Welcome to the first day of spring! It may not feel completely like Spring yet, but with warmer weather on the way it makes it the perfect season to start thinking of doing some Spring cleaning. Throwing out clothes, de-cluttering, moving furniture, and deep cleaning are all things you might plan to do. What about Spring cleaning for your car?
1. Filter Maintenance
Spring means that pollen season is right around the corner. It is time to check your air filters and replace them with clean ones that can efficiently handle the dirt, pollen, and bugs that are about to start hitting your car. You'll know you are starting Spring by breathing in fresh air! Clean air filters also cause your vehicle to have better fuel efficiency, so you can give your Spring budget a boost, too. We check your filters at every visit as part of our Courtesy Check Sheet, so ask our mechanics if it's time to change yours!
2. Wash Your Car
Maybe this seems like a no-brainer, but if you're only going to do one thing for your car, washing it is the thing to do. It's the time to make sure that you clean off all of the winter salt, dust, and mud. This will help protect your car's paint job, and help keep the undercarriage safe from rust caused by corrosive salt. If you want to go the extra mile, add some wax to keep the paint protected and ready for the summer sun. Plus, having a shiny car just looks so nice in the Spring sunlight.
3. De-Clutter the Interior
During winter, you may have had emergency kits that included some heavier items such as blankets, coats, deicer, boots, etc. When it's cold, we also aren't as likely to make extra trips out to the car to clear out any other clutter that may have piled up. Spring is the perfect time to reevaluate what items you are keeping in your car. Remember - the heavier the contents of your car, the worse it is for the fuel mileage, so you might consider what really needs to be there for the warmer months ahead to save you some money on gas. Having a clutter free space is also just relaxing and stress-free.
4. Vacuum It Out
You've gotten rid of any unnecessary items and clutter - now is the time to bring out the vacuum cleaner (unless you're one of the lucky few who have vehicles with on-board vacuums) and give the car and seats a good once over. Over the winter, those floor mats handled a lot of dirt, snow, and salt and it's a good time to clean them out just in time for all of the Spring dirt, pollen, and grass!
5. Wipe Down the Windows
While you're on a roll with cleaning out your car - don't forget the windows! Visibility out all of the windows is obviously important, but it's also great to be able to enjoy a clear view of all of the beauty that Spring brings to us. Having a streak free windshield is especially important because the sun can catch any streak or smudge on your window and cause a glare that can impair your vision when you're driving. Also may be a good time to check that your wiper blades are in good shape to handle April showers.
Getting excited about Spring cleaning your car? Check out our post about Resolutions for Your Car and see if you're keeping up with those this Spring, too!
What else do you do to clean your car?