What is it about spring that makes us want to deep clean? It’s all about new beginnings, a fresh start, the growth of something different. It feels lovely to release the old and in brace the new. When we take the time to purge, let go of, beautify our surroundings it can’t help but give us a renewed sense of being. When it comes to spring cleaning, we tend to focus on our closets, cabinets, drawers, and garages. There's more, though; don't leave out your car!
In some ways, your car is the best place to start your spring cleaning efforts. It is not as big or daunting as your garage, garden, house. Those are much bigger areas to conquer! Start small, and dig into your the spring cleaning of your vehicle.
Begin with the outside, rejuvenating your car's outer beauty. Getting rid of all the winter dirt, mud, and muck will make you both feel much better. It's kind of like a dog shaking off after rolling around in the dirt! From there, move to the interior. Bring out a bag or trashcan and start getting rid of all the nastiness that has accumulated in the cracks, crevices, and corners of your vehicle over the past few months.
Next, return everything to its rightful place: the extra jackets that have accumulated can go back to their closet space; random papers from opening the mail in your car can either be recycled or put in a file cabinet; extra coffee cups that managed to roll under the seats can be returned to their proper place on the kitchen shelf.
Whew! You are doing great! Don’t stop there! Vacuum the heck out of the interior of your vehicle next. Whether you use a handheld option, haul out your full-on vacuum, or go down the street to the do-it-yourself car wash and use their vacuum contraction, it's all good. Boy does not feel wonderful!?
There's a lot you can do on your own with a little creativity and some ingredients you might already have in your kitchen. A couple of do-it-yourself hacks:
Vinegar and water in a spray bottle to get your tires extra clean
Vinegar and baking soda mixed into a paste applied liberally on your cloth upholstery, scrub, dry, then vacuum up what's left and it is a great way to get some deep cleaning done while freshening up the interior of your vehicle.
A little bit of olive oil or coconut oil rubbed into your steering wheel, console, and dashboard to pick up a little more deep level of grime and to help keep it from cracking.
You are on a roll now! Your car is looking great on the outside, on the inside, and now it’s time to go even a little deeper. Pop that hood and check all of your fluids. Take a look at your tires and check for wear as well as tread depth and air pressure. This is a great time to change out your oil filter, and it won’t cost you very much. A clean air filter will help your interior smell nice as well as protect your engine.
Look at you! Just a couple of hours invested and you have one huge spring cleaning accomplishment under your belt. Doesn’t that feel great!? What are you going to do next to keep that spring cleaning momentum going?? If you’d like some help with the under-the-hood parts, don’t hesitate to reach out to your YLAS team! Yorba Linda Auto Service is located at 801 S Lakeview Avenue, Unit G, Placentia, CA 92870. Schedule an appointment for service or call us if you have questions about your vehicle. Happy spring cleaning!