Car cleaning tricks save bucks

USE A GUMMY GEL CLEANER

This gummy cleaner picks up dust and dirt in hard to reach places such as car vents, dashes, etc. Some of these are equipped with disinfectant and don’t leave a sticky residue. The trick to these cleaners is that you’ll want to keep your hands dry while using them, to maintain ultimate stickiness and effectiveness. While store-bought “cleaning slimes” are available, you can make your own at home and save money. Start with a ½ cup of liquid starch, a 4 oz bottle of Elmer’s glue, and a ¼ cup of water to create the slime.  You’ll soon have a pliable slime that can get in the nooks, crannies and crevices of your interior.

GET A GREAT-SMELLING CAR

Does your car’s odor leave something to be desired? Pets, food, and spills can lead to bad odors in your car, but it’s easy to restore your car to a great scent. Sprinkle your car seats with baking soda, and let it sit for several hours, then vacuum clean. The odor-busting properties of the baking soda will neutralize the odor, and leave you with fresh-smelling car seats. Next, keep up with odors with a natural air freshener. You can use a handful of scented wax cubes and place them in a small jar after poking holes in the lid. The heat inside the

car will cause the cubes to melt, making it smell savory in your vehicle. Drop a bit of essential oil on a clothespin then attach to your air vent if you don’t have any wax cubes handy.

GET CRUMBS AND DEBRIS OUT OF NOOKS AND CRANNIES

It seems like even if we’re careful, crumbs just get everywhere in our cars, especially if we often have a snack or meal on the go. One of the worst parts about crumbs is how hard it can be to remove them from a stubborn spot. Take an old used toothbrush or a flat head screwdriver covered with a cloth, and use it to gently remove the crumbs. Be sure you vacuum the crumbs and debris up.

GET YOUR FLOOR MATS CLEAN AGAIN

Your car’s floor mats see a lot of wear and tear each time you drive or have passengers in your vehicle, and all that use can lead to some filthy mats. Don’t use a car detailer to clean the floor mats as part of a package deal, because you can do the same job at home. Fabric-covered mats may be washed in the washing machine. First apply a stain remover to help loosen any tough stains, then wash them on a gentle cycle with detergent; be sure you choose “gentle” to protect your washer and only do this with a front-loading washer.

MAKE YOUR TIRES AND RIMS SPARKLE NATURALLY

Driving through muddy conditions makes for mud on your car, and one of the worst places that mud accumulates is the tires. Even everyday dirt, grass, debris and bugs can mar your rims or tires, and make them look unsightly. Clean your tires and rims naturally with a DIY green cleaner you can make at home. You’ll need ½ cup of baking soda, two cups of warm water and 1 tablespoon of Dawn (or another brand) dish soap. Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl then dip your sponge or towel into the solution. Spray your hubcaps and tires with water to make it easier to lather, then gently scrub. Rinse starting from the top down, then dry and you’re done.

CLEAN YOUR CAR’S VINYL AND LEATHER IN A SNAP

It seems like everything we eat has the ability to stick to the car, especially if you have vinyl or leather seats and detailing in your vehicle. Ice cream, spills, candy and chocolate can linger on vinyl or leather, but luckily, it’s easy to clean up. One method is to use a wet Magic Eraser and gently scrub the soiled or scrubbed spots. Just be sure you test it on a hidden spot to make sure it won’t harm your interior. The next method is to mix 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup white vinegar in a small container. You’ll rub this gently into your leather seats, then wipe clean with a rag. This will condition and disinfect your leather and keep it in great shape for years to come.clean you

SHINE YOUR HEADLIGHTS UP IN MINUTES

Vehicle headlights that are clouded over and dingy can make it harder to see for other drivers to see your car on the road, and it doesn’t look that pretty either. You can shine up your headlight covers in minutes with pantyhose and a non-gel toothpaste. The toothpaste is a gentle abrasive, and will remove the build-up off the cover. Substitute a microfiber cloth if you don’t have any pantyhose. The best toothpaste to get is the kind with baking soda or whitening agents, however, if your car’s headlight covers have a special tint, you may need a professional to get the job done.

CLEAN YOUR AIR VENTS QUICKLY

Do you like dusty air vents in your car? No one does, and when the air is on, all of those dust particles can get in your face and eyes. Just head to the hobby store or dollar store and grab a small foam paintbrush, the kind you would use for painting trim. Hold a vacuum hose up to your vents, then brush the dust away toward the vacuum, and suck it up. Enjoy your dust-free vents.

GET CLEAN WINDOWS WITH Newspaper

If you want a streak-free quick trick for shiny windows, look no further than your recycling bin. Newspaper is an old-tried and true trick for clean windows, and not only does it work on your homes’ windows, but it’s also great for your car windows — if you don’t have tinted windows. Take your favorite window clean and spray on the windows, then ball up your newspaper and wipe the windows clean.

GET BUGS OFF YOUR CAR WITH A DRYER SHEETCertain areas of the country are popular times for bugs, and that means that the bugs have a higher likelihood of ending up on your car. Squashed bugs not only look unsightly, they can also have a damaging effect on your car’s paint, so you need to remove them as soon as you see them. Take your spray bottle and fill it with water then wet the area where the bugs are located. Next, take a dryer sheet and scrub the area gently until the bug is removed, then apply your wax removed if necessary. If you live in an area that’s known for “love bug season” or you do a lot of highway drives, keep a few dryer sheets folded up in your glove compartment to do quick removal anywhere.


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GIVE LINT THE BRUSH-OFF

Vehicle dashboards can accumulate dust, especially if your car sits in the sun often, or you don’t wipe it down regularly. The rest of the car can also attract dust, especially vinyl. If you need to wipe vinyl clean, just grab a coffee filter, which is a gentle but powerful duster. The coffee filters are made with lint-free features, so the dust will adhere to the filter, and you can use the filter throughout all of the parts of your car. Just remember to throw away the filter when you’re done, because you don’t want to let that debris and dust get into your coffee!

SCRUB UPHOLSTERED SEATS WITH A DIY CLEANER

Light-colored upholstery in your car looks great until stains start to build up, then it’s time to take it to the detailer. Not so fast, because you probably have all of the ingredients you need to make an easy DIY seat cleaner. First, vacuum your seats thoroughly to remove any and all crumbs so it will be easier to scrub. Next mix 1 cup of vinegar, 1 cup of club soda, ½ cup of Dawn dish liquid in a spray bottle. Shake up the bottle then spray your seats liberally. After spraying the seats, let them set for 5-15 minutes. Next grab a scrub brush and scrub in circles over the stains, then let it dry overnight. If you have one available, use a shop vac or steam cleaner to go over the area with just water.

KEEP THE CAR INTERIOR CLEAN WITH BABY WIPES

It’s time to head to the dollar store again, this time for a pack of baby wipes. The baby wipes are similar to the DIY or store-bought wipes, and are gentle on most car interiors. You can use a baby wipe to scrub down the steering wheel, dashboard and other surfaces. Just test them in a small spot to make sure that it won’t damage the interior. Baby wipes can be kept in the glove compartment and are perfect to wipe away makeup marks and other grime. If they’re gentle enough for babies, they’re gentle enough for your car.