Winter is Over – Why and How You Should Clean Your Car Now
For many of us, this past year has involved a lot of eating in and taking meals in our cars in order to be socially distant and safe. Consequently, our vehicles might have trash or the leftover stench of meals past. However, spring cleaning is not only for taking out the trash, but also for reinvigorating your vehicle so it feels new again. Plus, as we leave the Canadian winter behind us, it’s time to make sure your vehicle is ready for the summer. Alright, let’s take a deep breath and dive in.
Interior:
- Vacuum: Take time to vacuum your vehicle before we get sudsy. Make sure to thoroughly vacuum the seats and dash; use a handheld vacuum or the hose attachment on your vacuum cleaner to get into the crevices and nooks of your vehicle. Remove the floor mats so you can vacuum under them.
- Interior Detailing: Now it is time to whip out the cleaning wipes. You can buy wipes at our parts store or at any automotive retailer. You can also just use a damp towel with dish soap. Make sure to wipe off the excess soap with a regular damp towel.
- Window Cleaning: Using glass cleaner or window cleaners, you can easily get the streaks and dust off the inside of your windows. It’s important to do this step after interior detailing to make sure you clean off any interior cleaners from your windows.
- Floor Mats: Now if you followed the first step, take the floor mats you removed and give them a good soapy scrubbing. Try to dislodge pebbles stuck in the rubber or carpet and use a carpet cleaner to remove stains. For rubber mats, you can hose them down as you wash the exterior of your vehicle.
Exterior:
- Tires: Scrub your tires using a tire-cleaning spray and a good brush. Make sure to remove caked on mud and other road debris.
- Carwash: After winter, you might find your vehicle is now covered in gross and unappealing mud and salt stains. Start at the top of the vehicle and work your way down to keep mud from just migrating to other parts of the vehicle. If the salt stains don’t get removed with simple soap and water, try a solution of equal parts of water and vinegar and gently clean with a soft brush or sponge.
- Underbody: Now that the rest of the body is cleaned, move your hose to the underbody of your vehicle. Salt from the road can accumulate here and over time can cause damage to the body. It’s especially important after a Canadian winter to clean this part of a vehicle. Use your hose to spray and dislodge debris from your undercarriage. You can also buy special sprays to help clean this part of the vehicle too.
- Dry: Finally, it’s time to dry your vehicle. While you could just let your car air-dry, a microfiber cloth can really make your vehicle shine and streak-free. Your vehicle is now ready to take on the summer.
While salt on the roads help in freezing temperatures, having it on your vehicle can stain and cause damage to your exterior and interior. Take some time this spring to at least remove the salt off your vehicle. If anything, else this is a great activity to do with your family while the weather warms up. Welcome to spring!
Come see our parts department for car soap and interior detailing wipes.