Everyday Tips to Keeping Your Car Looking Spick and Span

Cleaning your vehicle can easily become one of those tasks we overlook and neglect. Before you know it, you’re looking down at your passenger seat that’s quickly becoming a mountain built on water bottles and Macca’s drink trays. Eventually, a rainy day comes along, or you have plans to pick up your friend for a road trip and you have a wave of motivation to give your car the deep clean it’s been waiting for. Before letting your car get into a state that now seems overwhelming to clean, there is a more efficient method of ensuring your car stays cleaner for longer.

Staying on top of your car’s cleanliness can change your perception of it being a chore. We’re not saying your car has to be spotless 24/7, but if you regularly maintain a clean interior there’s less chance for your messiness to get out of hand. All this means is regularly cleaning small areas of your vehicle each week. Or, implementing different habits and practices that keep your vehicle cleaner. To help you on your way to achieving a clean car you’re proud of, Novus has put together some simple everyday tips you can implement.

Why it’s Important to Keep Your Car Tidy

Before we start listing our top cleaning habits to adopt, let’s start with the why. Other than visual appearance, there’s a host of reasons why you should strive to maintain a tidy car. After all, Australians on average travel approximately 36.4km per day in their vehicle. That’s a lot of time we spend in our vehicles, so it is important they are a pleasant and safe place to be. This also means our cars have great potential to get dirty inside and out, but that’s for a later article! Beyond appearances, the cleanliness of our cars have a bigger impact on our health and safety than you might think.

Before we start listing our top cleaning habits to adopt, let’s start with the why. Other than visual appearance, there’s a host of reasons why you should strive to maintain a tidy car. After all, Australians on average travel approximately 36.4km per day in their vehicle. That’s a lot of time we spend in our vehicles, so it is important they are a pleasant and safe place to be. This also means our cars have great potential to get dirty inside and out, but that’s for a later article! Beyond appearances, the cleanliness of our cars have a bigger impact on our health and safety than you might think.

1. Improves your vehicle’s appearance

This one’s a no brainer, but keeping your car tidy looks better. Just like a clean bedroom, a clean car interior can reduce your stress and make you more comfortable while driving. Keeping your car clean also positively impacts you and others around you. A clean car gives off a better impression and makes passengers more comfortable driving with you.

2. Better for your health

Inside the home, a build-up with dust and bacteria can negatively impact your physical and mental health. Consider your vehicle as an extension of your house, and wipe down any dirty surfaces and high touch areas (we’re looking at your steering wheel especially) with anti-bacterial wipes.

3. Protect the vehicle’s paint/your car

Driving on roads throughout a range of weather conditions easily wears down our car’s paint. Leaving large amounts of dirt on your car becomes vulnerable to scratches due to the abrasive nature of dirt. To combat this, you can clean your car regularly, either by hand or through the car wash if that’s more your style. With a regular wash, dirt is less likely to be embedded into the paint and it will be easier to clean in the long run. So heed our advice, and don’t leave last week’s dirt on your windshield, as it’ll turn into next week’s chore that’s now more difficult to remove.

4. Saves money

Yes, you read that right. Save money by cleaning your car. If you plan on eventually selling your car, then maintaining its cleanliness will help make selling easier and allow you to get a larger return on investment. This is because well-maintained cars require less maintenance, and less spent on repairs when market day arrives. Ultimately, the more you care for your car, the more likely it will last, and in a better condition.

Tips to Keeping Your Vehicle Tidy

Now that you know the importance of keeping your vehicle clean, let’s cover these eight easy tips you can implement into ensuring your car stays as fresh as a daisy.

1. Use air fresheners

Bust out that little green tree and hoist it around your rearview mirror, as air fresheners are the easiest trick to help keep your car smelling crisp. An obvious yet underrated method of keeping your car feeling fresh, air fresheners are a ridiculously affordable way of making your car smell nice. Fragrance plays an important role in the physiological effects of mood, stress, and even working capacity, so it makes sense to keep an air freshener in your car, even if it’s clean. You might already have one stored in your glove compartment, otherwise these fresh-scented felt cutouts are also easy to make yourself. If you’re a fan of DIY projects or want to entertain the kids, then making your own air freshener is a great idea. They also make neat gifts!

2. Keep a small bin

You’re in your car, how likely would you really need a bin? Surprisingly homing a small bin in your car becomes useful in keeping your car clean. Not only will this make your car look cleaner, but will also be easier to empty than picking up individual items scattered around your vehicle. To prevent your bin from overflowing, we suggest you empty it every time you fuel up at the petrol station.

3. Keep wet wipes

Ask any parent and they will tell you wet wipes are a saviour in cleaning up unexpected messes when they’re on the go. Take a leaf out of their book, and store some wet wipes in your glove box. Efficient in cleaning messes when they occur, wet wipes will help avoid you creating any stains and smells. Remember to not flush these wet wipes after use, and to dispose of them in the bin. Even better, you can purchase biodegradable wet wipes!

4. Keep your shoes clean

Our shoes pick up an incredible amount of dirt, sand and debris, so it makes sense as to how your floor mat can become quite a state. To reduce dirt, get into the habit of kicking the dirt, mud or sand off your shoes before you climb in your car. If your shoes are too dirty for this, clean your floor mat as soon as you finish driving, or have a spare clean pair of shoes and a plastic bag to store your dirty shoes in. Keeping a clean clear is as easy as just about being prepared.

5. Avoid eating inside your car

We know it’s tempting to snack whilst driving, especially after a long drive where you may not have had a chance to eat much. Yet you + food is the perfect recipe for getting crumbs all over your car. Whenever you can, avoid eating inside your car. Not only can this create stains on seats, but the crumbs can also attract ants and unwanted insects. Now you not only have a dirty car but are also in need to relocate some pesky critters. If you can’t help but eat in your car, make sure to clean up any messes immediately once you have made it to your destination.

6. Travelling with pets

Our pets are undoubtedly an important member of the family, and understandably we want to take them along with us on all our adventures. While taking them to the beach is the ideal Sunday afternoon for many, the only downside is this leaves an opportunity for sand and pet hair to spread across your car’s interior. To keep the mess at a minimum, when travelling with pets, lay down a thick blanket across the backseat to avoid any scratches in the upholstery, to catch any fur, and keep the scent of your pet out of the seating. Alternatively, if your pet is on the smaller side, you can get a pet carrier.

7. Use organisers

You can purchase all sorts of organisers to help keep your belongings in your car tidy. Depending on your needs and uses, there are many different organisers available to you. Organisers made for the back seat are great if you have kids and travel with toys, snacks, and other essentials. Small divider compartments for your front seat to store things like coins. With organisers, you’ll reduce free-roaming mess, and save some money by keeping your coins together!

8. Clean AC vents

Filtering, circulating and keeping you at a comfortable temperature during your journey, your car’s AC system services multiple important roles. Due to dirt, dust and debris buildup, your AC can cause a bit of a smell like a dirty gym sock. To prevent these odours from occurring, clean your AC vents from the inside by using a fine brush to dust the inside of each individual vent. You can also use a vacuum to suck all the loose dust away. From the outside, spray compressed air into the exterior air intake vents while the ventilation system is running. If you’d like to learn more about how your AC unit works and the methods of cleaning it, Novus already has an article ready and waiting for you.

So there you have it, eight simple tips and tricks to keep your car clean for longer. Whilst it may seem like a lot to adapt to, implementing these habits will be worth it in the long run. After time, you’ll see that these tidiness tips will help keep your car clean less of a chore. If you set a regular schedule and change your attitude about car hygiene, the process can even be enjoyable, especially with a fun Spotify playlist on hand. For advice or products that best keep your vehicle clean, contact Novus and the team of automobile professionals. If you find yourself requiring a glass repair or windscreen replacement, as the windscreen professionals Novus has you covered.