Super Clean Car Tips
One of my pet peeves is riding in a dirty car. I always like to drive a clean car, especially when I have a long road trip ahead of me. Even when my car is 3 years old, you can still sit in my car and feel like it just came out of a dealer ship. Is it hard to maintain it? The answer is no!!! Believe it or not, I don’t do much to keep my car clean. It’s a simple routine that made into a habit. So here are 10 things you can do to keep your car clean and looking brand new.
1.Food in your car
The number one thing I try to avoid is food on my car. Am I a strict mom? No, not at all. At times it can be tough not eating on the road. But trust me, it is important to keep food out of your car. Why is this important? Eating food can lead to leaving crumbs on your floor or your seat. Let me tell you how hard it is to keep those crumbs out of the crease of my seat. I don’t want to keep going back to my old tooth brush to clean those seats. Also the grease or scent of the food will linger in your car longer than you think. If you really have to eat in your vehicle, make sure to throw away the left over food/ trash after you are done eating. After that, don’t forget to air our your car. This means open your windows while you are driving.
2.Invest in some great floor mats
Sometimes they can get costly, but it is a great investment long term, especially when you have children riding in your vehicle. I love the mats where you can remove it and wash it! Having no mats can cause your car to slowly add an unusual scent to your vehicle. In a matter of a month after you purchase your car, your floor will look disgusting (if you only keep the floor mat that came with it) and your car will smell like your old gym clothes in a bag. Yuck! Now if you can’t afford to purchase these mats, make sure to vacuum out your mats and wash them once every other month to keep your car smelling fresh.
3.Stay on top of your air freshener
Your car won’t smell great if you don’t put air fresheners in it. I always replace mine every other week. I normally use a black ice tree or new car scent just because I love the smell of a new car. During the summer, the heat can use up your air freshener faster but always replace them. After all, an air freshener does not last a whole year! It always puts me in a better mood when I have a new scent in my car.
4.Keep a microfiber cloth in your car
I dislike seeing hand prints on my screen or on my window. I have a five year old that loves to draw on my window, those grimy little hands can make your windows looking really nasty. So I always keep a microfiber towel in middle console. Not only that, but sometimes when you spill something (my Starbucks coffee) they are harder to clean when it a been in your cup holder for days. Believe it or not, rain can ruin your door panels too and leave a rain drop stain. Always wipe down. I also get a little extra and keep mothers vlr in my car since it helps keep my car in good condition. But thats optional. It has a clean car scent to it and it’s always a plus for me!
5.Clean and condition your leather seats
This is not a normal car cleaning step to do every single time you wash your car, but I used to live in Florida and the heat can be excruciating to your leather seat. It’s important to take care of your seats or even dashboards with great beaming through your windows. I normally do it twice a year just to keep my seats in good condition! It’s time consuming, but this is what I do to keep my car in great condition. One day you may sell your car and when people see cracks leather seat, it says a lot about the owner of the vehicle and you probably wont get a higher value price on it.
6.Wash your car
Wash your at least twice a month. Your car goes through dirt, dust , rain and sometimes snow depending on where you live. Those are not good for your paint! We easily look at cars and say it’s just a car, but would you do the same to your body? Take the time to wash your car and also wipe the access water. It can be just as simple as going through a local drive through car wash, but just wash it! Also those yard sprinklers that you drive pass through on the road aren’t really great for your paint or even windows too. Long term, it can build up water spots that even a normal car wash wouldn’t remove it and your windows can get very foggy.
7.Clay bar your vehicle
Most people don’t know this step, but most come in like a play do material bar that you can rub on your vehicle. Of course you will use a spray whether it’s a wax spray or detailer spray. I prefer a detailer spray just because I’d rather wax everything properly. But putting the extra steps to clay bar your car can also help the longer term affect on the paint or even windows. Have you ever touched a brand new cars vehicle and then touch your car paint? You can feel the roughness on your paint. This happens because there is little particles that stays on your vehicle after you drive through a dust or even dirt road. Even washing it won’t help remove most of it. I like my paint to feel soft as a babies bottom. Clay bar is important to use especially when you are going to wax your car. You don’t want to scratch your car with a pad with all those particles on your paint.
8.Wax on wax off
Yes, no one wants to hear it but this is a must to keep your car looking brand new! Wax is like lotion. I know without lotion my skin is very ashy and dry. Now look at your car. When you don’t wax, you are not taking care of your paint long term. Wax is a way to keep your paint safe from the heat during the summer and snow during the winter. That is also another reason why some cars are shinier than others. Wax on wax off people!!! If you are feeling lazy, there is always spray wax. Which is still better than nothing! Spray bottles are easy to apply on cars and only takes maybe an hour or two of your time. You don’t have to wax your car every wash, but do it after you clay bar your vehicle! I promise you won’t be disappointed
9.Ceramic Coating
This is optional. You can get this done professionally or you can do this at home. When it’s done professionally, they last up to 5-10 years. Getting it done professionally can cost a lot of money, but it is worth it. Have you seen a commercial where someone is throwing dirty water on a vehicle, but that dirty water have no affect on the car and still looks brand new? Yes, that’s ceramic coating. But there is some brands where you can purchase in a bottle and spray the ceramic coat. Now of course, it isn’t as good as the one you get professionally, but it still helps a lot more than you know it. For example, this spray will reduce water spots on your vehicle. Also giving you more days to wash your car. I can go a whole month without washing sometimes. Which I don’t recommend, but it would protect my car longer than not having a ceramic coat.
10.Keep your vehicle as empty as you can
Nothing is more annoying then trying to ride in your car and there is trash in your friends passenger seat. Just throw it away. Keep less stuff in your vehicle. Leave your gym bag at home if you are not using it. You don’t want that odor in your car. Leave toys and clothes out of your back seat. Just like some people living minimal, leave nothing in your car. Hopefully all these tips help you keep your car looking brand new.