Be a DIY Car Care Diva
How much pride do you take in the appearance of your car? If you are forever power washing the wheels and hate to drive the vehicle unless the bodywork is gleaming at all times, a strict care car plan is probably already at the top of your priority list.
Say you’ve been a little lapse on the vehicle care front though. Suppose the bodywork could do with a buff and the wheels haven’t been cleaned in a while, where on earth do you begin?
We list basic steps you can take right now to give your car a DIY makeover.
1. Power wash the outside
Start by giving the outside of the vehicle special attention. Use a power washer to blitz the outer layer of dirt that has become encased on the bodywork, and take extra care to clean the wheels of your car, before going over the paintwork with a sponge, warm water, and quality shampoo.
Pay close attention to the little nooks and crannies that like to harbour dirt then rinse off with water from a power washer before checking your handiwork.
2. Dry the exterior
After washing the car use a chamois leather to dry the paintwork. This is important, especially if you wash the car during hot bouts of water when the sun has a habit of drying water droplets that leave annoying marks on the car.
Go around the vehicle drying all panels and open the doors to wipe water from their edges; you can run the leather along the interior sills of the car at the same time.
Use the chamois on the interior and exterior of glass to remove finger marks and minor smudges.
3. Vacuum the interior
Next address the interior of the vehicle. Carefully remove any mats you have placed into the footwells of the car and give them a shake to remove dirt well away from the vehicle. Now you can vacuum the interior of the vehicle and if you don’t want to use a domestic vac, you can always use a commercial forecourt vac found at your local filling station to save time and effort.
If you decide to take this approach, empty the mats out of the car first before depositing money into the machine, this will prevent you wasting time and give you longer to clean the inside of the vehicle.
4. Clean the dashboard
Next wipe dust from the dashboard using the damp chamois leather. Don’t waste money on special types of ‘cockpit cleaners’. A quick onceover with a damp cloth across the top of the dashboard, around gearbox gaiters, along door panels and inside cup holders will remove dust and dirt.
Take your time to remove all traces of dust inside the car and place an air freshener somewhere inside the vehicle to give the interior a clean, fresh fragrance.
5. Wax the exterior
Finally, consider giving the bodywork of the vehicle a thorough waxing. Ideally you should do this at least once a year, not only does it make bodywork glimmer, it’ll add a protective layer, and help to safeguard the paint from a variety of weather conditions.
If you don’t have the time to hand wash your car, you could always visit a forecourt where you should find jetwash facilities, like the machines we sell at Triace pressure cleaning systems.