Tips for cleaning your car
With many of our clients having a few extra hours on their hands due to Covid-19 lockdowns, cars have that have arrived back at Cocoon HQ have never been so clean.
We’ve spoken to an expert car cleaner to get some top tips off him, so here goes:
Empty your car first
So you don’t miss any areas, ensure that your vehicle is free from coffee cups, sweet wrappers, leaflets and parking tickets and anything else you may find in the cubby holes.
Also take your car mats out from the footwells and give them a good hoover and the area where they have sat.
Open all of the doors
As with your house, as you clean the surfaces around the car, fine dust particles float around and will settle on the nearest surface.
By opening your doors it will provide suffiecient ventiliation for these to escape and to stop you from breathing them in.
Harder to reach areas
Get a brush to dust in those harder to reach areas such as air vents and control knobs. If using a vacuum, use the attachment with the brush on the end to kill two birds with one stone.
Alternatives if you don’t have these attachments are an old paintbrush or even an old toothbrush.
Always clean top to bottom
As with most things, it is logical to clean the inside of your car from top to bottom. If you had dust lodged in the seems of your panoramic roof, when they become dislodged, the dust particles will float down and seat themselves in the spaces below.
Doing the cleaning from top to bottom, will save you from doing a good job twice.
Deep Seats
Seats require a thorough clean, they can contain hair, dead skin and who knows what else? Recline your seats to gain access to the crevices at the back. If you’ve got fabric seats, use a clean hard bristled handbrush to give the seats a proper seeing to.
Secret Tips of the Car Cleaning Trade
We’ve been let in on a few extra secrets when it comes to cleaning your car, and we’re pleased to be able to share these with you:
Sellotape/Lint Roller
If you’ve got some sort of crumbs, dust or hair on your fabric seats, then use a lint roller to get these up easily. If you haven’t got one in the house, then get a roll of sellotape and wrap it around your hand with the adhesive on the outside. Go over the fabric and the hair will stick to the lint roller or sellotape.
Fabric Bobbled?
If you’ve got fabric seats and the material is starting to bobble where you are getting in and out, get yourself a bobble remover. Run over the area and the tool will gently trim the fabric back.
Air Con Bombs
If you’ve got a musty smell in the car from a spilt latte or even a smoker, then an air con bomb might help freshen up your air ventilation system. These are inexpensive and can be picked up from places like Halfords. Follow the instructions carefully as some of the air con bombs work differently.
Returning Your Short-Term Car
If you’ve got a short-term car lease or Car Subscription with Cocoon Vehicles and its due back shortly, you’ll already be aware of the return standards that are set out within our contracts and in the booklets we send out in the post to you.
But it is really important that you clean your car before you return it. This is so we don’t get charged a valet charge by our suppliers and that our drivers can clearly identify any of the bodywork damage and any stains on the seats.
We always help and try and find ways of reducing the risk of any charges at the end of contract, but if you need any help or advice, please do drop the Cocoon Vehicles team a line using the ONLINE FORM below or calling us on 01332 290173.
