Motorists spend a significant part of their lives on the road, so, of course, I want the car to be always clean, well-groomed and comfortable. But on a regular dry cleaning, as a rule, car owners save money, so dirt accumulates in the corners every now and then.
Of course, everyone wants to save money on caring for a salon, which is why there is always a soiled dirty rag and a pack of wet wipes in the glove compartment. Believe me, these tools will only help to wipe the side windows on a rainy day and remove dust from the dashboard, but the seats themselves, the mats and the grille will not be brought back to order.
We offer you 10 relevant life hacks, how to economically take care of the interior of a car on your own.
10. Clean panel joints with a flat screwdriver
Trim elements always have different gaps, corners and joints where road dust, sand, poplar fluff, hair and other dirt elements get clogged. Even a compact car vacuum cleaner is not able to penetrate the most remote areas. In order to remove the dirt accumulated there, use a thin flat screwdriver, the end of which wrap with a cloth or gauze moistened with a cleaning agent. The role of the latter may be chemistry, which is used to clean office equipment or for mopping. Together, screwdrivers can use an old plastic card or a piece of flexible plastic.
9. Use special shampoo for car seats
Not all motorists can boast of a leather or reliable dermantine interior. The fabric seats wear out quickly and get dirty, especially if they were driven by small children in shoes or animals without a container. Any blunder of shawarma sauce, a blot from a pen or spilled coffee - and now the material has acquired a completely untidy appearance. If the wet towel did not cope with the pollution, you can purchase a specialized shampoo to clean the tissues in the machine. You will also need a small abrasive to rub the product into the stain - a clothes brush, a kitchen sponge (hard back), and a toothbrush with a hard bristle.
8. Replace the old cabin air filter with a new one.
The device is installed on many modern models, which allows you to clean the air that comes from the street to the car interior. The filter holds sand, soot, dust and other harmful components that are in the polluted air of roads. This reduces the risk of allergies and other respiratory problems in humans. Of course, like all other filters, this one has a useful life and must be replaced in a timely manner. You can purchase it yourself in the car market, and for installation, look for a suitable manual on the Internet.
7. Clean the vents with a small soft brush.
Air ducts in the cabin are the most ardent dust collectors. Ventilation grilles give passengers information about how careful the owner is, clean and tidy about their health. At car washes, these tiny holes are not given attention, so arm yourself with foam rubber soft brushes and clean up yourself. Small areas of foam penetrate perfectly into hard-to-reach holes without scratching the trim elements. Foam brushes can be replaced with a clerical or construction soft brush. Prepare in advance a container where you will sweep the extended dirt.
6. Use stain removers to clean the floor mats or throw them into the washing machine
If you don’t want to pay extra for the procedure at the car wash, you can clean the mats yourself by first distributing household chemicals on them to clean the carpets or a stain remover diluted in water (for example, Vanish). You can make the product yourself by mixing 3 tables. l grated laundry soap, 2 tables. salts of boric acid, 10 drops of any essential oil for aroma and 400 ml of boiling water. Apply the product on the rugs with a stiff brush. If you are not squeamish, you can even stretch the mats in the washing machine in cold water mode (up to 40º) and be sure to “no spin”.
5. Using a scraper, you can remove animal hair from the seats
A compact and convenient scraper is not only used to remove ice and snow from the windshield. He will help you out if necessary, remove wool from fabric seats and other interior elements. Arm yourself with a bottle of water with a special nozzle for spraying and walk along the fabric base, dampening hair and wool. Then, using a scraper in raking movements, collect all unnecessary elements, not forgetting to throw them in a specially prepared package.
4. Remove all debris from each corner.
Even if the driver is a man, he must understand that the car is a movable property, a kind of "room on wheels", and not a garbage can. It is not worthwhile to accumulate paper coffee cups, empty plastic bottles, dirty rags and used wet wipes, as this is unhygienic and unaesthetic. Gather your will into a fist and audit the cabin, removing all the smallest crumbs and dirt from the rugs, rummaging under the seats, paying attention to secluded places.
3. Clean chrome parts with Coca-Cola
The notorious Kola cleans kettles from scale well, therefore it is not surprising that instead of WD-40 it helps to clean the chrome parts of the machine qualitatively (moldings, emblems, false radiator grills, etc.). Simply dampen a sponge or rag with the drink, spread the liquid over the parts and let it dry for 10 minutes. The cola will eat old dirt, after which you can simply rinse the elements with clean water and polish them with a dry cloth to shine. By the way, Coca-Cola perfectly removes not only salt and other chemical deposits, but also rust. Do not forget that it must be washed off thoroughly - a sticky base can subsequently collect dust.
2. Melamine sponge to remove coarse and sticky dirt
A modern motorist has already heard more than once about a fashionable miraculous melamine sponge, and maybe even bought it to clean glasses without streaks. It also allows, without the need for chemistry, to remove any coarse contamination from the surface without damaging or scratching it. The material copes well with dirt on fabric, leather and vinyl. When cleaning the fabric, do not press hard on the sponge.
1. Tooth surfaces will also help you clean
In the event that the dirt is heavily eaten into the plastic part, wet wipes, sponges and rags will not help. Find a used toothbrush with disheveled bristles at home in household bins - it is perfect for these purposes. Apply any cleanser (you can make it yourself), rub it thoroughly with a brush into the stain and let the chemical reaction do its good deed. Then you can remove the residue with a wet rag or cloth. A toothbrush is also useful for cleaning hard-to-reach places on doors and dashboards, upholstery seams, etc.
A car cleaned for a penny will delight you with a well-groomed appearance and clean air in the cabin. The procedure can be carried out once a month, which will always keep the vehicle interior in excellent condition.