With this beautiful spring weather, most of you are cleaning out your homes and keeping up with your gardens. However, don’t miss the chance to detail your vehicle. After such a rough winter, your car has been through mud, snow, sleet, sand, and salt so it needs a good safe cleaning too! You could pay a couple of hundred dollars to have it professionally detailed or do it yourself. Here are some step-by-step guidelines that you could follow to give your vehicle the attention it deserves.
What you will need:
- A can of compressed air
- Microfiber cloths
- Cotton Swabs
- House or Shop Vac
- Your favorite Carpet Cleaner
- Leather Cleaner or Conditioner recommended by the manufacturer.
- Or Upholstery Cleaner
- Multi-Purpose Cleaner
- Antifogging Agent
- Bucket of warm water and a tablespoon (or two) of liquid dishwashing soap
- Your favorite brand of car wax
Some Extra Add-Ons to Include:
- Air fresheners
- New windshield wipers
- Washer Fluid
Safety First
First, take everything out of your vehicle and make sure to get under your seats and your trunk! The most important part of spring-cleaning your vehicle is to take out all of your safety equipment such as your spare tire and first aid kit. Double-check that your spare tire is in good working condition with the correct air pressure. Replenish your safety kits with anything that you may have used previously. During this time, make sure to clean out your glove box too, only keeping limited items such as the owner’s manual, vehicle registration, service records, and any other important documentation.
Vacuum and Vacuum Again
Once you’ve cleared out your vehicle of unnecessary items, floor mats, and trash, give your vehicle a thorough vacuum from top to bottom. This might be the most time consuming part because we suggest utilizing a house or shop vac with a rigid tool to ensure that you get all the pieces of salt and dirt that have built up in your carpet.
All in the Details
Now, you will utilize your favorite carpet cleaner, multi-purpose cleaner, antifogging agent, and depending on the upholstery, your manufactures recommended leather cleaner, condition, or upholstery cleaner. At this time, we also recommend utilizing the microfiber clothes, cotton swabs, and a can of compressed air to get into every nook and cranny of your vehicle. You could utilize one of the three recommended tools along with the all-purpose cleaner to clean inside the small crevices around the center console, shifter, and air vents. Utilize your multi-purpose cleaner and microfiber clothes to clean the inside of your windows as well.
Before moving onto the carpet again, we recommend cleaning your upholstery once to remove any dirt build up and repeating one more time to ensure cleaning the small details. Finally, since the carpet is usually the where the most filth builds up, we recommend the same repetitive action with your carpet. The first time is to remove any dirt build up and the second time is to ensure getting within the small details that could make all the difference in the way your vehicle looks and smells.
The Exterior Also Needs Some TLC
Ensure that you place every important item back in your vehicle but remember not to clutter it right back up. Afterwards, you might want to spend a few extra dollars at a local car wash to get the underbody flushed from any of the left over winter road salt mixtures that is underneath your vehicle. Wash your vehicle starting from the top and working your way down to the rocker panels, your tires, your rims. Finally, you will want to use your favorite brand of car wax for the extra clean finish.
Some Extras
While you are at it, make sure to replace the beat up winter windshield wipers and the old air-fresheners. You could even take a few steps further and top off your washer fluid to clean off any residue left on your windshield. All of these steps should help your vehicle smell and look much better than before. You could be much happier extending spring-cleaning to your vehicle every time you get in.
Neighborhood Autos 