You Need to Spring Clean Your Car’s Exterior Too

Although parts of the country are waking up to cold temperatures this morning, it is technically spring — which means it’s time for some spring cleaning. And your car is no exception.

While the first thing you think of may be vacuuming out the inside of your vehicle, washing the windows, and getting all the crumbs out of crevices between seats, the exterior needs your attention, too.

This is especially the case after winter, when you’ve probably accumulated all kinds of debris and salt residue (if you live somewhere with snow and ice, that is). Here are a few ways to spring clean the exterior of your car.

Clean the undercarriage

The bottom of your vehicle is the part that’s exposed to all the salt and other winter muck all season, but because it’s out of sight, it’s easy to forget about when washing your car.

Sure, you can ask for it to be cleaned if you take your car to a carwash, but it’s something you can do yourself. All you need is a garden hose, a sprinkler, and some patience. This post from It Still Runs breaks down the process.

Check your windshield wiper blades

Take a look at your windshield wiper blades, and test them out by cleaning your windshield as you would while driving. At a minimum, you’re going to want to wipe them off, to get rid of any leftover winter schmutz. Test them again, and if they’re still leaving streaks or gaps, it may be time to replace the wiper blades.

Switch out your tires

If you put winter tires on your car, now’s the time to switch back to your regular ones.

Clean out exterior crevices

Open the hood and clean out any dead leaves, dirt, or other debris that may have accumulated along the inside perimeter. Do the same along your roof crevices, including sunroof gutters, if you have them. If these air-intake spaces are blocked, they could make your vehicle less efficient.