If you’re proud of your car, you want to keep it as clean as possible. This isn’t only a vanity thing; a dirty car will deteriorate much quicker than one that is well-kept. Dirt can end up affecting the paint. Salt and de-icing agents can start accumulating at the bottom of the side panels and cause corrosion. Then there is all the havoc that dirt, grime, water, and snow can wreak on a car’s interior. If you want to keep your car in pristine condition and have it looking and smelling great at all times, here are a few cleaning tips every car owner should know.
Stay Away from Automatic Car Washes
If you care about your car’s paint, you will avoid automatic car washes at all costs. The brushes these machines use are way too harsh for the paint and will end up ruining the finish after a while. If the vehicle is older, it could end up chipping the paint and causing damage. Instead, we would suggest that you either go somewhere where you can clean the car yourself or get it cleaned by professionals. Yes, you’ll pay a little bit more and it’s less convenient, but it’ll be a much better job.
Taking Care of Stains
One of the worst things that can happen to a car interior is spills. Sugary drinks are the worst and can be a nightmare to get out. Thankfully, there are a few tricks that you can use. If you want to know how to get rid of difficult stains on your seats, read this post from Auto Clean Freak. It will show you how you could get rid of virtually any stain using everyday household items as well as commercial stain removers.
Use the Right Soap
While you can remove some stains from a car’s interior with dishwasher soap, it isn’t recommended for your car’s interior. Sure, it is great at removing grease since that’s what it was made to do, but it will also strip the paint of important oils that allow it to keep its appearance. So, don’t cut corners and invest in high-quality soap/car shampoo instead from a brand such as Autoglym. This is specifically made for cars and as such will provide you with an incredibly deep clean, whilst also being safe on the paintwork. Due to the high lubricity offered with a premium car shampoo soap, it means that your wash mitt will be able to effortlessly remove dirt, without scratching the paint. We also suggest that you always keep a bucket of clean water when cleaning your car. You want one bucket with the suds and one with clear water so you can rinse your cleaning mitt as often as possible. That will get some of the road grit off it and prevent it from scratching the car. Make sure that you machine wash the mitt after every clean too.
Wax AND Polish
A lot of people will focus on waxing the car only. They want the nice look, but not the effort it takes to polish it. But you have to polish the surface of the vehicle to remove some of the scratches and imperfections on the paint. If you only wax, you won’t get the same gloss, so don’t skip this step.
These are all cleaning tips that will keep your car sparkling and in great condition. Never neglect cleaning, even if it means paying someone to do it for you.