Triage Tip 1: Clean horizontal surfaces with a spray detailer.
You don't have to clean the whole car, just the obvious surfaces that
catch dew or light rain and leave water marks. The eyesore areas are the
hood, trunk and rear bumper.
Schultz recommends cleaning these surfaces in sections, using a spray
detailer and microfiber towel, which is finely woven and makes better
contact with the car's surface. For example, divide the hood in quarters
and clean the four sections individually. He estimates you could even
clean the entire car this way with spray detailer and only four towels.
Many car enthusiasts worry about scratching or putting swirl marks in
the car's finish. The spray detailer is designed to avoid this by
lubricating the dirt so it can be wiped up with a towel. But Schultz
stresses the importance of flipping the towel often so you don't grind
dirt into the clear coat — the transparent finish covering the car's
paint.
Triage Tip 2: A clean windshield is (almost) a clean car.
Glass is easy to clean and it sparkles like a jewel once you remove the
haze and grime. Visibility is a huge safety factor, but a clean
windshield also just makes you feel better about your car. When you're
finished with the outside of the windshield, clean the driver-side
window and side mirror, too. And for bonus points, clean the inside of
the windshield and rearview mirror.
Keep a bottle of glass cleaner in your trunk, along with a roll of
paper towels or the aforementioned microfiber towels. A foam spray
cleaner also works well. For the really lazy folks, there's a squeegee.
In addition to cleaning, a squeegee works well in the morning when there
is dew all over the windshield. Squeegee off the morning moisture and
your glass won't be left with those horrible drying marks.
Triage Tip 3: Take out the trash.
It's a car, not a
dumpster. Pull up next to a trash can somewhere and throw away papers,
food or other junk that dates from the second Bush administration.
Better yet, put a small trash bag in your car and empty it often,
Pennington suggests.
While you're shoveling out your car, you might find a couple bucks'
worth of change. Use it to buy a car deodorizer. Pennington says car
interiors can absorb smells, but there are new products that actually
absorb dreaded foul odors rather than just mask them. We've tested a few
and they seem to work.
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