If you have any experience buying, selling and trading cars then you know how much of an impact maintaining the interior of your car has on the car’s resale value. The second a car leaves the dealership, the value starts to plummet. Car experts recommend regularly cleaning the car’s exterior year round and maintaining the car’s engine parts, but you also should be mindful of the condition of the interior just as well. Below are some useful hints that will help you to protect and maintain your car’s interior so that it will retain its value and stay in good condition.
First you should ban eating and drinking in the vehicle. Also, you should have a no smoking policy as cigarette smoke can damage your upholstery while your seats and carpet may get burned and become odorous. Fewer and fewer people nowadays will purchase a car that has been smoked in regularly, even if you use air freshener and extra caution, you will find that smoking, eating and drinking in a vehicle makes keeping it clean and new much more difficult.
Second you should keep the surfaces in your vehicle covered as best you can with floor mats and seat covers. Both seat covers and floor mats are easier to clean while protecting the seats and carpets of your vehicle from mud and dirt, they are also replaceable whereas a carpet and new seats are much more expensive. Vacuuming on a regular basis is also necessary, car wash and gas station power vacuums work great especially when you need to deep clean your interior. Meanwhile at home a shop vac works well but you can also use your standard household vacuum. Do not neglect the cracks and crevices and be sure to use the smallest brush you have available to you in your set and also don’t forget to clean beneath the seats and mats as well.
Keeping your windows slightly cracked is a good idea if rain or precipitation is not likely. Most people don’t realize that hot air can sometimes damage the car’s interior. Another thing you can do regularly to maintain a clean interior is wiping your seats, cars that have leather seats often will dry, crack and become discolored and stained if not regularly maintained. You also can apply a gentle oil on a monthly basis which will help to keep the seats in newer condition, however it is not recommended that you use petroleum and vinyl based cleaners which tend to make the leather too shiny. If you don’t have leather seats you can use a gentle cleanser to wipe down your seats while a heavier duty spot cleaner should be used on stains and grime that won’t come out.
Lastly, do not neglect the glass either, wipe the windows down often. This also helps improve visibility which also makes driving safer. If you haven’t cleaned your windows in a while, you may be surprised just how much grime has collected on the surfaces. Whether you know it or not, grime can build up just from your own breath, particularly if you are a smoker. The good news is that grime can be cleaned easily with any type of glass cleaner, basic or otherwise. You should be mindful of the type of towel you use however, a softer material won’t leave behind streaks or particle marks whereas a harder material will.
It might not seem so, but if you are like most people you spend countless hours in your car and practically live in it, not to mention your passengers. As a result the interior is subject to lots of wear and tear and must be protected and cleaned on a regular basis just like the rest of your car. Your car will stay new longer, be more fun to ride in and maintain a higher resale and market value should you choose to sell or trade it in one day. Follows these steps and guidelines and you will thank yourself later.