Everybody wants a clean and nice-looking car, but keeping your car looking its best all the time requires a lot of hard work. At the same time, there are a lot of products out on the market today that will make it easy for you to clean your car as often as needed. Investing in these products is a wise choice as they’ll help you save money and effort in the long run. To start with, here are the 5 most essential items that should make it to your car cleaning kit.
1) Microfiber cloths. It’s important to have a cleaning cloth in your car at all times to deal with inevitable spills during drives. A microfiber cloth is a perfect material for this purpose because it’s designed to rapidly absorb liquids, making cleanups much faster and easier. Microfiber cloths also work better than other fabrics when it comes to wiping away dust and particulates. At the same time, it’s also soft enough that it won’t scratch your car’s immaculate paint job. Aside from keeping a cloth in your vehicle, stock up on microfiber towels in your garage so you can use them to wash or dry your car exterior.
2) Nail polish remover. A bottle of nail polish remover might seem like an odd thing to have in your car cleaning kit, but it’s quite useful if you want to remove scuff marks on your car. The main ingredient of most nail polish removers is acetone, which makes the solution effective for an evening out small imperfections on painted surfaces. Clean the area first and dilute the nail polish remover in water before gently scrubbing away at the scuff mark. Once you get the effect you want, rinse off the solution immediately so that it doesn’t eat into the clear coat.
3) Car vacuum. There will always be debris and dust particles inside your vehicle, particularly on the carpet. These can come from anywhere — the dirt and dust from your shoes as you climb in, or crumbs from the food you ate. Dirt is just a part of life, and you can easily get rid of it by using the proper tools. A car vacuum or shop vac, for example, can help you get around the chore of having to constantly sweep out your car interior. This is basically a downsized vacuum cleaner that is designed to get around the limited space in your car, sucking up all the food crumbs, dirt, and other debris on the floor and seats with ease. There are car vacuums that plug into your car’s lighter slot and models that are small enough to stash in your trunk so you can bring them with you wherever you go.
4) WD-40. WD-40 is great for lubricating squeaky car parts and hinges, but did you know that you can also use it to remove materials that have been stuck on your car, like sticker residue, glue, or tree sap? Just spray a bit of the solution and gently scrub the area, and the sticky substance should come off easily. Just like nail polish remover, however, you should wash it off right away so that it doesn’t affect your car’s clear coat.
5) Tire cleaner. Aside from keeping your car interior and paint job in perfect condition, you should also pay special attention to your tires. Tire cleaners help you remove the grime and dirt that have accumulated on your tires during normal as well as heavy use. Tire cleaner softens the residue so that they can be easily wiped away. Use the solution after cleaning or washing your car to complete that brand-new look.
Keeping your car clean and presentable can be a challenge, especially if you already have a lot of chores on your plate. With these essential car cleaning tools, however, you can shorten the time and lessen the effort needed to make your car look as new as the day you bought it.