Cleaning your own vehicle yourself is not just a matter of saving money, but it’s a joy in itself. Many car enthusiasts clean their cars on weekends and holidays, or whenever they get the time. Recently, I bought a Nissan Salvage Car from an auto auction, and I had been waiting to get my hands on it to get my hands on it to clean it and give it a fresh new look. But being busy with work, I didn’t have much time. Finally when the weekend arrived I drove my Nissan salvage car out of the garage for a complete makeover. Here’s a list of things that I did and that might help you too.
Things You Require Before You Begin
There are several car care specialty products available in the market that take away your stress of cleaning your car. Besides the vacuum cleaner and water spray gun that you may be have at home, it would be wise if you can buy and use these bare minimum required items.
- Clean soft cloth, microfiber towels, polishing clothes and paper towels.
- Plastic and vinyl cleaner for dashboard and plastic parts cleaning
- Leather cleaner, brushes and toothbrushes
- Spot and stain remover
- Car wash cleaner and waxing car shampoos
Cleaning the Interior
If the car interiors are not cleaned they don’t just look dirty but they smell bad too. To clean the car and make it smell factory-fresh, follow these suggestions:
- Start with throwing out all the garbage such as paper cups, used tissues or anything that you find stuck or tucked in the corner and crevices of the car.
- The floor carpet and the seats can be cleaned by vacuuming. Use a brush attachment to dislodge the dirt settled in the pores of the fabric.
- To clean the car AC vents use a thin toothbrush to dislodge the dust as you keep the nozzle of the vacuum cleaner close to suck out the dust.
- Clean the car seats with a cloth cleaner; spread the cleaner on the surface and wipe well with towel cloth and then vacuum dry it.
- Clean the spilled over drink stains from the cup-holders, dashboard and other surfaces with a wet cloth. You can also apply a cleaner spray to dissolve the stains which helps remove the stains easily. You may need to repeat this on stubborn stains.
- Take out the floor mats and clean them separately. Meanwhile dust the entire car floor thoroughly.
When the interiors including the carpets and seats are dry; use the specialty car polishes for leather seats and dashboard. After polishing the interiors well, spray a good car air-freshener spray and leave the car with its windows closed.
Cleaning the exterior
The exterior is where heavy cleaning is involved. Dirt and bird droppings on the roof and hood require a lot of cleaning with the right car body cleaner. The wheels, wheel arches and the underbelly of the car is where dirt and mud accumulate. Follow these tips while cleaning the car exterior:
- Always wash the car starting with the top as you work your way down.
- Clean your windshields with a mild detergent and then with water using a soft cloth. After it is dry, use the rain-drops and dust repellent spray so that the visibility through the windshield remains good.
- The edges of the windshield wipers attract lot of dust and grease which gets smeared on a clean windshield. Use a good quality solvent cleaner that doesn’t harm the rubber, or just alcohol; and clean the wiper blades.
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Use a detergent and a long thin cleaning brush to clean the wheels from outside and inside. The wheels, tires and the undercarriage is where the maximum dirt and mud accumulates. It requires soaking the underside with Car wash detergent and leaving it for a few minutes for the dirt to loosen. To clean your wheels, use a long brush along with a water hose till every part and nook and corners of the undercarriage has been washed and cleaned properly. A pressure washer is ideal for his job to clean the underbody, wheel arches and behind wheels.
After the car is clean and dry, apply a good quality car polish on the exterior and rub the surface with a dry light soft cloth till it dazzles.
Conclusion
Whether you are planning to buy a used car from a salvage auto auction or have already one, the above mentioned tips will help you give your newly bought old car a new look. If you want to buy a used car, Salvagebid.com has got you covered. The salvage auction portal enables members to purchase clean and salvage title vehicles from more than 700 auction locations. All you need to do to is register with us, explore our listing of salvage vehicles and place your bid! If you have any questions about any of the vehicles listed with us, feel free to reach us at +1 (360) 347-1300