Car Cleaning Hacks for Spring Cleaning

Spring is a time of change. As the days get longer and warmer, most people feel a need to start afresh and clean not only their homes but their cars too. Here at Eden, we’ve got a variety of excellent new and pre-owned vehicles that could provide the ideal option if you’re looking for a fresh start car-wise this year.

But if you’ve already got a car and are looking for ways to spruce it up, what are the best ways to do it? In this article, we will go through some of the tips and tricks to spring clean your car.

Exterior

A good cleaning of a car’s exterior can help in several ways. For one, all the dirt which often accumulates during winter will be cleaned away, ensuring that any deposits of salt or grit aren’t left to linger and damage a car’s panels. It’ll also help to highlight any scrapes or dings which might have occurred during the winter months and allow you to get these sorted should they require more attention.

When cleaning a car, always use a dedicated car shampoo - don’t be tempted to use dish soap as it can quickly strip a car’s natural protection - and try to start with the wheels first, as these are the dirtiest points on most cars. For a better finish, clean off any streaks with a microfibre cloth, and this will also stop any water stains from holding.

Tidy up

Much like a house-based spring cleaning session, it’s a good idea to have a thorough tidy-up of your car’s interior. Remove any rubbish that could’ve built up over the winter period and remove any coats, bags or umbrellas that aren’t going to be needed.

Not only does this make your car tidier overall, but it also helps to reduce weight, which, in turn, helps with fuel efficiency. It won’t have a drastic effect, of course, but every little bit helps.

Interior

You spend more of your time looking at the inside of your car than the outside, so it’s well worth putting in some effort to make it look pleasant. A quick vacuum can work wonders for an interior’s appearance, ensuring that you remove the floor mats and tidy up underneath for an even better finish.

There are all manner of cleaners and products that you can use to spruce up a car’s interior, but always make sure that you test them on an inconspicuous area first to avoid any damage. A clean, lint-free cloth is ideal for wiping down surfaces, and you may want to consider using a cheap (and clean) paintbrush to get the dust out of air vents and hard-to-reach areas.

If you’ve got some fabric-freshening spray from the house, then give this a go on the carpets to help breathe new life into them. If you’ve got pets, then some handy attachments for your vacuum can help you get up that troublesome loose hair.

Again, you don’t need to spend a fortune on cleaning products to get the best results. A small amount of effort can make a big difference to a car’s interior.

Air conditioning

As the weather gets warmer, you’ll likely start to use your car’s air conditioning to cool down its interior. It’s at this point that a lot of drivers notice that their air conditioning system isn’t working that well or that it is producing some nasty smells. If this is the case, it’s worth a visit to your local garage or specialist.

If your air conditioning isn’t blowing cool air, then it may be running low on refrigerant. This is an issue which can be sorted relatively inexpensively by a process called a ‘re-gas’, and it’s something that many garages offer. Likewise, if some unpleasant smells are coming through the system, then an anti-bacterial cleaner can help. Again, this is something that your garage should offer.

Mechanical

There’s not much point in having a sparkling exterior and interior to your car if the underneath isn’t looked after. Since you’re giving your car a thorough going-over, now is a great time to make sure that everything is working just as it should on a mechanical front.

You may want to get your car booked in for a service, as the regular changing of fluids can help to ensure that everything is running smoothly. But even on a more basic level, making sure that the tyres are topped up to the correct levels and that there’s enough oil in the engine can help to avoid any mechanical issues further down the line and keep your car running efficiently.

However, if you’d like to start completely fresh and get behind the wheel of a new car, then we can help here at Eden. We’ve got some of the very latest cars from the likes of Peugeot and Vauxhall to check out, so get in touch today.