Now that the good weather is here, you want to keep your car clean? With cheap natural cleaning products we often have at home, you can clean your car properly. Your car should be cleaned thoroughly twice a year to keep a healthy interior and maintain the exterior. Here is some advice on the products to use to wash your car as naturally as possible.
Make your rims shine!
So that your tyres still look good, cleaning the aluminium rims (or others) will make them seem as good as new! The worst enemy for the cleanliness of rims is the dust generated by brake pads.
Standard cleaning products exist that form a protective film so that dirt does not stick to them.
There is also a more natural method using a greener cleaning product: the famous white vinegar. How to make your rims shine naturally? Here is a simple method:
- Spray it directly onto the rim and onto a clean cloth
- Then rub the rim with the cloth until you see your reflection in the wheel
- Finally, rinse with clean water
Clean, shiny rims always add a flashy look especially if they are associated with stylish tyres.
Use the right product for interior plastic parts!
Plastic parts inside the passenger compartment are not the easiest to clean. An unsuitable product may leave marks and not remove the accumulation of dust completely. Glass cleaner may be a solution. For a quick clean, you only need to remove the dust.
Like with the natural solution of a sponge soaked in soapy water which should be rinsed afterwards, except on buttons and electronic devices, of course! Always remember to wipe and dry with a clean, soft cloth.
Otherwise special plant waxes for cars are doubly efficient for plastic parts on the dashboard and doors:
- protect against dust deposits
- prevent the discolouration of plastic parts thanks to its anti-UV agents.
Tip: to make the plastic parts inside your car gleam, wipe the parts with a cloth moistened with fabric conditioner or olive oil (but not the gear lever or the steering wheel!).
Each stain has a solution!
How to clean car seats? Once there is a stain, it must be cleaned immediately or you run the risk of it remaining in the seat fabric or leather forever.
How to remove a stain on seats? It all depends on the stain:
- All types of stains: sparkling water, white vinegar, eco-friendly stain remover soap (for example, Marseille soap), ammoniac, oxygenated water.
- Stains on leather: clean with a microfibre cloth or cotton wool soaked with cleansing milk or a cleanser for babies. Warning, never use water on leather!
- Chewing gum, lipstick and ball-point pen stains: rubbing alcohol
- Animal hair: adhesive rollers
- Preventive solution: stain protectors exist to protect and waterproof fabrics.
Don’t forget to rinse the seats after cleaning, without getting them too wet so they dry more easily! Special car products sold in supermarkets or in car maintenance shops are very efficient but are more expensive. And, they use chemical agents that are not good to inhale!
Tip: air the car for your health! When you are driving, renew the air inside your car as often as possible. The reduced and confined space of a vehicle concentrates pollutants and the level of nitrogen dioxide can be high.
Clean the bodywork without leaving marks!
The bodywork must be washed regularly to keep the paint shiny. But it can become expensive to buy a product for each function: clean, polish, wax, etc.
Be aware that you don’t need to use dozens of litres of water and to spend a lot of money to wash your car properly. You just need a dry cloth, a clean sponge and a bucket of water with black or oil-based soap or with baking soda to clean the bodywork of your car. At the end, replace the dirty water and rinse using water with some white vinegar added to prevent any traces of limestone from appearing.
If you want to protect the bodywork of your car after it is washed, finish off with a polishing and wax product. This can help the varnish last longer and prevent small unavoidable scratches.
Tip: transparent adhesive strips can be found in specialised shops that protect against scratches. They can be stuck on the doors, mirrors, bumpers, etc. In short, to parts exposed when we try to park in underground parking spaces for example.
Clean your windscreen like at home!
Essential for a safe drive, the windscreen and the windows must give the impression that they are transparent to see the road correctly! Like all glazed surfaces, a window cleaning product is enough to properly clean the windscreen, the rear screen and the windows on the sides. Spray it directly onto the surfaces or onto a clean cloth, and then rub gently.
We recommend you follow the direction of the de-icing wires on the rear screen so as not to damage them. Don’t forget to clean the mirrors and the optics (indicators, headlights, etc.)!
Tip: just like at home, cleaning can be finished with a newspaper.
Remove the dust from the carpets in your car!
You have no means to vacuum your car mats and carpets thoroughly at home? You can at least shake the mats to remove any dirt and hair from your pets. For stains, refer to the information given above, the cleaning solutions are the same.
Tip: a wet glove or cloth is an efficient way to remove hair and stubborn dirt.
