The sunny weather is arriving and it’s time to clean the stubborn bits of winter off of your car. To save money on expensive, specialized car cleaners, read these 7 uncommon tips and tricks for making your own at home, courtesy of the Speers Auto Glass team!
7 Uncommon Cleaning Tricks
1. Window Cleaner
You can use window cleaner on your auto glass to get rid of streaks and smudges if you want a quick clean without bringing out the hose or taking a trip to the car-wash. You can even use window cleaner to polish your headlights.
2. Clean Windshield with Cola
When it rains, especially after dry spells, a dirty windshield can turn into a grimy mess that’s hard to wash off. One of the strangest ways to clean your windshield is with the fizz found in cola. To get rid of distracting blotches and streaks, start by laying a towel along the bottom of your windshield to protect the paint on the hood. Then, slowly pour cola all over the windshield. The bubbles from the fizz in the cola with eat away the grime. After a few minutes, use water and cleaning solution to wash off the cola. Make sure that you wash all of it off, as the cola will get sticky and attract bugs, dirt, dust and other stuff that you don’t want on your clean windshield.
3. Baby Wipes
Another unusual way to keep your auto glass clean without spending a lot of money, or doing a lot of work is to clean them with baby wipes. They can be stored easily in your car and pulled out whenever you need a quick clean. One wipe surprisingly does a lot of work.
4. Windshield Wipers
If your windshield wipers get dirty they won’t be very good at keeping your windshield clear. Don’t forget to occasionally clean them with water and cleaning solution; gently lift the wipers and clean all sides with paper towel or an old cloth soaked in the water and solution. Make sure you wipe them dry before putting them back into place.
5. Baking Soda
Instead of spending extra money on a specialized cleaning solution, you can use water and baking soda to make your own at-home car cleaner. Take a jug with a screw-on cap and fill it with ¼ baking soda, ¼ liquid dish soap, and fill the rest of the jug with water. Give it a good shake and next time you go to clean your car add your baking soda cleaner to a 2-gallon bucket of water. Stir it all together and your car cleaner is ready to use.
6. Vodka
Want to save money on windshield washer fluid? Well, you can use vodka to make your own windshield washer fluid. Who knew right? Take 3 cups of cheap vodka, 4 cups of water and 2 teaspoons of liquid dish washing detergent and put it in a jug with a screw top; shake well. Then pour the fluid into the reservoir.
7. Don’t Air Dry
Letting your car air dry after washing can leave water marks and soap streaks on your windshield and other auto glass. Take a dry cloth and give your car a quick wipe down to get rid of excess water.
Did you notice cracks or chips after you cleaned your windshield? Call Speers Auto Glass at (905) 339-0339 and have your windshield repaired in Burlington today!