subject: Cleaning Your Car During The Winter [print this page] Some people wonder how they will be able to keep things looking nice throughout the wet season, and though many attempts will be futile, there are still some things you can do. The outside is probably a lost cause, but there are ways you can keep the interior looking fresh.
When the cold hits, you want to get in your car pretty fast, and you tend to bring in mud, snow, and leaves from the outside and onto your floor mats. This mess at your feet builds up fast, and soon you just have a constantly wet floor mat covered in mud and debris.
This can be frustrating, especially for the neat freak who likes everything just so. And if you have kids that are getting into your car, this mess is just compounded and you have to worry about it in the back seat as well.
The first step in to vacuum. This is the easiest way to give the interior of your vehicle a thorough cleaning.
You can drop two dollars into a machine at your self-serve car wash, you can pay 15 dollars for someone to do it for you, or you can pull out your own shop-vac and do it yourself. The latter is probably most proffered.
Though some people do not own a shop vac in their garage, it is a solid investment that will prove very useful in the future. You can use it to clean the cars, the garage, and any other messes that need powerful suction.
When you vacuum your car, make sure you are thorough with it. Remove the floor mats and push the seats forwards so you can suck up the mess underneath these things.
You should shake out the mats and then vacuum them separately, outside of the car. The mats tend to have the most amount of dirt stuck in them, so vacuuming them separately will ensure you get as much dirt out of them as you can.
You should also wipe down the paneling and dashboard with wipes or a cloth. Dust collects fast on the dashboard, and when you open your car in the winter, the wind tends to blow some dirt inside so there is even more.
Make sure you use a damp cloth or wipes to make sure your get everything clean. The back seat is usually the worst since kids are back there most of the time.
The have sticky fingers, and no matter what you tell them, they put their hands all over everything. Give the handles and seats back there a good wipe down to remove any dirt and grime that has collected.
This will not only help keep your car clean, but it will also sanitize the vehicle and help stop the spreading of germs. The colder months are flu season, and kids spread germs the fastest.
Because of this, you should probably wipe down the back seat often, no matter what time of year it is. The back of the driver's and passenger's seat should also be cleaned for any shoe prints on them.
Kids love to kick the seat in front, as you are probably aware and have had experience yelling in the back seat asking them to knock it off. You should also wipe down the seat belt buckle, as it is touched often by little hands.
The windows are the most important object to clean in a car because they allow for visibility. Your windshield, rear window, and all side windows should be cleaned on a daily basis if need be.
In the winter months when there is steam on the windows kids love to draw pictures and write their names on the side windows, but when it dries you can still see that marks and it can make it difficult to see. You should grab some window cleaner and make sure that the insides are nice and clear.
If the visibility is limited on the outside you should get out and make sure that is clean as well. Usually your windshield wipers will take care of the outside, but the rear window can get pretty dirty and most sedans do not have wipers.
