Sep 13

Tips on Cleaning Your Car Cheaply

Has your love-bug lost its luster? Quotes from your dealership, local mechanic, or professional car cleaner running you down? If you’re under the impression that it’s too pricey to give your motor vehicle a makeover, check out: “How to Maximize Your Car’s Curb Appeal”. The idea of the article is to prep your wheels for sale, but there are lots of do-it-yourself ways to pimp your ride without getting taken for a ride even if you don’t want to sell. In fact, after you spruce it up, you just may want to keep it longer.

1. Washing – Why pay $10 for long lines and gray water? Buy your own professional cleaning products, including polish for shine, and sprays that bring back luster to plastic parts and tires. Not only can buying your own products mean savings in the long-run, but nothing shows you care like doing it yourself.

2. Painting - Paying a professional to cover over stone chips can be expensive. Pick up touch-up paint and do it yourself. The same applies to dent removal. Having a body shop fix unsightly dents and dings can be costly. Instead, try a home kit. Ding King and Dent Out were both tested by Consumer Reports and found to be useful.

3. Interior – Save on cleaning the interior by buying a professional carpet cleaning solution. Or rent a steam cleaner; it’s still cheaper than hiring a professional for a detailing job.

4. Freshen up – To rid of stale odors from the ventilation ducts, try spraying odor eliminator into the system's air intake, which is usually located at the base of the windshield. Then run the air conditioner full blast for at least 10 minutes.

5. Under the hood - You don’t have to pay a dealer exorbitant amounts to clean under the hood. Use an old toothbrush dipped in a mixture of water and baking soda to clean off the residue on battery terminals; use old rags and plain soap and water, or an aerosol engine degreaser to clean engine parts.

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