De-Clutter and Clean Your Car With These 7 Painless Processes

A tidy and clean house or closet just makes you feel superior. This out of sight attitude should also be continued to your ride. What is the old saying, “Respect her well and she will treat you better.” We spend loads of time in our vehicle; driving to work, dropping kids off, picking kids up and then running a quick errand. Getting in a de-cluttered car should get us in the right temperament to overcome the day. Cleaning should make you feel less burdened and put you and your family in a great mood. Our helpful staff here at Schauer's Hardware in Forest Park can guide you and help you work on the inside of your auto with some cleaning brands and solutions.

Step 1. Get Rid of Trash

Get rid of all trash from within your ride, do not fail to look under the seats and in the cracks between your seats. Throw stuff out your vacuum can not handle. A day before you clean, you may want to air out and get rid of any undesirable smells from your vehicle seats and carpets. This should be a really effortless and can be done in 5 easy steps:

1. Fill two bowls with white vinegar.
2. Place one bowl on the in the front and the other towards the back a couple hours before cleaning.
3. Close all door and windows and leave the bowls to sit over-night. The white vinegar should devour all the bad odors from the vehicle.
4. Take out the bowls of vinegar and open the car windows and doors for as long as it takes for the smell of vinegar to totally leave.

 

Step 2. Upholstery Stain Removal

Now you are almost ready to vacuum. If you do not have any stains to remove go head and spray the inside of your mirrors and windows with a household window cleaner and wipe down the upholstery and vinyl before you vacuum. If you have some resilient smudges and stains let’s handle that stain/smudge before we go ahead to anything else with a few of these easy solutions below.

Clearing difficult stains can be done with two homemade cleaning solutions:

The 1^st cleaning solution for severe stains:

• ¼ cup baking soda
• 1 cup warm water

For the second part of the cleaning process you will need:

• Warm water
• A few squirts of dish detergent
• ¼ cup vinegar
• A spray bottle

Mix the warm water, a few squirts of dish detergent and ¼ cup of vinegar in a spray bottle. Shake the mixture well and let sit for 5 minutes to set and then you are ready to start cleaning the vinyl and fabric.

  

Step 3. The Really Difficult Stains

Tackle the tough stains and/or blemishes by using the baking soda paste and working it into the seat and carpet stains with a an old toothbrush or small bristle brush. Allow the paste to dry and then vacuum up the paste and the stain should be gone. If there is still some stain/blemish left – just simply repeat the process.

 

Step 4. Spray Everything Clean

Use a car interior cleaner… spray it on dashboards and any other interior that needs a good clean. Allow it to sit and then wipe dry with a clean cloth. Hint: Try Using a brush or foam sponge to help remove all dirt from vents before you use a car cleaning solution.

 

Step 5. Pull Out the Car Mats

Remove the car mats. First, shake out your mats to remove any loose dirt. Then, Vacuum the mats to remove any remaining dirt from them and if you have a difficult stain, use a professional auto cleaner and a brush to eradicate stains.

 

Step 6. Cleaning Windows

Time to clean the windows. It’s a rather easy process. First, spray the inside of the windows with a window cleaner and wipe with a clean cloth. After you have scrubbed and dried the outside of your vehicle, do the outside with window cleaner too. Do not forget the back window and rear-view mirror. You car should be squeaky clean.

 

Step 7. Sweep or Vacuum

Since you have cleaned your windows, sprayed down the vinyl, and inside of your auto, you are ready to vacuum. A good vacuum is key to a superior cleaning. Your vacuum should have hoses so that you can reach those hard to get places, like the cracks in between your seats. Our staff can help you find the proper equipment to get your car clean. If some of the home remedies are not your way of doing things... The Staff here at Schauer's Hardware in Forest Park can offer you some support in finding vehicle cleaning supplies, replacement bulbs, car mats, air fresheners, and more.