Get your car ready for spring!

The sun is shining and the trees are slowly turning green, which means it’s time for spring cleaning in your car! Many people spend several hours in their car daily, and those of them with kids know how quickly the car can become messy. Although we may clean out the car every once in a while, when is the last time you did a deep clean of the inside of your car? Take advantage of the sunny spring weather and get it done!

Keep on reading if you need some inspiration and motivation for cleaning the inside of your car.

Here are a couple of things you should start with before cleaning:

• Start by opening all the doors and windows in the car to get a good cross breeze going.
• Remove all the trash, water bottles, bags or whatever else from the car. Everybody is different, so for some of you, decluttering the car may take a while. If you experience this, we suggest keeping a designated trash bag in the car at all times. If you know you’re messy in the car, plan for it! 😉

The inside of the roof:

1. The general rule of cleaning is to start from the top and work your way down. Since inside of the roof usually remains stain free (at least in kid free cars) you can skip this step if you want. For those of you who have an upholstered interior roof and need to freshen it up, start by finding a microfiber cloth or dishcloth, and gently wipe with the dry cloth. This will remove any loose dust and dirt.
2. If there are any stains, moisten a dishcloth with cold water, wring it and rub a little dish soap on the cloth. Then gently scrub the stain on the roof. If there’s a visible grain in the material, try to wipe in that direction. Do not press too hard, or the moisture will settle into the foam layer behind the fabric surface. After having let the dish soap sit for a little, take the moist dishcloth end without the dish soap and wipe off.
3. Use a dry tea towel to remove the excess moisture from the spot. Once it has dried, if the spot has not been fully removed try to use an upholstery cleaner on the stain to get the rest off.

The inside of the windows:

1. The next step is to clean the inside of the windows. This is something that is often forgotten, but worth doing every once in a while! Use our ammonia free glass spray and a clean tea towel and clean the inside of the windows on the doors and roof, as well as the front and back windshield.
2. Since you already have the glass spray handy, clean the rear-view and side-view mirrors and the outside well.

The dashboard:

1. Make a bucket or spray bottle with universal cleaner. Get a clean tea towel and wipe the console of the car, by the radio and on top of the dashboard. Wait with the wheel and clutch.
2. Use a cotton bud or a tea towel wrapped around a pencil or screwdriver to get all the small areas in the car. This can be in the vents and air conditioning openings, around the buttons on the dashboard or in the cup holders.
3. Finally, grab a clean cloth and clean the steering wheel and clutch. These are the areas you touch the most, and therefore are important to remember to clean often.

The inside of the doors:

1. If the interior of the doors are not upholstered and can tolerate water, use the same universal cleaner mixture and a new cloth to clean the interior of the doors, focusing on cleaning the handles and buttons properly.
2. Finish off by wiping with a dry tea towel to remove all excess water.

The seats:

1. Start by vacuuming the seats with the right nozzle. If you’re having a hard time getting all the crumbs out of the stitching dents, use a toothbrush to brush out crumbs and dirt. Vacuum the seats one final time.
2. If the seats are leather, use a spray bottle with universal cleaner and spray a clean tea towel. Wipe down the car seats, and when that’s done, use a clean tea towel to remove excess moisture. Finally, treat the leather seats with the correct treatment, so the leather remains conditioned.
3. If the seats are made of fabric, spot clean all the stains in the same manner as you did the roof. Use dish soap on a cold, moist dishcloth and rub on the stains. After having let the dish soap sit for a little, take the moist dishcloth end without the dish soap and scrub the spot. Use a try tea towel to dab the area to remove as much water as possible and then let it dry.
4. If the seats are very dirty, and the fabric cannot be zipped off to wash, use an upholstery cleaner on the seats.

The floor:

1. Finally it’s time to tackle the floor. Remove the floor mats and lay them outside. Vacuum them or use a coarse brush to wipe them off. Spot clean the mats or throw them in the washing machine if possible.
2. Remove leaves and larger pieces of debris or trash. Vacuum the carpet flooring in the car, and don’t forget the trunk. If possible, push the seats forward to vacuum under the seats. Spot clean where needed or use a carpet cleaner if necessary.

That’s it! By now your car should be clean and smelling fresh! Next time you get in your car to drive somewhere you’ll be so happy that you spent some time cleaning it. If you have time and energy, tackle the outside of the car too!

The exterior:

1. Fill a bucket with water and universal cleaner. Use a sponge or tea towel to wash the whole car. Do not use a brush with coarse fibers as this may scratch the paint.
2. Spray the car with a hose to wash away the universal cleaner
3. Wipe the car dry with a squeegee and dry tea towel.
4. Finish off by using glass cleaner on the windows.