Some Helpful Tips on How to Clean Your Used Car

When you’ve just spent thousands of dollars purchasing a used car, you probably don’t want to spend several hundred dollars more to have it detailed. Taking the time to clean your car yourself can save you money and keep your return on investment high. Follow a few key steps to clean your used car, and it will look as good as new in no time.

Clean the Windows

You may think that using window cleaner and a paper towel will work to clean the grime off your car windows, but most of the time you’re left with streaks across the glass. Try this instead: Dampen a microfiber cloth with window cleaner. The cloths work well because they can eliminate built-up stains without leaving streaks behind. Make sure that the cleaner doesn’t have ammonia in its ingredients. Ammonia can dry out the plastic found in your vehicle and damage the windows.

Use a circular motion to clean all the windows in your vehicle, including the windshield, rear window, side windows, and sunroof. Pay close attention to the corners and edges of the window. If needed, flip the cloth over to find a clean side.

Vacuum the Inside

Even though the inside of your used car appears clean, it doesn’t hurt to give your newest purchase a thorough cleaning inside. Before you start vacuuming, remove the floor mats so you can reach all the crevices. For plastic floor mats, simply remove them, shake off the dirt, and use a garden hose to clean them off. For carpet mats, you can either vacuum them while they’re in the car or remove them for a bit more room.

From there, take the vacuum and work your way from the top to the bottom of your vehicle’s interior. Start on the ceiling and gradually make your way down to the floor. Use your vacuum’s upholstery attachment to vacuum the seats and other upholstered areas. When you reach plastic areas of the vehicle, use the vacuum’s dusting brush. Hard-to-reach areas can benefit from the vacuum’s crevice tool. Scoot the front seats all the way forward and back to make sure you get every area.

Take Care of the Seats

Cloth and leather seats both could benefit from a thorough cleaning. For cloth seats, check in the owner’s manual to see what type of cleaner you can use on the upholstery. If it doesn’t specify, you can use a carpet cleaner on the seats. However, avoid using glass cleaner.

You must clean and condition leather seats; otherwise, they become cracked. To condition the seats, you need to use a soft brush and a cleaner such as saddle soap. Try the cleaner on a small spot on the seat to make sure the product works well. If the leather has cracks that you cannot repair, you might need to replace the seats.

If you’re interested in purchasing a used car, reach out to the professionals at Hubert Vester Auto Group. They can help you drive off in your dream car today.