So fresh and so clean
So fresh and so clean
When you take those first, tentative steps towards becoming a fully-fledged driver, the importance of car maintenance is drilled into you from your provisional test. Cleanliness maintenance, however, is not given so much as a passing mention.
Here are some ideas for keeping a fresh interior. Disclaimer: follow these tips, and you might find everyone wants a lift in your perfectly pristine drive.
Set a car cleaning rota – and stick to it Just because you’re the family’s designated chauffeur, doesn’t mean you should be their valet, too. Unless you take your car off-road or into particularly muddy terrain, a once-per-month exterior wash will be more than adequate for banishing dirt. If you drive in a locale that has a lot of pollution or sea salt in the air, wash your vehicle more frequently to keep your paintwork from deteriorating, and up to once a week in those wintery months that throw slush, mud, rain and grit into the equation.
Banish clutter It’s a staggering statistic: almost a quarter of UK motorists have confessed to using their car as a permanent means of storage. If this sounds familiar, it might be time to lose that pile of magazines spilling out from the behind the seat pockets, ditch the picnic basket which has been on standby since November and dismiss the solitary, forlorn golf club abandoned in the boot. Unloading the ballast that’s weighing you down on the road will save you money in fuel costs, and an empty car is far more environmentally friendly than one bursting at the seams with useless weight. Now might even be a great time to consider getting a roof box to house all your clutter on the move, just in time for summer road trips.
Cover it up If your car is always getting caked in mud, dust or pet hair, cover up well-trafficked areas with plastic slip-on covers and disposable floor mats. Perfect for welly-specific occasions, post-football matches and rainy days, you’ll never have to call off walkies again. Even the best cars for dogs can’t repel the blanket of pet hair and dander that your furry friends leave behind, but you can shield your seats with a simple, waterproof cover, so when Fido and Spartacus are at home, it’s easy enough to fold it up and stash in the boot.
Accessorise your drive There are loads of great products designed to help you keep your car spick, span and clutter-free. If you nurture a penchant for in-car snacking, buy a cheap, collapsible bin: this will make it easier to avoid stashing sweet wrappers in the storage areas. Stow a pack of wet wipes in the glove compartment for swiping away stains before they take hold of your car upholstery and some sanitiser spray for the steering wheel. There are loads of weird and wonderful car accessories to help clean your car up and make driving more fun, but let’s not forget the final piece-de-resistance to adorn your box fresh interior: an air-freshener in your favourite scent.
