Summer is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the brighter evenings and freshen up your car!
Start Smart
Before stepping out to clean your car, it’s important you wear the right protective gear. Use disposable gloves and a face mask if you can. Be sure to purchase disinfectant or household cleaners should do the trick!
Now that you are prepared, we've outlined 5 easy tips to help keep your car clean and safe for Summer.
1. The Boot
It shouldn’t be a case of out of sight - out of mind. There is definitely a few areas in your boot which will need the disinfectant treatment. As we all know car boots can often become a dumping place for items, including old clothes that you keep meaning to bring to a charity shop, or glass for recycling. Once you have decluttered this area - your car will thank you by performing better in the mpg department, as it will no longer be carrying extra unnecessary weight.
2. Windows
To ensure that you have the best visibility possible when driving this Summer, spruce up your car windows, both on the inside and outside. Buy glass cleaner and a soft microfibre cloth. Spray the glass cleaner onto the cloth and then wipe the windows. Wash the car before you start cleaning the outside windows to help remove most of the dirt and don’t forget your side mirrors.
3. Windscreen wipers
Check that your wiper blades are in good working order – this is something we can often forget about. It’s important to replace your wiper blades when they start to make that annoying noise or when they leave smears across your windscreen which can reduce your vision. Small pieces of grit trapped under the wiper blades can easily result in scratching the windscreen.
4. Under the bonnet
Remove any leaves or debris that may have lodged under the edge of the bonnet area during the cold and dark winter months. Check your engine oil - you should only do this when the engine is cold. Fundamentally, a clean engine compartment can help prolong the life of your car and prevent electronic and mechanical problems alike.
5. The Interior
Clean from top to bottom, removing any rubbish or unnecessary items from seats to the floor. Be gentle when you clean the dashboard and the centre console. Clean leather seats with a damp cloth or vacuum upholstered seats to remove dust and dirt. Remove floor mats and vacuum them, as well as the floor of the car.
Don't forget to disinfect the following areas:
- Steering wheel
- Hand break
- Gearstick
- Door handles
- Radio
- Indicators
- Elbow rests
- Seat position control
- Door frames
- Mirrors
- Seat belt buttons
Now that your car is sparkling, it’s important that you dispose of gloves, cloths and any other materials used effectively. After all that effort treat your car to a new air freshener, so that it looks and smells like new.
The information contained in this article is from https://www.aviva.ie/insurance/car-insurance/how-to-spring-clean-your-car/. Source, Aviva, April 2017. Cornmarket cannot be held responsible for content contained on external websites.