car-cleaning-tips

7 Car Cleaning Tips with Stuff You Already Have

No matter whether you are getting ready for a date, taking your friend out to lunch, or it is just your week for carpool, having a clean car is essential. Believe it or not, the condition of your car can even affect what your boss thinks of you! It is worth taking a few extra minutes out of your Saturday morning to do a little deep clean car detailing. Depending on how long it has been since the last deep cleaning, it may seem like a daunting task, but here are a few tips and tricks to using some nonconventional cleaning products when detailing a car.

 

Powdered cleaners

Powdered cleaners

Do you have road tar and grime caked on your rims? Use a cleaning powder such as Bar Keepers Friend or Zud to power off that deep dirt! The oxalic acid melts the tar without melting your rims, and is far less expensive than single purpose rim cleaner.

Image Source

Wet dryer sheets to clean dried up bugs

Wet dryer sheets to clean dried up bugs

Ok, so we’ve all seen the social media lifehack posts, and somehow or another dryer sheets make their way into everything. One tried and true use for dryer sheets is cleaning those gross dried up bugs off your car. Just wet the softener sheet and lay it across the bug for a minute, then scrub it right off.

Image Source

Use a toothbrush to get into hard to reach places

Use a toothbrush to get into hard to reach places

Car interiors have a lot of little nooks and crannies. In order to get back in these tight little spaces, use an old toothbrush!

Toothpaste to clean foggy headlamp covers

Toothpaste to clean foggy headlamp covers

Forget using those expensive headlamp restoration kits. This Snapguide gives you a step by step pictorial on how to do it.

WD-40 to remove old bumper stickers

WD-40 to remove old bumper stickers

There are lots of reasons to get rid of old bumper stickers. Maybe the election is over, your friend pranked you by putting a silly or crude sticker on your car, or you just bought a car from someone who likes your rival sports team. In any case, old bumper stickers can be a pain to remove. WD-40 does a great job of helping you get rid of that sticky mess!

Use squeegee and water mister to get rid of pet hair

Use squeegee and water mister to get rid of pet hair

If you love traveling with your pets, your seats are probably covered in hair. You can only brush so much off by hand, so try using a squeegee. The rubber strip grabs all that hair that even a vacuum misses. The best part is, they are cheap enough that you can buy one just to leave in the car!

Use vinegar to clean

Use vinegar to clean

Vinegar is almost magical. Not only can  you use vinegar to clean the windows, but it works as a solvent to remove old stains, and leaving a bowl of vinegar in your car overnight can eliminate odors! Who knew?

Detailing your car doesn’t have to be expensive. Sure, there are tons of commercial products out there that cost a ton of money and guarantee that they will do all kinds of things, but you can get a good cleaning without them. A few common household products and an afternoon of diligent work and your car will look, feel and smell just as good! Save that money for a nice tasty cold beverage after your cleaning is finished!