Your car can accumulate a lot of dirt in the winter. With going in and out of it with muddy shoes, your children leaving all manner of wrappers, dust and all kinds of dirt in your vehicle. During the winter, the thought of completely cleaning your four-wheeler may not even cross your mind. But the spring presents the perfect opportunity to finally rid your car of all the dirt and dust in time for summer family trips.
Spring cleaning your car doesn’t have to be stressful. In fact with the right tools, a clear plan, and the right motivation, you can clean your vehicle in a really short time. The following guide should help you get started brought to you by the Number Plate Man
What You’ll Need
Before we actually begin the actual cleaning, it is important to get all the cleaning materials together. This will help you prepare and save you a lot of time. The following is a list of the things you’ll need to clean the exterior and windows;
- A hose pipe
- Two buckets; one to use for washing and the other for rinsing
- Car shampoo for the exterior
- Washing mitt
- Ammonia-free glass cleaner
- Two microfiber cloths; one for wiping and the other for buffing
- Vinegar
Now that you have everything you need with you, the following simple steps will guide you through the process;
Step 1: Soak your car for about 5 minutes to loosen up the stubborn dirt. You can do that with a few sprays with a hose pipe or the bucket.
Step 2: Now fill the tow buckets with water and then add shampoo to one. Using your wash mitt, wipe the dirt from the car in straight lines. Begin at the top of the vehicle to avoid drips. Make sure that you rinse the mitt regularly in the clean water to avoid scratching your car with stones and dirt. Use clean water to rinse off the suds.
Step 3: Spray ammonia-free glass cleaner onto a microfiber cloth and run it on to the window before buffing with the second microfiber cloth. Don’t forget to wind down the window to access the pesky marks at the top.
Step 4: Finally, pour a little vinegar on your cloth, lift up the windscreen wipers and then run the cloth along the blade to get rid of dirt.
Now that the exterior of the vehicle is clean, let’s clean the dashboard. For that, you will need the following;
- Vacuum cleaner with various nozzles
- A bristle brush and a small paint brush
- Interior car shampoo
- Leather cleaner and conditioner
- Microfiber cloth
- Air freshener
With everything you need ready, follow these simple steps;
Step 1: begin by removing all items from the car including all unwanted junk like old coffee cups and receipts.
Step 2: Now use the brush nozzle of your vacuum cleaner to clean the interior of the car from top to bottom including the dashboard, seats and door pockets. If there are any hard to reach areas, use the crevice nozzle.
Step 3: Use the standard nozzle to clean the carpet and the small paintbrush to get rid of the dust on the air vents.
Step 4: To clean the leather in the vehicle, use the leather cleaner and the microfiber cloth, finishing off with the conditioner. Fabric seats can be cleaned using the interior car shampoo, using the bristle brush on the carpets before rinsing and drying them.
Finally use the new air freshener to finish off the process and get your car looking and smelling fantastic. Remember to place a pack of wipes in the glove compartment to mop up the spillages.
