THESE clever tricks will save you a fortune on specialty car cleaning products.
And you don’t need endless instructions or hours of careful planning to keep your engine looking fresh.
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Brits can save a fortune on car maintenance with these simple life hacksImage Credit: Getty – Contributor
According to cleaning experts, there are several everyday items that can keep your vehicle in tip-top shape.
Toothpaste, WD40, hair conditioner – and even vodka could be the answer to your driving problems.
They help remove ugly stains from your paintwork and even clean your headlights.
These are the best car cleaning tricks using simple household items to save time and money.
toothpaste
Headlamp housings can get dirty and cloudy over time and reduce the effectiveness of your lights.
While headlight restoration kits can be purchased, toothpaste can work wonders too.
Just apply some toothpaste on a cloth and scrub the outside of the lamp, then rinse and wipe it off to see instant results.
hair conditioner
Rinse your car with soap and water and, once the car is completely clean, fill a bucket with 500 ml of water and mix it with 125 ml of hair conditioner.
Then wipe the motor with a clean cloth and rinse completely.
You get a sparkling body that looks like new. Faster and easier than waxing.
olive oil
Cleaning your dashboard with olive oil is much cheaper than using polish to give you the look of a new car.
Simply dab something on a cloth and wipe away.
If you’re more of a spray-oil household, cooking spray is also great for removing dead bugs and tough grime from the front of your engine.
screwdriver
Even the most powerful vacuum cleaners won’t pick up all of the crumbs and dust stuck in the cracks of your car’s interior consoles.
Use a flathead screwdriver to scrape them out and you will notice a much cleaner looking interior.
Nail polish
While it may seem ridiculous, the beauty product can actually help fix minor scratches on your car.
If you have very light stains in the top layer of varnish, clear varnish can be applied to fill in the clear varnish.
And if you can find a color similar to your car’s paintwork, a light coat of paint on a deeper scratch can be enough to hide the mark from the untrained eye.
Then just put a coat of clear lacquer on top to restore a clean finish.
paint brush
The vents on your air conditioner can store dust and dirt and are often overlooked when cleaning your interior.
Use a brush to clean the slots to avoid breathing in unpleasant particles.
Washing-up liquid
Don’t think that you need to buy expensive exterior car wash products.
Regular detergent is good enough to clean hubcaps or alloy wheels.
But be sure to wash it off quickly to avoid streaking.
Pool noodle
Anyone with a tight garage knows the pain of opening the car door into the wall.
To protect your engine from damage, tape a piece of pool noodle to the wall where you normally park.
Baking soda and vinegar
Cloth upholstery can easily pick up stains and hold on to lingering odors that can be a nightmare to remove.
But using a simple mixture of baking soda and vinegar can remove dirt and keep your seats smelling fresh.
Combine the two products into a paste and rub it on upholstery or car mat stains.
Wait for it to dry, then vacuum off the excess.
WD40
WD40 can fix your door hinges, but it works just as well at removing difficult stains from the inside and outside of your car.
The miracle spray even removes car stickers and chewing gum effectively – without damaging the paintwork.
It can also be used to polish up wheel hubs and protect against rust.
vodka
Not a really big problem in summer, but if the temperatures drop in winter you can find that your windshield washer is frozen.
All you need is three cups of vodka, four cups of water and two teaspoons of washing-up liquid. Shake well and pour into your reservoir.
