Auto Detailing – Most of us set time aside every spring to give our homes a good cleaning. What about our cars? Sure they may get washed and a periodic vacuuming throughout the winter months but do they really get a good cleaning?If you are fortunate enough to have an extra couple hundred dollars laying around you could take your car in and have it detailed by a professional. If not, then the task falls on you. I have a few helpful tips to share with you to make this task a little easier.First, make a car cleaning schedule. Every Thursday in our home is, which is part of schedule. One of the things on my schedule for Thursday is to clean my car.
If my car is dirty or not, I wash it and vacuum it. You’d be surprised at how quick it is to clean if you are doing it every week. If you are sticking to your car cleaning schedule, detailing it in the spring will be a breeze.Let’s get ready to clean!Some things you might need to get started:(may include affiliate links).
The solution you are making for your homemade Armor All wipes uses ingredients that can be often found in many residential kitchens. You can use your wipes at anytime to put a shine on a vinyl surface. You are essentially making a solution for a bulk quantity of homemade Armor All wipes. Choose one or a combination of essential oils. (See below) Using a measuring cup and funnel, add the vinegar and water in the desired ratio, and shake to mix them together. Add the essential oils directly to your spray bottle. Shake the bottle to incorporate the essential oils. Label the bottle with a permanent marker.
MusicNow, turn on your radio, the louder the better and make sure that you are tuned into some lively, shake your booty music. Everything is better with music! Ask the Seven Dwarfs they like to “Whistle While they Work”.Start by cleaning the inside and then finishing up on the out side.Here are a few Auto Detailing tricksVentsThe easiest way I found to clean the vents is to use a cotton swab or a sponge brush dipped in a. I actually prefer the sponge brush because the texture is a little rough and it helps to scrub away any dirt or allergens that are stuck to the vent.Dashboard. Wipe down the dashboard with a little water and cleaning solution. Once it’s dry, apply a very small amount of using a clean rag.
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Wipe away any excess with a clean rag. This works wonderfully at conditioning the dashboard and giving it a nice shine. I think it works better than Armour All.ExteriorWhen washing the car, if you run across any areas that soap and water just won’t clean try using a Mr.
Clean Magic Sponge. You’ll be surprised at what it can do. On the right is a picture of my door handle, I couldn’t get the black marks to come off until I used the Magic Sponge. Check out how clean it is now.
WindshieldFor dirty windshields, use club soda instead of glass cleaner to get them clean. There’s something about the carbonation that works really well to cut through stubborn dirt.Here are a few additional tips from our readers:. Use baby wipes to clean the windshield. To clean the outside of the car, add one cup kerosene to 1 gallon of water, it will help repel rain water.
De-greaser works for removing de-icer. Use furniture polish on dashboards. Use olive oil on dashboards, just be sure to wipe off excess.
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Use a wet dryer sheet to remove bugs from the headlights and hood. To your final bucket of water add 8 drops of glycerin. Apply to car and dry with a chamois. It will make your car shine for weeks and repel bugs and sap Nutty Bird.
Use Scrubbing Bubbles on the dashboard, it won’t leave a residue Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a commission. I only recommend products or services that I personally believe will add value to my readers. All opinions stated are strictly my own.
Read our full for more information. I financed my teenage years working for a professional detail house. Since then, I’ve maintained my personal vehicles to that standard or better. I drive a 2002 BMW M3, and people I meet can’t believe it’s 14 years old.
The secret is never let it get too dirty. Wash and wax in straight lines, never go in circles. Swirls are almost impossible to repair without heavy compounding by hand (in straight lines:).
Never use petroleum products on the inside or outside of your vehicles. Beside the fumes, they are also carcinogenic.
Clean all leather and dash surfaces with mild soap and water. Glossy dashboards create a very dangerous glare on the inside of your windshield. Dish detergent is made to cut grime and grease. Don’t use it on your paint unless you plan to wax it right after. Once you start smearing oils all over everything inside and out, dust will stick to it. And you’ve entered into a never ending cycle of lubing all your car surfaces.
Save that stuff for the engine. The best thing to remove bugs is a good coat of wax beforehand, and a spray wax detailer for the ones that remain after washing. If you scrub hard, or use something abrasive like a dryer sheet, or magic eraser, you may as well be using 1000 grit sand paper. Feel free to dispute or ask questions.says. I respect all of your opinions however, all of the tips that are described in this post are ones that I’ve personally used since we purchased our car back in September 2001.
We’ve always used petroleum jelly on the dash, the key to using it is to put it on and immediately wipe it off to take away the tackiness. I’ve never had a problem with dust sticking to it and the dash is in as good of shape as it was the day that we bought it. As for the magic sponge, you can see from the before and after pictures that were taken 12 years after we purchased the car that it hasn’t caused any damage to the paint.
.I have to be honest, until lately, I always left the job of cleaning the inside of my car to my husband. It’s just not something I thought about doing, other than making sure to pick up any trash. Every once in a while he would notice dust on the dash and take care of it for me. Recently, I started cleaning it myself while I wait in car line at my daughter’s school. One of the things I use to clean the inside of my car is car interior wipes. I was using the store bought kind, until I noticed that they were all dried out in the container even though they were closed. So, of courseI decided to try and make my own.
They work even better than the store bought variety! Whoop!In my latest article for eHow, I am sharing the step-by-step instructions for making your own car interior wipes. They have just the right mix of ingredients to help lift dust and dirt, get any food or drink spills up and leave your dash and interior sparkling clean!
You can find my article on!Want to get the cleanest car windows to match your car’s clean interior? You can find my tutorial on! I promise, once you’ve used it, you will never spray your car windows with regular home glass cleaner again. This mix leaves even the dirtiest car windows clean and super streak free!As always, you can find all of my cleaning tips, home hacks and how to make just about anything on my!Happy Cleaning!Filed Under:, Tagged With:,.