8 Car Cleaning Hacks You’ve Been Cleaning Without!

8 Car Cleaning Hacks You’ve Been Cleaning Without!

We don’t know about you, but here in suburban Ohio, we are working and making our way through the dead of winter and the recent temperatures and down right frigid - even for Ohio standards.  Since you are probably all cooped up nice and warm somewhere next to a fire, we wanted to make sure you had access to only the finest of reading material to keep your thoughts fresh and free of all that winter weather trash talk about how many inches of snow you got compared to cousin Eddie across town.

Vent Dusting With A Foam Craft Brush

Those pesky air vents can be a painstaking area to try to free of dust and dirt.  Pickup a foam craft brush and that will help you reach those spots that are tough to reach and get to with those hard working hands of yours. 

Screwdriver To Remove Dirt From Crevices 

If you have dust and dirt collecting in your vents, you surely have some building up in those hard to reach crevices and cracks along your trim and gear shifter, it’s time to give them some cleaning attention too. Take a flathead screwdriver and throw a microfiber cloth over the tip of the tool and run it across those crevices and you’ll free them of that dirt buildup.

Check Your Air Filter

It’s a task that is supposed to be done according to your driver’s manual, but when was the last time you saw that thing? If it’s been a few months and you’ve been smelling  a not-so-nice smell look into swapping out your air filter! 

Back Seat Trash Bag - Get One!

Kids?  Pets? Maybe a combination of both? We bet if you look hard enough, you’ll find some trash in the cupholders in the back or some trash that simply goto left behind squished in between the seats. We can all relate. Do yourself a favor and take a grocery sack, or you can even order a nicer option that matches your interior that will collect the kiddos and pet trash that somehow always gets left behind. Less trash = less questionable backseat smells. Seems like a no-brainer to us. 

Condition The Dashboard With Vaseline

No - we aren’t that crazy. Hear us out, spread a small amount of vaseline across your dash and rub it in and your dash will be shining in no time! 

 Remove Car Stickers With A Hair Dryer

New. Used. We’ve seen them all. Cars of various shapes and sizes seem to have all sorts of stickers on them. If it’s time to move on, pull out the hair dryer to heat up the sticker and use a razor blade to remove the excess residue and that spot will be looking like new! 

Snack Basket

You don’t have to be a rideshare driver to have a snack basket. Trust us. Who doesn't like a little snack or two when you are stuck in traffic or waiting to pick the kids up from school? Throw a couple granola bars, water bottles, and a favorite candy bar of choice in there to please the appetites of all your riders.  

Cleaning Headlights With Toothpaste 

This final hack is an oldie, but a goodie. Have your headlights seen better days? Toothpaste. That’s it. That’s the solution. Well, along with a  scrub or two - you can have your headlights shining bright in no time just like old times when you first rolled that beaut of a vehicle off the lot and into your driveway for the first time. 


Now you know! We tell you like it is, because at the end of the day - everyone loves a fresh clean car. Does your car need a fresh wash or a detail from top to bottom? Stop by one of our many area Cleveland suburban locations. At Zappy’s Auto Washes: Where we clean it, like it down it!