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15 Car Cleaning Hacks that Are Pure Genius

November 12, 2015 by 101 Days... 26 Comments

Today’s car cleaning hacks are pure genius! A car to get you around town is nice, but keeping it clean is sometimes a hassle….

 

There’s vacuuming, wiping, spraying and making sure that it smells good. While there are lots of old-fashioned ways to clean your car, here are just a few great car cleaning hacks to make car ownership much easier.

Contents
1 Car Cleaning Hacks for Every Car Owner
1.1 Additional Hacks for Your Car
1.2 Hacks for Road Trips

Car Cleaning Hacks for Every Car Owner

car cleaning hacks

1.For those foggy and grimy headlights, just apply a thin layer of toothpaste to clean them up almost instantly! Apply the toothpaste, rub it thoroughly with a cloth, and then rinse. Repeat this as necessary to get your headlights clean again.

2. Get one of those cheap foam brushes for painting, but keep it in your car. Whenever the vents get dirty or clogged, just whip out the brush and clean the vents out. It’s super easy and virtually free.

3. Magic Erasers are called magic for a reason, and they’re even be great for the car. For those sticky spills and messes, just use the eraser to clean them up. Anything from sticky soda stains to dried on ice cream vanishes under the Magic Eraser.

car cleaning hacks

4. This isn’t so much a hack to clean your car as much as it is a hack to keep your car looking newer for longer. If you park in a garage and find yourself dinging the door on the wall every time you open it, then here’s a tip for you. Attach a pool noodle to the wall. If you do open the door too wide, it hits the soft noodle and not the hard wall.

5. A really cheap and quick way to fix small scratches in your car is to use nail polish. It sounds weird, but it works on small scratches! Just find a nail polish to match your car’s paint. If the scratch is really big or in a noticeable spot, get it professionally fixed. 

6. Dirt tends to stick in vinyl surfaces of the car, like the door handles. But you don’t need to worry about a deep clean for that. Just put some soapy water on the spot and rub it with a toothbrush. A few minutes of rubbing should get the dirt right out.

Additional Hacks for Your Car

car cleaning

7. Just a little bit of olive oil makes the leather on your dashboard look brand new again! Dip a rag lightly in olive oil and run it over the dashboard. This both conditions and cleans the leather to make it look great again.

8. Do you love to take your pet for car rides–but can’t stand the excess hair all over the place? No worries, you can get rid of the hair easily. Just use a spray bottle to lightly dampen the seats and then a squeegee to gather all the hair together.

9. Keep the inside of your car clean with a  makeshift car garbage can. Just buy a cheap plastic cereal container, add a small bag (like a grocery bag) inside of it, and it’s ready! Empty as needed.

10. Depending on the mats in your car, this is an easy way to clean them. If they are fabric and washable, take them out of the car, spray them with a stain remover, and then throw them in the washer! The machine does all the work for you in half the time. Or if you’ve got a power washer, use it on the mats. Works fantastic! 

11. Keep a mini cleaning pack in your car for messy emergencies. A sponge, some paper towels, an all-purpose cleaner and some wet wipes are all you need. Plus, it won’t give stains time to set. 

12. There are tons of homemade air fresheners to keep your car smelling fresh all day long! Find a recipe or mixture online, try it out, and if you like it then make one for your car. Stick it under the seats to keep it out of the way.

Hacks for Road Trips

13. While you should be replacing your windshield wipers periodically (especially if you can’t see!) here’s a tip to help reduce the smear. Wipe down the blades carefully with rubbing alcohol and that should stop them from smearing until you can replace them. 

14. After a long road trip, it’s frustrating to clean the bugs off the front of your grille. However, one way works really well is to use dryer sheets. With some elbow grease, rub the smeared bugs with a dryer sheet. They should come right off!

15. For that really nice, new car shine, use a clay bar! Wash the car and then rub the clay bar all around the exterior to pick up any dirt or specks that got left behind. It may be an extra step, but it makes your car look fantastic!

Don’t forget to organize your car’s trunk!

Filed Under: Cleaning, Quick Tips Tagged With: car, clean, hacks, tips, tricks

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. dee says

    April 1, 2016 at 7:35 pm

    The best thing I have found to use in my car, from food stains to those odd orange rust stains is Resolve fabric stain remover. Spray it on the stain and then simply wipe it off. Seriously it is that easy. I have found though that once the treated area is dry take a wet cloth and go over the area to remove the product. The product does seems to attrat dirt faster than the areas not treated. I haven’t used resovolve on the dash or leather seats. Doesn’t seem to be a good idea. Who knows.

    Reply
  2. Dawn Wernisch says

    April 25, 2016 at 1:38 pm

    I keep a few diapers in the car for spills press the diaper on the spill it will soak it up really fast

    Reply
  3. Sharon says

    April 25, 2016 at 8:44 pm

    Where does one find that cereal container? I’m having trouble finding that one and I really like it. Thanks

    Reply
    • Gwenn says

      May 30, 2016 at 11:00 pm

      Tupperware

      Reply
    • Meg says

      June 21, 2016 at 6:11 am

      Walmart… Seen it there before

      Reply
    • Angi says

      July 19, 2016 at 11:52 pm

      Walmart has all sizes

      Reply
    • Rhonda says

      October 10, 2016 at 3:10 am

      Try walmart or Target.

      Reply
    • Pat says

      October 11, 2016 at 6:08 am

      Looks like a Tupperware cereal container!

      Reply
    • Luci martin says

      October 30, 2016 at 2:03 pm

      Dollar general family dollar much cheaper than Tupperware too!!

      Reply
    • Amanda says

      December 24, 2016 at 5:19 pm

      Got mine @dollar tree

      Reply
  4. Merry says

    May 2, 2016 at 4:04 pm

    So the money you make or earn if you’re self-employed.
    There is difference in the degree of symptom improvement between groups.
    Everything alternative has a process time
    because we are going erotic massage to treat this kind of job is it?
    Wahls find that a visit to the acupuncturist, or read
    a magazine article about it complete with lots of photos.

    Reply
    • Patti says

      July 10, 2016 at 8:04 pm

      What the heck are you talking about, Merry? lol

      Reply
    • Susan Ramsay says

      July 12, 2016 at 5:19 pm

      Huh? I think you replied to the wrong post. We’re talking about car cleaning here.

      Reply
  5. Katie says

    June 6, 2016 at 1:25 am

    What are you people doing in your cars??!

    Dried up soda and food spills? And why the heck do you need a trash can in your car? Hang a tiny pretty gift bag on your gear shift/windshield wiper control for incidentals and empty it when you get home – every day. It takes 5 seconds and your car won’t smell of (I’m guessing here) old soda and fast food. And just stop being disgusting…

    Reply
    • Amanda says

      July 5, 2016 at 10:41 am

      Do you have kids and spend a lot of time in your car? I am very clean yet my kids make food messes and I have had my coffee and and other drinks slip out of mynhands or fall fwd…

      Reply
      • Angi says

        July 19, 2016 at 11:56 pm

        I totally agree with you. Plus, people need to respect the fact that things happen and not everyone is perfect therefore these suggestions may be helpful…

        Reply
    • Susan Ramsay says

      July 12, 2016 at 5:22 pm

      My daughter cleans out her car when buying gas. Daily is a bit much to expect from most people. But the one I find weird is using a toothbrush. Why not use a larger cleaning brush of some kind?

      Reply
    • Nancy says

      August 19, 2016 at 8:14 pm

      So glad you never have a problem with a dirty car. I on the other hand have kids and pets that also ride in my car. You should not jump to the conclusion that everyone is messy and lazy. Just saying. Momma never told you if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

      Reply
  6. Judy says

    June 7, 2016 at 6:46 pm

    Where do fine a clay bar? What is that?

    Reply
    • Margaret says

      July 3, 2016 at 2:18 pm

      Look at the Pinnacle Car product how to videos. It’s explained and demonstrated.

      Reply
    • Zman says

      July 11, 2016 at 11:13 pm

      Chemical guys.com

      Reply
  7. Jeanne Bataille says

    July 12, 2016 at 3:33 pm

    what is a clay bar? where do you get one?

    Reply
  8. Guy says

    August 20, 2016 at 3:10 pm

    What can be done about water spots? I have tried brillo pads, vinegar and steel wool. Barkeepers friend…etc….any suggestions? I have limo dark windows and the spots really show up.

    Reply
    • 101 Days... says

      August 30, 2016 at 2:57 am

      Try making a paste of baking soda and vinegar. Let it sit on there for a bit and then scrub it with a towel or sponge…wash it off with water and then clean with glass cleaner! Good luck 🙂

      Reply
    • Lindi says

      September 27, 2016 at 1:36 am

      Try dryer sheets. I use them to remove the water stains from our shower doors (Nothing else has worked). Just wet it a little and rub. It does require some elbow grease. Rinse and wipe dry. It works a charm. Depending on how long it has been there. You might need to give it a second “scrub”.

      Reply
  9. Amie says

    September 2, 2016 at 2:23 pm

    I have a 3 year old, and my interior is never clean. I will have to try these hacks. I am going to also sew a little trash bag to keep in the back seat so he can learn to throw his garbage away. I also keep Lysol and windex wipes in my glove box. If I see a spot on my window (interior) it is easy to wipe up, when I am parked of course.

    Reply

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