Driving a car comes with lots of different responsibilities, which include routine maintenance of the key parts of the car as well as cleaning. Whilst the former is seen to be highly important and includes checking tyre pressures, oil and water levels, keeping your car clean inside as well as outside and can be vital in preventing accidents. Dirty windows can restrict visibility, mud and grime on head and tail light can reduce their effectiveness, and loose items in the car could distract you or potentially roll under the pedals. Dirt on your number plate can result in a fine as detection of your cars identity becomes difficult.
Here are some of the key areas of your car that you want to keep spotlessly clean. This may be once a week or perhaps cleaning our before and after a long car journey.
The outside
Don’t be tempted to visit a car wash for speed and convenience, as the large brushes have been known to cause damage to the paintwork of many vehicles; instead, get yourself two buckets of warm water and add car shampoo to one of these. It doesn’t take as long as you think to clean your own car. After spraying the car with a hose to loosen dried-on dirt, use a large sponge and soapy water to start from the top of the car and work down one panel at a time, using the clean water to wash off your sponge after each scrub. Rinse the car with clean water and then dry using a chamois leather or microfibre cloth. You are better off working in sections across your car rather than trying to clean the whole car in one go as you will find that one area begins to dry before you can clean all of the soap suds from it.
The windows
The windows should be cleaned using soap and water on the outside and a high-quality window cleaner on the inside. This will prevent smears, which can affect visibility in certain light situations and can be incredibly distracting both for the driver and for passengers alike. It is important to also wash the windscreen wipers to remove any dust or grit, as this can cause scratches on the windscreen and with intuitive windscreens you don’t want to be unnecessarily paying for replacements due to scratches that affect the visibility through the windscreen.
Under the bonnet
It is important to keep the engine bay clean, which will help you to quickly identify any oil or water leaks should they occur. Picking up issues such as this as soon as they occur is incredibly important to help prevent further damage from occurring to the engine parts of your vehicle. Whilst some would suggest a quick blast with a steam cleaner suffices, automotive wiring looms can become damaged and an automotive wiring loom provider is likely to suggest that any visible wiring should be covered with a plastic bag and wiped clean with a soft cloth. This is to prevent any damage from being caused during the cleaning.
The interior
The inside of the car is also important. Firstly, remove any rubbish from the car before vacuuming the seats and carpets. This helps you to identify any parts of the car that may need some extra attention due to the dirt and grime that has accumulated. Wipe the dashboard and door panels regularly with a suitable cleaning product – there are plenty of interior car cleaning products available that will prevent your steering wheel becoming slippery. You should choose one that is appropriate for your car dash interior as well as one that has a smell that is pleasant. Leather seats can be cleaned using specialist leather cleaner and a microfibre cloth. When cleaning the interior of your car it is important to make sure that you leave the doors open to allow for adequate ventilation.
Keep your belongings that are not needed in the car, out of the car! You could store these items in your garage or shed on top of Shelving Ireland products found at sources like https://www.rackzone.ie/shelving/industrial-residential-shelving