Hand

A compact cordless car vacuum is a great investment for keeping your car clean. Having this tool on hand means you can immediately pick up crumbs, sawdust, freshly cut grass, and any other messes that may make their way into your vehicle. While you’ll still want to detail it occasionally using a more powerful vacuum with the full suite of attachments, your portable vac allows you to space out your deep cleaning efforts.

Can #1 Cochran Help Me With My Car Detailing?

Our expert team at #1 Cochran Buick GMC Youngstown can point you toward the best services in the city for your vehicle. Our on-site service center provides routine exterior maintenance such as tire changes, oil changes, and replacement wiper blades. We can recommend other local service centers for car washes and interior detailing. We’re committed to helping you keep your vehicle in prime condition year after year so you can enjoy that new car feeling long into the future. Contact us today to learn more.

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