Most drivers would love a thorough car detailing, but hiring out this special service can be expensive. Fortunately, you can get the look of a detailed car at virtually no cost by applying a bit of elbow grease and ingenuity. Here are five easy hacks for giving your car a freshly detailed look.
Tiny scratches in your car’s exterior paint can really “chip” you off, but nail polish offers a cheap solution for that. The shelves of your local beauty supply store are undoubtedly lined with hundreds of shades of nail polish. Take a photo of your car to the store and find the closest match. Alternatively, if you have a vial of the manufacturer’s original shade of paint, use that instead. Most people don’t, so a quick dab of nail polish will often suffice.
Pet hair has a unique way of embedding itself into fabric surfaces. Sometimes even the most powerful vacuum isn’t strong enough to lift the furry traces that Fido and Fluffy leave behind. Remove pet hair from your car’s upholstery by using a spray bottle of water and a squeegee. Simply cover the affected area with a light mist, then use the squeegee to lift the hair away.
Do your floor mats sport ugly mud and grease stains, causing you to think about scrapping them in the trash and buying new ones? Before you spring for new mats, try an easy trick instead. Spritz the stains with a 2:1 blend of hydrogen peroxide and dish soap. Then, throw the mats in the washer. The color may fade a bit, but so will your stains. This solution is far cheaper than buying new mats, and for many people, the results are more than satisfactory.
Most drivers don’t have the foggiest idea how crumbs got all over the vehicle’s interior. Nevertheless, they’re a nitty-gritty problem that you have to deal with in order to keep your car clean. Show the crumbs who’s boss by swishing a foam paint brush inside the seams in your upholstery and in the dashboard crevices. Once you’ve dislodged the crumbs, suck them up with a handheld vacuum before they have time to settle down again.
Stop throwing old pantyhose away. These soft nylon cloths are perfect for de-fogging your headlights and de-bugging your bumper. To brighten headlights, squirt a bit of toothpaste on an old pair of hose and rub gently yet firmly. Rinse and repeat as needed. To de-bug your bumper, saturate the hose with soapy water or vinegar and rub gently. Some people use pantyhose to scrub their entire car because the fabric removes dirt without scratching the paint.
How many hours per week do you spend in your car? You owe it to yourself and those you travel with to make it a tidy, livable space. A clean car makes for a happy driver, and you don’t have to spend a fortune to attain this simple joy.
