October is Fall Car Care Month-Cleaning Your Car

Car care is more than just ensuring that your vehicle is in good mechanical condition.  It also includes cleaning the interior and the exterior.  Cleaning your car can be as simple as running it through a car wash and vacuuming the interior.  However, if you are like me, you probably want to give your vehicle a more thorough cleaning, after all dirt and grime of your summer adventures.

We've included a great checklist to help with the "Fall Cleaning" of your vehicle:

• Wash the exterior.  Regularly cleaning the outside of your vehicle will increase its life.  Cleaning the exterior will keep it looking nice, and prevent rust and grime build up.  Drying the outside with a towel will remove streaks that are left when the car air drys.
• Use a protectant.  This could be wax or another product to protect the exterior from the weather and the salt on the road.  Use rain-x on your windshield to help with visibility on those rainy and snowy days. Wipe down your windshield wipers to keep dirt and muck from being spread over your windshield.
• Clean out the front grille and the bumpers. It might sound simple, but a dryer sheet can clean those nasty bugs off of your grille.  Just put some water in a spray bottle, put a dryer sheet in the spray bottle, spray a little bit on your car, and then wipe it down with another dryer sheet.  Pretty simple, right?  Try it out, it can save you time from scrubbing, and money from purchasing expensive bug cleaners.  Then be sure to add a coat of wax to protect the vehicle for next time!
• Dust out the interior vents. Remove and replace cabin air filters.
• Vacuum carpets.  Move seats and clean underneath.  Clean vinyl and leather.  Use gentle cleaners to help protect your seats.

Driving in a clean car is not only nice, but also helps maintain the life of your vehicle.