As spring approaches, people start tending to their gardens and spring cleaning their homes. However, their vehicles are often overlooked. If your car is clean and tidy, you, your family members and other passengers are more likely to keep it that way.
Of course, you could take your vehicle to a car valeting service but if you would prefer to do it yourself, don’t be daunted by the size of the job. Check out our series of bite-size jobs to help you to give your car a good spring clean.
Muddy shoes, gritted surfaces, wet coats – they all take their toll on your car’s interior over the autumn and winter months. And if you have pets or children, the interior is likely to have had even more of a battering!
You will need:
- Bin bags
- A vacuum cleaner (hand held or plug in – but make sure it is a good one).
- Upholstery cleaner or wipes
- Carpet shampoo
- Take mats out of the car and give them a good shake to get rid of large bits of debris.
- Declutter! Pick up any rubbish – get right in under the seats to make sure that you get it all. Go through side pockets ad glove compartments and throw away anything useless. Be ruthless! Do you really need that odd glove or the fuel receipt from 5 years ago?
- Once you have tackled the passenger area of the car, head to the boot. Empty the boot completely and set the contents aside until you have finished cleaning.
- Check the carpets and mats for existing wet patches – these can be an indicator that you have a leak in your car. If you can’t see an obvious source for the leak, take it to your local garage.
- Go over all of the interior with a vacuum cleaner to get rid of the worst of the debris (mud, leaves, crumbs!). Make sure you get right in between the seats.
- Dust the surfaces and give them a wipe over, being careful not to get any of the electrics wet.
- If you have a fabric interior, start at the top with your upholstery shampoo and work your way down. If you have leather interior, go straight for the carpet and mats. Hang the mats in a warm, sunny spot and keep your windows and doors open to let the upholstery dry completely.
- Go over any leather with leather cleaner. An old toothbrush and a mixture of baking powder and warm water is a great way to lift grime out of the seams.
- Finish up with your windows and mirrors – give them a really good clean to get rid of smears, stains and fingerprints. Remove any unnecessary stickers from your windscreen – including the obsolete tax disc pocket if you haven't yet.
- When you have cleaned the interior from top to bottom, you can return the contents of your boot to the car. You will be surprised how reluctant you are to clutter your immaculate car with unnecessary items!
It is amazing how everybody will be more careful to keep your car tidy once it has had a good clean. In the next instalment we will go through the process of spring cleaning the outside of your vehicle; follow us on Facebook or Twitter to stay in touch!
Don’t have time to give your car the TLC it deserves? Check out our local trusted valeting services.