Spring Clean Your Car
Ellie Dyer-Brown, 8 days ago
5 min read
- Creative
- Seasonal
WhoCanFixMyCar offers tips and tricks to help you spring clean your car.
Seasonal overhauls aren't just for your home. At WhoCanFixMyCar, we believe your beloved motor deserves a spring clean, too.
Guide Contents:
Cleaning the inside of your car
Cleaning the inside of your car
1. Take a brush to those carpets and mats.
Use a brush with stiff bristles to loosen the dirt, which you can collect using a hoover. If the mats are filthy, try using hot, soapy water with a stiff brush to loosen the ingrained dirt. After this, it's time for carpet shampoo or shake and vac before finishing with a final hoover once everything is dry.
2. Use vaseline or olive oil on your dashboard.
As mentioned in our top 20 car hacks blog, look no further than a tub of petroleum jelly to clean your dashboard. Add a small amount to a microfibre cloth and wipe the dash until it looks polished but not greasy.
3. Microfibre cloth and glass cleaner on the windows.
Fingerprint-covered windows decrease visibility and detract from your car's appearance. Take a regular glass cleaner spray and a microfibre cloth to the windows, and you'll see instant results.
4. Clear the air vents with a paint brush.
The air vents are often abandoned when we clean our cars. However, the dusty abyss of the vents has to be dealt with at some point. Using a small paintbrush to get in between the gaps is a cheap and easy way to get the job done.
5. Buy a new air freshener.
Smell good, feel good. Your car's interior might be squeaky clean, but to achieve a convincing new car feel, you'll need an air freshener.
6. Use banana skin to remove leather scuffs
Banana skins contain lots of potassium, a key ingredient in shoe polish. Rather than buying a specialist polishing product, you can use them on your car's interior leather to remove scuffs and give the material a fresh shine.
7. Spray water on the seats to remove animal hairs.
Animal hairs can be a nightmare to get rid of. One of the best hacks we've found involves spraying the seats with water and then using a shower squeegee to scrape the hairs up.
Cleaning the outside of your car
1. Apply toothpaste to the headlights
Don't worry about spending a small fortune on car cleaning products because a squirt of toothpaste will brighten up your headlights with minimal effort. You could also use baking soda. These products are abrasive enough to clear foggy headlights without causing damage.
2. Wax the exterior of your car
Waxing your car has real benefits. It protects the paintwork from discolouration, fading, oxidation and light scratches, and it also gives it an enviable shine.
Spring cleaning maintenance checklist
Check your oil and coolant
This guide provides advice about checking your car's fluid levels. Most manufacturers recommend that you should have your oil changed annually, so if you haven't already, now is an excellent time to tick it off your to-do list.
Book an air conditioning service
Driving in a car without air conditioning in the summer is almost unbearable. The heat is stifling, and there's no escape. That's why it's a good idea to make sure your aircon is in good shape before the hot weather hits.
Find out why your aircon isn't blowing cold air.
Check tyre pressure levels
You can check your tyre pressure using a handheld gauge or a machine on a garage forecourt. The recommended pressure levels can be found in your car owner's handbook or the tyre placard, usually near the driver's door frame.
Check out our ultimate guide to tyre pressure for more information.
Inspect the wiper blades
Windscreen wipers don't always get a lot of love when it comes to car maintenance. If the rubber has cracked, it's important that you replace them as soon as possible.
Learn how to clean and change your car's windscreen wipers.
Book your annual full service
Use this time to get organised and book a full service to keep your car in good shape.
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Written by Ellie
Ellie is WhoCanFixMyCar’s Content Writer. She has a BA in English literature from Durham University, a master’s degree in creative writing, and three years of experience writing in the automotive industry. She currently drives a Suzuki Swift.