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Car care
3 min read
We all know how easy it is for cars to become dirty – rubbish piles up, pet hairs inhabit every corner and it becomes a treasure trove for loose change.
Studies have found that a clean and tidy car can help relieve stress and make you feel energetic and happier...so really there is no excuse for putting off cleaning your car!
Follow our guide to give your wheels that brand-new car feeling.
Before you get too excited with the cleaning products, it’s best to throw out all the junk that has been building up in your car first. Don’t forget to take out all of your valuables and put everything back in its place – you might actually find belongings you thought were lost or you had entirely forgotten about!
Car mats tend to be the dirtiest so it’s a good idea to start on these first - remove them from your motor and shake them out as much as possible. Once they’re removed, you can then hoover them and scrub with soap and water – this will loosen any grime between the grooves. But don’t forget to let them completely dry off before putting them back in place.
Top Tip
If you have a garden hose, use it to wash your car mats down and get rid of the excess soap.
Push the seats all the way back and hoover in underneath them, they can accumulate a lot of dirt! Then move on to the pedals, side door panels, and gear stick. Do the same with the backseats and boot.
Top Tip
If you find chewing gum matted into the carpet, rub it with ice cubes for several minutes. When the gum turns brittle, gently peel it off the carpet.
Once you have given your car a thorough hoover, you can then start applying cleaning products. Leather seats that haven’t been maintained properly can crack and dry out. To keep them looking new, use a soft brush and a product specific for cleaning leather. For fabric seats, household carpet cleaners can easily do the job.
To minimise using harsh chemicals and run the risk of wet car seats, sprinkle some baking soda onto fabric seats. After several hours, vacuum the baking soda and your car should smell nice and fresh. If you are a smoker, you can find specialised air fresheners that remove smoke odour.
It’s now time to grab a rag or cleaning wipes to remove all the dirt and dust that has built up in your car’s front panel. You can also spray a car-specific cleaner over the console, and steering wheel – according to a recent study, a steering wheel can be four times dirtier than a toilet seat!!
Top Tip
The many buttons and control in your car can be a real task to clean but if you use a toothbrush with a thin cloth over it, it can get into those tight grooves.
It’s easy to forget the amount of dirt that can accumulate on the inside of windows but by using a window cleaner and some paper towels , your windows will gleam…. from the inside anyway!
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