Summer is here – and this means road trip season for families and travelers. During this time, people tend to use their car more for various activities, including trips to the beach or the public swimming pool, weekend adventures, out-of-state vacations, and visits to the dessert store to get delicious ice cream.
If you’re going to be using your car more often, you’ll want to make sure that your vehicle is ready to handle some sun-drenched driving. Summer’s high temperatures, occasional rain, and flurries of dirt and dust can take a toll on your car’s appearance.
Here are six suggestions to help you keep your car nice and clean this summer:
1. Stop for a Car Wash
You need to wash off all the road grime, sand and dirt from your car. This means washing your car after every summer road trip.
You could do this chore yourself. If you’re unsure how to wash your car or don’t have the equipment necessary to get this job done properly, take your auto to the nearest car wash center. The technicians in this facility use state-of-the-art tools, such as pressure washers and vehicle wash mats, to clean your car thoroughly and efficiently.
You should get your car washed even if you don’t see any noticeable dirt. This is because regular cleaning is an important part of summer vehicle care.
2. Keep the Floor Mats Clean
A clean vehicle begins the moment you step inside your car. Although getting dirty may be part of the road trip adventure, this doesn’t mean that you have to bring sand or dust into your car. Simple habits, such as stomping your feet and removing the sand inside your shoes before you hop in your car, can help keep the floor mats of your vehicle clean.
Also, from time to time, take out your mats and give them a good shake. Although this isn’t a deep clean, this makes maintaining a hygienic car easier. What’s more, this simple action cuts down the amount of dust you inhale while you drive.
3. Polish Your Dashboard
The UV rays from the sun can cause the dashboard of your car to fade or crack. You can prevent unwanted damage by polishing and oiling your dash for long-lasting shine and durable UV protection. Apart from this, you also need to keep an eye on car led interior lights. Dust them off often.
After you vacuum and wipe your dash with a microfiber cloth, apply a coat of polish to make sure it looks new for years to come. If you don’t have any professional polish with you, don’t fret. Use olive oil instead.
4. Install Trash Bags
Cars don’t normally come equipped with trash bags. Families traveling in the same vehicle, however, need one or two garbage bags.
If you’re using your car to travel with your family, make sure to install trash bags – one at the back and the other at the front.
When taking care of backseat trash, purchase a combination tissue holder and trash can that hangs from a front-seat headrest. This will give you a roomy trash bin along with a place to put a full-size box of tissues.
As for front-seat trash, consider looping the handles of a plastic grocery bag over your emergency brake or center console. When the bag is full, simply tie up the handles, take it out from your car and throw the entire thing in your household garbage can. Make sure that you have extra grocery bags in your trunk or glove box.
5. Keep Your Trunk Free from Clutter
When you go on road trips, you and the other passengers have a tendency to stash stuff in the trunk of your car – and forget all about them. Sooner or later, however, you’ll need to get rid of the junk in your vehicle’s trunk.
You can avoid the frustration of a messy trunk by allocating space for miscellaneous stuff. When you have a convenient caddy, road trip essentials, such as motor oil and brake fluid, won’t roll around or spill with every sharp turn you make.
What’s more, a caddy serves as an easy storage solution for your vehicle cleaning kit. From handheld vacuums to wet wipes, these handy bins will encourage you to do frequent clean-ups on your interior.
6. Set Reminders to Clean Your Vehicle
Forgetting to clean your car is easy, especially when your life gets busy. So, set a weekly reminder on your mobile phone to clean your vehicle. You could do this on a Sunday afternoon or a Saturday morning. You just have to take 10 to 15 minutes to wipe up any spills, remove the clutter and vacuum the carpets.
Don’t step into chaos every time you hop inside your car. Follow these six tips to keep your car clean and fully enjoy your summer road trips.