Most people love that “new car” smell. Let’s face it, that pleasant odor tends to disappear very quickly between the daily commute, school runs, trips to the drive thru and visits to the dog park. Compounded by tracking in rain, dirt and even snow during winter weather, the car tends to get less and less fresh smelling. If you’ve got to the point where you feel like you’re driving around in a mobile garbage can, help is at hand. Why not spend some of that time tackling the cleanliness of your vehicle? It’s a great and sensible opportunity to give your car’s interior an extra thorough cleanse. So we offer 9 tips to freshen your car for spring so that you and your passengers can once again enjoy the journey.
- Remove any trash from the car
- The steering wheel is one of the dirtiest things in the car. Use anti-bacterial wipes to clean the steering wheel and all the other hard surfaces in the car’s interior including cup holders. It’s a very fast way to both freshen your car and remove harmful bacteria and viruses at the same time.
- Remove the floor mats and wipe them down. If you have carpet mats, consider replacing them with rubber, vehicle-specific mats such as Travall Mats to make cleaning the car super simple.
All-weather mats from Travall - Vacuum the seats of the car. If you have leather seats, wipe them down with an appropriate leather cleanser. If you don’t have a leather cleaning product, do a spot test using a very small amount of an extremely mild laundry detergent solution.
- Vacuum the footwells of your car. To remove carpet stains, use a small amount of carpet cleaning spray, or alternatively a very mild laundry detergent solution. Try not to get the carpets too wet and then allow them to dry completely before adding mats back into the car.
- Clean out the glove compartment removing any non-essential items.
- Empty the trunk and give it a vacuum. Install a rubber cargo mat, so it is easier to keep the floor of the trunk clean in the future.
Travall CargoMat - Baking soda is a great method to neutralize doors and an easy way to freshen your car. Simply leave a small bowl of baking soda in your car overnight. Any unpleasant smells should be gone by the next day. More persistent odors may require this procedure for a few nights in a row.
- Add a plastic trash can. It makes it very easy to collect any future garbage and debris on your next journey.
