Here in Edmonton Alberta, we know how much dirt and debris each season brings with it. Whether it’s the salt, sand, gravel and slushy boots of winter, the mud and grime of spring and summer, or the leaf and twig debris of fall, our cars collect a lot of dirt over the months! Combine all this with regular usage (hello fast food containers and sticky handprints!), and you can see that your car’s upholstery and flooring need to be regularly cleaned for proper maintenance and a longer life. Read on for our best 5 tips for keeping your car’s interior clean, looking and feeling brand new.
1. Accessorize For Cleanliness
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! In this case, that means protecting your car’s surfaces so they don’t get as dirty in the first place. Consider buying heavy duty rubber floor mats, especially if you live where you experience a wet and snowy winter. These mats will trap more water and slush and dirt than a regular mat, and since you can simply take them out and clean them separately they will save you from extra vacuuming and deep cleaning. If you transport pets regularly, seat protectors (or even pet carriers!) are also a must.
2. Change Your Cabin Air Filter
This is a bit of maintenance that most people overlook, or don’t even know about! Your car has an air filter called a cabin air filter that helps remove pollutants, like pollen and dust and air pollution, from the air you breathe inside your car. Particularly in an Edmonton winter, we tend to drive with the windows rolled up for months (of course we do!), which can lead to a dank, stale smell inside the car. Changing this filter regularly keeps your car’s interior smelling fresh and clean, and ensures that you are being exposed to fewer airborne respiratory irritants from the air outside.
3. Vacuum Regularly
Regular vacuuming is an essential task to keep your car looking great, and also to protect your investment! All the dirt, gravel, mud, etc is very abrasive, and if not cleaned up regularly can cause fibre damage. This will make your carpet wear out much faster. We are so hard on the interior of our cars in general, and regular cleaning helps so much. Before vacuuming, remember to properly clean up all the trash and debris that has accumulated since your last clean. Rocks, leaves, candy wrappers, water bottles…anything too big to be vacuumed up should be removed first. Be thorough! Look under the seats and in every nook and cranny. Once you are confident that the large debris has been removed, give your entire car a good vacuuming. Remember to not only vacuum your winter mats, but also lift them out of your car to clean underneath them. You’d be surprised just how much can build up there.
4. Leave Your Carpets for Last
The best way to clean your car is from top to bottom. This way, you’re not swiping any of the dirt or grime from your dashboard onto your freshly vacuumed carpets or upholstery. Wipe windows and dashes first, and vacuum the seats and doors next, working your way down to the floor of your car. This will ensure you don’t have to do any of this work twice!
5. Deep Clean Your Carpets and Upholstery
Regular vacuuming, while important, can only take you so far. Just like you do with the carpets in your home, once a year let the professionals give the interior of your car the deep clean that it deserves. AmSteam offers expert vehicle upholstery cleaning, guaranteed to restore your vehicle to almost brand-new beauty. We can clean anything upholstered, not just the floors! Mats, seats, and even the doors if they have upholstery, can get the AmSteam treatment. And to make it very easy, we will come to you!
Why hire AmSteam instead of “the other guys” that offer carpet shampooing as part of a bigger detailing package? There is a big difference between professional steam-cleaning and carpet shampooing. When detailers shampoo a carpet, they spray it with soap and suck the soap back out. There is a very good chance that there will be sticky soap residue left in your carpet, which will attract dust and dirt like a magnet and your carpets and upholstery will become dirtier, faster. Compare this to a professional grade truck-mounted steam-cleaning machine, operated by a certified technician, who will be certain to remove all soap residue properly! There is no question which method will result in a longer-lasting clean. We spend so much time in our vehicles every day, week, and year, between commuting to work, travelling for pleasure, driving kids to activities, and running errands. If you have to be in your car, make sure it is a pleasant, clean environment that doesn’t cause you stress and strain. Book your appointment today!