Your car is often a second home, especially if you’re on the road a lot. But this means your car can get pretty dirty, and not just on the outside. Of course, there are specialized cleaners for all parts of a car, but it’s so much more useful when you already have the items at home. Check out our top fifteen car cleaning hacks to keep your ride just like new using products you may already have in your home.
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Car Carpet Cleaning Hacks
15. Baking Soda
Sprinkle some baking soda on the carpet and leave it for fifteen minutes. Afterwards vacuum up the excess and have your car smelling fresh again. Baking soda takes away unpleasant odors and leaves you with a cleaner smell.
14. Vinegar
Any stains can be removed with a vinegar-water ratio of one to five. Spray the affected area and scrub with a nylon bristle in order to help pull up the stain. If you do end up getting a stain, try to address the area as soon as possible before the stain sets in.
Car Window Cleaning Hacks
13. Microfiber Towel
You can either just buy a microfiber towel or a microfiber windshield cleaner tool made for the job. You want to use these types of towels on windeshields to lessen the amount of lint getting on your window, and the streaks left behind. These are especially useful on the inside of the windshield to get rid of that pesky film or condensation from colder weather.
12. Vinegar & Newspaper
Take a mixture of hot water and vinegar with a five to one ratio and spray it on the windows. Use the newspaper to wipe away the mixture and any dust or debris for a clean window.
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Car Interior Cleaning Hacks
11. Baking Soda & Vinegar
To remove stains, spray vinegar over the affected area and let soak for a few minutes before applying some baking soda. Then, spray some more vinegar over the soda and scrub into the stain. Lastly, let the area dry or vacuum up any leftover baking soda. This can also eliminate some of the odors left by the stain.
10. Squeegee
This item may sound weird, but squeegees are extremely helpful with getting pet hair off of your car’s interior. After you vacuum the car and get most of the hair out, take a squeegee and slowly move down the seat, pulling the hair in the same direction. It will get more hair out of your seats and leaving them mess free.
How to Get Dust Out of the Air
Car Cup Holder Cleaning Hacks
9. Glass Jar & Thick Sock
Look for a glass jar that will fit into the cup holder and put a thicker sock over the end of the glass, one that you don’t care if it gets dirty. After the sock is on the glass, take a glass cleaner and spray liberally onto the sock. Next, push the sock into the cup holder and twist the glass around. This will hopefully pull out any residence or junk that has ended up in the crevices of your cup holder.
8. Silicone Muffin Cups
To prevent future difficulties cleaning your cup holders, try putting silicone muffin cups into the holders. Once they get dirty, you can just take out the muffin cup and wash them in the dishwasher, and replace the dirty one with a clean one. It also makes a great spot for loose change, so instead of trying to fish every coin out of the cup holder you can just lift the muffin cup out.
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Car Seat Cleaning Hacks
7. Olive Oil
For leather upholstery, a good combatant against drying and cracking of the leather is olive oil. Take a small amount of oil and a microfiber towel and massage the oil into the seats, making sure the oil soaks into the seats. Not only will your leather be shiny again, but it will take longer for the leather to crack from constant use.
6. Baking Soda
Once again baking soda appears to save the day. By using a baking soda solution and letting it soak into the fabric, you can get out a lot of tough stains. To dry the area, blot instead of wiping in order to pull out as much of the stain as you can.
Cleaning Car Dashboard Hacks
5. Compressed Air
This is a great tool to get rid of any unwanted dust in hard-to-reach areas, such as the air vents. You can buy a can of compressed air at pretty much any larger convenience store, and just spray the air into the desired area to remove the dust.
4. Coffee Filter
Along with giving you a great cup of coffee in the morning, coffee filters can also be used to clean off your dashboard and leave minimal dust due to its lack of fibers. You can even fold the filter smaller to get into those hard-to-reach spaces, just like the compressed air.
Other Car Cleaning Hacks
3. Screwdriver & Towel
For other hard-to-reach areas, wrap a towel over a screwdriver to get between seats, under seats, or spots that your hands wouldn’t be able to fit into.
2. Baking Soda Toothpaste
Are your headlights dull? Take a tube of baking soda toothpaste and an old toothbrush and rub the headlight in circular motions. The toothpaste will help get rid of the film on your headlights, and allow you to see better at night.
1. Isopropyl Alcohol
Stickers and badges are fun to put on a car to show everyone your personality, but when they have to come off, often they leave a bunch of sticky residue. The best way to get rid of this residue is to use isopropyl alcohol and a towel. Either spray the affected area or soak the towel in the alcohol and wipe the residue away.
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Cars are similar to homes in the way that the longer you have them, the more lived-in they will look. That doesn’t mean you can’t keep your car clean though, and with these fifteen car cleaning hacks, you will always have a car you can be proud of.
