In the midst of all your spring cleaning and outdoor
projects, don’t forget about your vehicle: it needs some TLC too. Your vehicle
is a valuable asset, and in order for it to run longer and better you should
make sure to clean and protect it thoroughly. This is especially important
after winter, a season which means cold temperatures, bad roads, and abrasive
salt and sand on the roads. Here are some great products found right here on
doitbest.com to help you keep your car in great shape.
Car Washing
It may be more time-consuming, but washing your vehicle by hand is the best way
to properly clean your car. Using specifically formulated liquid car wash gets
your car cleaner and leaves less residue than getting by with regular dish
soap. There are several
options in this category, including the premium Armor
All Wash & Wax formula and a concentrated mixture from Turtle
Wax.
Carrand’s Telescoping Flow-Thru Wash Brush is a great addition to your washing process, as it helps get to hard-to-reach places and can attach to your garden hose to make the wetting and washing process even quicker.
Wax
Waxing your car is vital for the long-term durability of its paint and general
appearance, as well as preventing rust and other corrosion. Waxes come in
basically two varieties: paste and liquid form. The paste wax, like this one
from Nu
Finish, comes with an applicator pad to apply the product to the surface in
a circular pattern before buffing off. Liquid wax is typically easier to apply,
and products like this kit from Turtle
Wax give you all the items you need to quickly wax your vehicle.
We also stock a few wax applicators and polishers, like the AutoSpa Random Orbital Polisher which makes the buffing process much easier.
Repair
No matter where you live, your car is going to pick up minor scratches and
dents from rocks, gravel, shopping carts, and other material. If it’s just a
surface abrasion, products like the Turtle
Wax Renew Scratch Repair Pen can help you take care of those right in your
driveway. Washing and waxing your car by hand gives you and up close look at
your entire vehicle, giving you a great chance to find and repair the little
imperfections. Rubbing
compounds are also popular for DIY surface repair jobs.
Chrome
If your car or truck has chrome anywhere such as the grille or running boards,
steel wool and chrome polish can get those surfaces shining in no time. A steel
wool pad can gently remove light rust and other tarnishes, and following that
up with Turtle
Wax’s Renew Chrome Polish & Rust Remover will make a brilliant
difference.
Wheels and Tires
Your wheels and tires take a beating every day, so they deserve some attention
as well. While poor roads and all kinds of abrasive material take their toll on
your wheels, nothing completes the look of a clean car quite like fresh, jet
black tires and clean rims. It’s not the easiest part of the vehicle to clean,
but products like ArmorAll’s
Tire Foam can get your tires back to black without any scrubbing. To top it
off and to give your tires a long-lasting shine, ArmorAll features a jet black Outlast
Tire Glaze for a shine designed to last for weeks.
Turtle Wax, Armor All, and Black Magic also feature similar no-scrub rim and wheel cleaners as well. Brake dust is the enemy of clean rims, so a wheel brush may still be necessary to clean the nooks and crannies of your car’s wheels.
Interior Cleaning
If you’ve had your car for any length of time, you know the stress of daily
driving, kids and passengers, pets, food and whatever else may find its way
into your vehicle will wipe out that new car smell pretty quickly. Luckily
there are tons of products out there to not only help keep the interior clean,
but also keep it feeling fresh as well.
Protectant wipes like these from ArmorAll are great to keep on hand for quick cleanups. You also may want to invest in a surface protectant to wipe down your dashboard and other hard surfaces while protecting them from fading due to damaging UV rays.
For vinyl and non-leather seats, check out Scotchgard’s Upholstery Protectant Spray. The floors are likely the dirtiest part of your car’s interior, so tackle them with Turtle Wax’s interior carpet cleaner. If you have leather seats, a specially designed leather cleaner and conditioner is the way to go.
Finally, a good glass cleaner can make a huge difference inside and out. Rain-X is the way to go for windshield rain protection, but they also feature glass cleaner to clean your windows both on the interior and exterior.
For more car cleaning tips and in-depth info, check out this
great read from Popular Mechanics:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/g99/10-tips-to-clean-and-detail-your-car-like-a-pro/
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