A clean car not only looks good, it also improves visibility.
The sunny weather and comparatively mild temperatures during the day already hint at spring. However, the sun's rays not only provide joy, but also clearly show where little has happened in the past few months cleaned and cleaned: on and in the car. So now it's time for the spring cure.
The car is not a garbage can!
Before cleaning the vehicle, the first thing to do is muck out the interior. Bottles and beverage cans, outer packaging from fast-food restaurants or full ashtrays: some cars pass for rolling garbage trucks. But even in neater vehicles, a lot accumulates over the winter. Empty hand sanitizer bottles or de-icer sprays and children's toys from the ski vacation like to hide in shelves and compartments. Everything is cleared out and waste disposed of properly.
The typical winter accessories such as gloves, ice scrapers or window de-icers are better left in the vehicle as long as night frosts or snowfall cannot be ruled out. Until then, you also have to wait before changing to summer tires. But the opportunity is good to check the summer tires. Are they OK and do they still have sufficient tread depth? If not, you can order new ones in good time.
The salt on the roads gets stuck in the bodywork. If you want to counteract the formation of rust caused by prolonged exposure to road salt, you have to remove it. This works best in a car wash. Special wash programs take care of problem areas such as the vehicle underbody. Ideally, the car wash operator also offers pre-cleaning by employees.
The car wash does not reach every spot
When the washing-drying program is over, you park in one of the designated parking spaces in the system and open the doors and the hood so that everything can dry properly. In the meantime, you can use water and car shampoo to clean areas such as the door sills that the car wash cannot reach.
The vacuum cleaner stations at car washes are usually powerful devices that have no problems with heavily soiled floor mats and carpets. Then you vacuum the upholstery, it is advisable to move the seats and fold down the backrests to get to hidden places. Dashboard, shelves and other plastic parts in the interior are best wiped with a damp cloth. The ventilation slots of the air conditioning system can be easily cleaned with a feather duster.
The discs are also part of the spring cure
Clean windows are also important for the right perspective. Windshields and other glass surfaces get dirty not only on the outside, but also on the inside. The best and cheapest way to clean them is with household products - such as glass cleaner or washing-up liquid. In the case of the side windows, the finishing edges should not be forgotten, which normally lie under the rubber seals on the body.
Is the car due for an inspection soon? People suffering from hay fever should now have their vehicle's cabin air filter checked. This filters, among other things, pollen, dust and dirt from the air before they get into the passenger compartment. It is best to change the cabin filter annually, at the latest every 15.000 to 30.000 kilometers. If the filter no longer cleans, this can become a breeding ground for mold and bacteria - a problem that also affects passengers who are not afflicted with hay fever.