Got a suggestion for transforming your car from toxic waste nightmare to hygienic masterpiece? Great! Share it here.
Sell it and buy a bicycle?
Drive it less, walk, carpool or take a bus more often.
Keep it maintained a drive like a grandmother to reduce the fuel usage/pollution.
Make it the last car you ever buy.
Park it next to a trash can at your local fast food place, then throw away all the junk in there. Most trash piles up because there’s no where to put it.
When cleaning the dashboard with a spray cleaner/conditioner, the spray gets all over the inside of the front window. To avoid this, I took a large flat piece of cardboard and cut one of the long edges so that the corners are rounded to fit into the corners of the front window. On the other long edge, I cut a notch for the rear-view mirror. This allows me to hold the cardboard up to the window tightly to act as a barrier to prevent the dash cleaner from spattering on the window glass.
I bought a detail brush at a local auto parts store. It is round and has nice long bristles that are about 2" long. I keep this handy in the console, then when I’m sitting in traffic or waiting for a long traffic signal, I get the bush and dust around the crevices (like A/C vents), dials and knobs that collect dust. It’s just a way of helping keep the dash area looking nice.
I need help cleaning the engine! I’ve got an older car that has never had the engine cleaned and is now completely dirty! What is the best way to completely clean and shine my engine compartment? Thanks!
Are you talking about cleaning the car itself or making it less toxic to the environment? If it is the later then I’m thinking of bringing my 1982 AMC Concord to the junk yard just to get it off the road. It still runs and the body is in pretty good shape for a Maine car considering that the state uses a lot of road salt and calcium cloride. Maybe as a last hurrah I should donate it to a local demolition derby…any takers?
To clean my engine, I use Simple Green, full strength, applied from a spray bottle, like an empty Windex spray bottle. I use this on all my car’s engines when I first buy a car, doing it about once a month or so. My engines always look new, even after 5 years. Simple Green gets most of the crud off if I let it sit, then I spray it with off with a hose, taking care to not spray directly on the electronics or the dip sticks. If your engine has thick road grime and old grease on it, Simple Green won’t help. You’ll need a professional steam cleaning.
Don’t use dishwashing soap on your car’s paint: it strips all wax, and prolonged, repeated use eats at the clear coat (occasional use is OK). I don’t like the advice of diluting mild soap, whatever that soap is.
Automotive soap exists for a reason and it’s not just to charge you more money. Good automotive shampoo/soap: A) doesn’t strip the existing wax, B) designed to lubricate the surface, suspending dirt particles above it, so when you slide your mitt, you’re not grinding the dirt into the paint. When you have a black or a dark car, that’s a difference you can appreciate.
There is a “don’t use expensive overpriced products” theme going through these tips, but you don’t have to break the bank to have a sparkling clean, shiny car. Sure, mild soap may be cheaper, but only by pennies a wash.
I’ve tried all sorts of detailing products, from Turtle Wax to Zaino, and let me tell you, these days, you can find some great car care products in a local store at very reasonable prices. So here is my budget-but-looks-awesome list of stuff you can find in a local auto store:
CAR WASH: Meguiar’s Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo, 64oz for $10. Using 1oz per gal (2 gal per wash), you get 32 washes, that’s 31 cents a wash! You can’t even make a public phone call for that little anymore. This soap is one of the best values. It’s surprisingly nicer than cheaper stuff like Blue Coral. There’s no reason to buy anything cheaper.
DRYING TOWEL: Don’t use a chamois, as it doesn’t have anywhere for the dirt to go. If the wind blows some dirt over while you dry or you miss a spot, you’ll just drag that dirt across the paint with a chamois. Instead, use a large, plush microfiber towel. I like the big yellow one that I found at my local Target store. With a microfiber towel, there’s a nap that the stray dirt can go under.
INTERIOR: Don’t use ArmorAll Protectant, as if it is not applied again and again, it will dry up and make your dashboard look cracked. Instead, scoot to EMS or a local store that sells fiberglass boats and pick up some 303 Aerospace Protectant. It’s water-based, not silicone-based, and will not do anything nasty to your plastic interior. You can also use it on tires for a dark, not bling-bling glossy look. Spray interior cleaner on a microfiber or a cotton towel and wipe it on, instead of spraying it directly on the panel. This avoids overspray. Meguiar’s #40 is my favorite interior cleaner and dressing, but you have to go to a local bodyshop store to buy it.
CAR WAX: Mother’s FX SynWax lasts weeks longer than natural carnauba waxes. You are more likely to find this at a local store. It’s a synthetic wax, which means very little goes a long way. It’s easy to apply: you use just a bit (enough to make it haze, but not any more, otherwise you’re just wasting it).
I use about 1.5oz for my entire car. At 2oz per car, that’s 12 wax applications out of a $15 bottle. Use a nice, soft microfiber applicator. Wipe on to haze, wait 10-15, buff out (buffs out easily). No hard buffing in or out required (so your arms don’t fall off).
Harder to find, but my favorite all-around wax is Meguiar’s #21 synthetic sealant. It’s what that I recommend to all my friends. You have to go to a local body shop store that carries Meguiar’s Professional line. $20 for a 16oz bottle seems insane, but you end up using only 1.5-2oz per car, and it lasts 4 months! (Speaking from my own experience.) It’s good for lazy people like me, who want the wax protection to last through the winter.
AND NOW THE MOST USEFUL TIP! Next time you wax the car, after washing it, before waxing it, “CLAY” the car! To clay is to use a clay bar to clean your paint from surface contamination. (Clay Magic for $10-11 is the absolute best deal, do not buy any overpriced Meguiar’s or Mother’s, they have less bar for more money). Basically, you spray lubricant (quick detailer) on a body panel, and glide the clay bar gently over it. It will pick up road tar, grime, paint overspray, bugs, etc. When the side making contact with the paint gets dirty, simply fold the dirty part in, stretching the clean side over. Now you have a new clean side.
You will be amazed at how smooth-feeling your paint will be after claying. It will also look that much better no matter what wax you use, because you are not waxing over all this stuff. Next time you wash your car, put your hand in a sandwich bag and glide it over the paint at the bottom of your doors, or rear of your trunk. If you never detailed your 2+ year old car, chances are it will feel like sandpaper. After the clay bar, the paint will be brand-new smooth.
You only need to clay once or twice a year, depending on how much you drive.
You can also buy an engine degreaser (e.g. Stoner’s brand), which may work better than Simple Green in some circumstances. But Simple Green works quite well for most people.
Warm up your engine before cleaning it (but don’t have it HOT, just warm), to help evaporate water.
So how do you clean a steering wheel that’s covered with one of those great sewn-on leather covers?
For cleaning leather, I have found Bluemagic Leather and vinyl cleaner works good followed by a good quality leather conditioner such as Meguiar’s
A dollop of baking soda on a very wet sponge is incredibly effective for removing even the toughest bug stains on windshields, front bumper, and side mirrors. I also use it on the hood and it seems to not affect the car finish but I suggest you try that in a discreet spot first on your own car.
I think all of the stuff that astral said was dead on. Astral, I have a question for you though because I think you know what you are talking about. I have a white 03 Camry that has, what I’m told is, “impact” on the body. The guys at the car wash said that I’ve run the car through the car wash and the wax that was sprayed on dried into the paint. There are streaks and run marks in the paint. Also, overall, the paint seems “dull”. Now, my wife is the one that took the thing to the car wash and that is when we noticed this problem. Since then I’ve taken it to a guy who claims to be a car detail person. Clearly he is not. Not only could he not remove the “impact” from the car, but he washed and waxed over it. Not to mention the terrible job he did on the inside, but that’s another story all together. So my question is this: How do I get everything off the car? Strip it so to speak. Can I use mild dish washing liquid? I want to use the suggestions that you have posted here, but I have to get everything off of it first. If you, or anyone, can help I sure would appreciate it. Thanks so much gang!
Hey lunchboxx, you?re on the right track to want to get everything off the car’s finish. It?s time to start over. To get started, you don?t need any fancy car care products, but you should have a basic set of items: (1) a genuine lambs wool or good quality microfiber wash mitt, (2) chamois (synthetic works fine and doesn?t have an objectionable wet leather smell) or good quality microfiber drying towel, (3) stiff bristle tire scrub brush, and (4) cheap cotton wash mitt for cleaning the wheels (don?t use your good wash mitt on the wheels). That?s your starter set. Working in the shade with the car finish cool to the touch, you?re ready to begin.
STEP 1: For the first time, mix about 1 ounce of liquid dish detergent in about 2 gallons of cool, clear wash water. Dawn detergent is particularly effective at removing coatings from the finish, including road spray, oils, and silicone-laden ?wax? products. This is key. These contaminants, particularly silicone, prevent wax from bonding with the painted surface of your car, and so will rob your finish of any protection from the elements. Wash the vehicle and rinse with a generous stream of clear water. Rinse out your wash pail and start over, washing the entire car a second time in the same manner. Dry the vehicle, rinsing the chamois frequently in clear water. A word of caution: using liquid dishwashing detergent is not recommended for regular washing, because it strips all the wax off the paintwork. But in your case, for the first time, it is necessary in order to properly prep the paint for the steps that follow. In other words, do it just this once, then use a car wash shampoo specially formulated to not remove wax. I use either Griot’s Garage or Zaino Brothers, but most better brands market their own versions and they’re readily available locally or over the Internet.
STEP 2: Now you will need some commercial car care products. You have to do 2 things to restore your finish, and each one has its purpose; skipping either one will not give you the superior results you are looking for. First, you must remove all of the embedded impurities on the finish. These are not removed by washing alone. For this purpose, you need detailing clay, along with a suitable lubricant spray. Clay bars are available from better automotive shops or Internet retailers (Meguiars, Griot’s Garage, Zaino, and others). There are commercial lubricants available, often referred to as detailing spray, but I find that a very mild solution of car wash shampoo mixed with water works just as well; just spray enough on your work surface to keep the clay from sticking as you rub it over the finish. You will have to experiment with how much rubbing is needed, but it should quickly become apparent as the clay will glide more easily as contaminants are removed. For starters, try about 10-15 back and forth and side to side strokes in a small area (2’ x 2’ is the area that most people can comfortably reach with each stroke of the arm). This can be done to all exterior car surfaces, including paintwork, brightwork and lighting lenses. If you use a commercial lubricant, buff off any lubricant left in the small area you just clayed. If you use a shampoo solution for lubrication, you will have to rinse and dry off the vehicle again after you have finished claying the entire car. Second, you must remove the microscopic top layer of dull, scratched paint that?s keeping your car from shining. For this purpose, you will need a good quality automotive polish, designed for the method you intend to use to polish your car. If you have access to a random orbital buffer, you need machine polish; if you will be polishing by hand, use a hand polish. Polish is not the same thing as wax; it contains polishing agents that break down into progressively smaller particles as you work it over the surface. It is this polishing action that removes oxidized paint and even microscopic superficial scratches referred to as swirls or spider webbing. The smaller the polishing particles, the higher the finish can be burnished. This is the step that will decide how good the final result will look. If you take the time and effort to carefully, thoroughly polish (or even polish more than once, using progressively finer grades of polish each time), the result will be spectacular. There are many fine polishes on the market. I favor Sonus SFX or Menzerna polishes, either of which come in 3 grades of abrasiveness, applied by random orbital buffer set to between 4.5 and 6. Do not use anything called rubbing compound. Buff the polished area with a good quality microfiber buffing cloth, using back and forth and side to side motions. All polishes will leave a certain amount of chalky residue as you buff. A quick puff will blow it from the work surface.
STEP 3: At this stage, your car?s finish should be restored to like-new luster, but now it does not have any protective coating. For that purpose, you need a good grade of natural wax (a carnauba content of around 30% is favored by traditional purists for its ?wet? look) or synthetic acrylic sealant (favored by those who want more durable protection). Here, too, there are many good products to choose from. I prefer P21S carnauba or Zaino Brothers synthetic sealant (Menzerna and Klasse are 2 other brands to consider). These should be applied by hand, using a foam wax applicator pad available anywhere. Then buff with a good quality microfiber buffing cloth (not the same one you used for buffing off polish), turning the cloth frequently. A good quality wax will not produce any dusty residue when buffed clean. If chalky residue was produced in the polishing step, you may want to rinse and dry the car now as the final step. One reminder: for the reason I mentioned earlier, avoid car care products that contain silicone; the best ones don?t, and their labels say so.
STEP 4: Stand back and admire! By this time, you?ve invested at least 6 hours, so enjoy the result.
Here’s a photo of a 20+ year old car that I regularly detail for its owner. Your 4-year old Camry should have no trouble sparkling again. I hope this isn’t more than you wanted to know.
There’s still a potential problem here, Dan. You may have taken care of the overspray onto the windows, but aerosols used anywhere inside the cabin of the car are bad for electrical wiring and components. The better practice when cleaning the interior is to spray the cleaner onto the applicator (outside the vehicle) and then do your cleaning. Nice try on the cardboard, but if you’re not covering the electrical system while you’re at it, you can still do some serious damage.
Cal,
The dashboard conditioner I typicaly use is not “aerosol”, it’s simply a liquid that’s in a pump bottle. I never spray the stuff inside vent openings. I only spray the stuff on large surface areas. For vent areas and tight areas, I soak a rag with the stuff then apply. I’ve been cleaning the dash and console areas on my car which is now 6 years old, and I’m happy to say, it looks like new. I guess if I’m destroying the electrical system, that will be the problem of the next owner. But in the mean time, the dash and console looks new, as do my leather seats.
I’ve always saved the glass cleaning for last. I use Armor-All or a suitable generic version on the dash and plastic components and overspray onto the windshield to my heart’s content. Then I clean the windows (including windshield) with a decent glass cleaner and that does a nice job clearing the Armor-All residue.
ki4amd,
I used to simply spray the dashboard letting the overspray hit the window. I just had a much more difficult time cleaning the windshield. The dash spray wasn’t the easiest thing to get off the window, especially lying in the position I needed to be in to get the window clean. I just figured using a piece of cardboard would help keep extra crud off the window. The cardboard also comes in handy when doing the reverse: I use the cardboard to cover the dash (after it’s nice and clean) to prevent the window cleaner from misting all over the dash and spotting up the clean shine. For a third purpose, I use the cardboard to cover the door windows when I spray leather or vinyl conditioner / cleaner on the door panels.
A wet ‘Bounce’ sheet will effectively remove dried bugs, road tar, and bird poop. Be sure to wash and rewax the area after using the dryer sheet. It even works on the fabric covering of my airplane, which smashes a LOT of bugs!
I prefer the two bucket method. One just clear water, one soapy. Wash the car, rinse in one bucket, resoap in the other.
On the interior, including the windows, I use a microfiber cloth to clean. On the windows I use it dry and it pulls all the smudges and plasticisers off. On the plastics I use it damp. Usually no cleaners at all. I find it to be very effective.
The only treatments I ever put on the plastics is leather conditioner, and wipe off the excess. The non-silicone based treatment he mentioned is good too. That’s the same kind of stuff I use on the tires.
Meguires has some very nice microfiber products for drying the car.