There’s nothing quite like getting into a clean car. And, let’s face it, you always enjoy it when other people admire your shiny ride, inside and out. Considering all of the different types of trash and grime that seem primed to invade your car, how can you keep it clean and ready to show off? Here are some of the top car cleaning hacks.
Prevent the Mess with a Trash Bag
One of the best car cleaning tricks involves preventing messes from getting out of control in the first place. Get a small bag to use to stash your trash, and empty it frequently to keep it from infecting your car with funky odors and bugs.
The Almighty Toothbrush
A toothbrush is a brilliant car cleaning device and it ranks as one of the best car cleaning tips because it’s simultaneously effective and inexpensive. Most stains in cars are limited in size, so using a large cleaning tool may be cumbersome. A toothbrush is an excellent cleaner of upholstery, sticky things on the dashboard, and the multitude of crevices all over your car.
The toothbrush will serve two main purposes: freeing small debris from hard to access areas and intensive spot cleaning. To get at a particularly pesky stain, use some baking soda and vinegar. Put a little vinegar into the stained area and get ready with your toothbrush in one hand and the baking soda in the other. Then sprinkle the baking soda on top of the stain. Rub it in right away with the toothbrush. As the two interact with each other, they help remove the stain from the fibers. Keep rubbing until you start to see the stain fade. Then use some water and a towel to dab away the remnants of the now-loosened stain. If any spots remain, repeat the process.
Vacuum with the Help of a Brush
Get a small brush such as a makeup or paint brush and put one of the narrower fittings on the end of the vacuum. Brush the surfaces of your dashboard, radio and arm rest areas while keeping the vacuum right under the brush. This way, all of the dust and potential allergens are sucked up by the vacuum before they can invade your respiratory system. It’s also a great way to keep that new car looking new.
Use a Spray Bottle and Squeegee for Pet Hair
Pet hair is the worst. Not only is it tough to remove, but it gets absolutely everywhere. Some people even suffer from severe allergies that can result in serious breathing problems. Getting pet hair out of your car should be a priority. Here’s how to do it quickly and with little effort.
Use a spray bottle to mist the seat with the pet hair on it. Then use a squeegee to go at the hair. It will collect together into small clumps that are easy to remove. Keep doing it until all the pet hair is gone.
Use a Flathead Screwdriver and Cloth to Detail the Car
An old t-shirt, shop rag, or stained cloth makes for an excellent cleaning tool when combined with a flathead screwdriver. Simply wrap the cloth around the end of the screwdriver, and go at those hard-to-reach nooks and crannies around your shifting console, the dashboard, the armrests, vents and everywhere else. If there’s a lot of little stuff in there, you may want to use a vacuum to catch anything before it gets shifted onto the floor.
Remove the Seats Before Vacuuming
Most cars are equipped with seats that come out easily and quickly by twisting a few bolts. Some click and lock in place and can be just as simply removed. Getting these out of the way can seem like a daunting task, but it’s really not. The seats are relatively light and come out quickly. You will get a better clean and will likely save time because it will take just a few casual sweeps of the vacuum to grab everything underneath. This is especially valuable in the wintertime when salt and things stuck to your boots get lugged in and somehow find a way to migrate under your seat. The other option is to try to get just the right angle, bang up your knuckles, scrape your hands and still miss that red Skittle in the corner.
Put Cupcake Holders in Cup Holders
Often, a coffee cup will have little drops of coffee, sugar and all, that trickle down the side and into the bottom of the cupholder. The pastries and other goodies that we sometimes put in our cup holders can also leave sticky debris that can be very difficult to remove. Prevent all of this with cupcake liners. They catch all of the little stuff you don’t want to clean out later, and they absorb or cradle troublesome liquids.
Baking Soda for Ugly Spills
A small box of baking soda won’t take up much room in your glove box, and can do wonders for a potentially ugly spill. To make the best use of it, sprinkle some on a spill right away. The sooner you get it on, the less time it has to seep deeper into the fibers or cushions of your vehicle. Sprinkle it on liberally, and don’t be afraid to add further layers after the initial treatment.
Unlike some colored cleaners, baking soda both absorbs quickly and doesn’t leave behind any sort of stain. The powdery residue can be vacuumed up with ease.
Q-Tips to the Rescue
Q-tips give you the ability to access even very small cracks and gaps in your car. Keep a stash in the glove box, and use one after every spill. Instead of letting small spills build up, grab a Q-tip and swipe it out. You can also whittle down the size of the head of a Q-tip by pulling away at some of the cotton fibers and then twisting it back into its original shape. This will give you the ability to get inside even smaller spaces—and dig out more gunk.
Compressed Air
It’s easy for crumbs and dust to get lodged or build up in hard-to-access areas. A vacuum may not have the power to pull some of the more cleverly wedged morsels. Compressed air is a great tool for getting them out. Keep a can handy in your car for on-the-spot cleaning, but make sure to store it so that it doesn't roll around or shake while you're driving or get too hot in your trunk. If, like many homeowners, you have an air compressor to operate nail guns and the like, it can also double as a cleaning tool to help loose little things that would otherwise sit and fester.
Be Proactive
Usually, the best way to keep a car clean is to prevent a mess from happening in the first place. If you know you’re going to have kids or other people in your car that are likely to make a mess, cover the seats with towels, bedding, or another type of barrier that will help protect them from spills.
You can also grab some easy to clean floor mats and make sure every seat has its own. A set of rubber mats used during the wintery or rainy months can do a lot of protect your floors and simplify the cleaning process down the road.
Car cleaning doesn't have to be tedious. Using these eleven tips for cleaning your car, you'll free up lots of time to do the things you like with the people you love.
