For most people, spring cleaning is a time-honored tradition. It is a way to remove all remnants of winter and let some fresh air into their lives after months of being shut inside their homes. However, some car owners seem to forget that spring cleaning is necessary for their vehicles, too. After all, as a Subaru dealer near Santa Fe, NM, pointed out, spring cleaning your car is the perfect opportunity to clean it and remove items that have accumulated over time. It can also help eliminate potential allergens that may have called your car their home during the previous season.
To help you start, car dealerships near Rio Rancho, NM, share a list of must-dos when spring cleaning your car.
- Get All Your Tools Ready.
While you can make it easier on yourself if you drive to the nearest car wash and have professionals clean your vehicle for you, this will cost you. If you are working on a budget, you can clean the car yourself. You need a garden hose with a nozzle, some buckets, a wide assortment of microfiber towels, rags, sponges, a hand mitt, a vacuum cleaner, and a complete set of car cleaning solutions.
A word of caution, though: never use just plain old water and soap to clean your vehicle! Subaru near Rio Rancho, NM, explains that ordinary detergents harm a car’s paint. Just head to the nearest auto shop and buy a car shampoo and conditioner. It would help if you also had a bottle of wax liquid, some rim, tire, glass window cleaners, a foam applicator, some silicone spray, and interior detailers in your cleaning arsenal.
- Time to Declutter Your Car.
Just like your home, cars can also be cluttered with clothes, residual trash, and other things that you don’t really need. Spring cleaning gives you a chance to take them all out and free some much-needed space. Empty your trunk, glove box, and center console to eliminate everything you deem unnecessary.
You might also want to check your emergency kit to ensure that all its contents are appropriate for the season. After all, you wouldn’t need an ice scraper or a snow brush when you are stuck in the middle of the road under a spring rain.
- Clean Up, Down, and All Around.
When cleaning your car’s interior, it is always better to start with the headliner, going down to the consoles and dashboard, then finally focusing on the upholstery, carpeting, and floor mats. This will ensure that all dust and dirt will gather at the bottom and be collected.
Gently wipe the consoles and dashboard with a wet cloth. Again, you should use an interior cleaner instead of water when wetting the fabric. There are interior cleaners that can be used on the dashboard, steering wheel, and leather or vinyl seats, so you won’t need to buy different cleaning solutions.
Finally, use a carpet cleaning solution to remove traces of dirt, mud, and road salt from your floor. If you have rubber mats, you should also take them out and powerwash them. This will prevent those foreign matters from seeping into your car’s floor and eroding it.
Want to get more car spring cleaning tips? Check out your Fiesta Subaru car dealer in the Albuquerque, NM, area.
