Ways To Make Your Car Cleaner Than It’s Ever Been
1. Use a cheap foam brush or paint brush to dust between the AC vents.
2. Vacuum up the dust as you brush it off, so it doesn’t immediately settle somewhere else in the car.
3. The vacuum+brush duster combo also works to clean all your car’s knobs and buttons.
4. Remove and replace your cabin’s air filter to get rid of stinky smells.
You’ll have to check your owner’s manual to see if your make and model has a removable air filter first.
5. Get all of the trash out from every nook and cranny.
Slide all of your seats all the way forward and pull out your floor mats, so nothing escapes your notice. Use a plastic grocery bag to collect trash as you go.
6. Use a Magic Eraser to scrub gross sticky things off of vinyl and leather.
Gently rub dried on gunk with the Magic Eraser — don’t rub too hard, because you don’t want to damage the fabric. From here.
7. If dirt has embedded itself in the textures of your vinyl, some detail scrubbing with a toothbrush may be necessary.
8. Use olive oil to condition and polish the leather on your dashboard.
9. Banish animal hair from your upholstery with a spray bottle of water and a squeegee.
10. Use a fine-bristled brush (like a toothbrush) to get dirt and crumbs out from the seams of your seat cushions.
11. Use paper and an iron to remove melted wax (like crayons) from your upholstery.
12. Shampoo the seats in your car with diluted all-purpose cleaner, a sponge or scrub brush, and washcloths.
13. Spray your dirty floor mats with stain remover and throw them in the washing machine.
14. Or, scrub them with a DIY upholstery cleaner.
15. Enlist a lint roller, bristle brush, toothbrush, dish soap, steam cleaner, and baking soda if you need to clean a kiddo’s car seat.
16. When everything’s fresh and clean, keep it smelling that way with a baking soda air freshener.
Jenny Chang / BuzzFeed
17. ~Super clean~ your windshield using steel wool and glass cleaner, then treat it to a coat of Rain X.
18. Wipe down your windshield wipers with rubbing alcohol to prevent a smeared windshield.
19. Get stubborn bugs out of your grille (and off of your bumper) with the help of dryer sheets.
21. Remember to roll down your windows before you start wiping them with glass cleaner.
22. Use a cleaning powder and water to clean your wheels.
See how here. You can also just pick up some wheel cleaner, although that can be tough on the wheel’s finish — read more about that here.
23. After washing your car, use a clay bar to pick up bits of grime that water doesn’t rinse off.
