New Year’s Resolutions 10 Ways to Help You Keep Your Car Clean

Posted January 4, 2019 by Chris Blaisdell, Onsite Detail

It’s the time of year where we do our best to shed the bad habits of the old year and build on the new.  Some people go all out with big goals, like traveling the world or working out like it was a full-time job, while others go for smaller things like keeping their room cleaned more regularly or having one less sweet a day.  In the end, we are all ultimately going for the same thing- improving ourselves and accomplishing our goals including better ways to take care of ourselves and our surroundings.

With that in mind, how many of us consider taking care of our cars as part of our New Year’s Resolution?  I don’t just mean keeping up with regular oil changes and adjusting tire pressure- I mean taking care of your car, keeping it clean and protected.  Our cars do a lot of work for us, getting us to jobs, visits, errands, and vacations. Yet not many of us take a lot of time to keep it clean as a form of maintenance and prevention.  This may seem trivial, but taking care of your car can lead to benefits you may not have considered, from keeping your car healthy to taking care of yourself. Among these ten ways to help keep your car clean, you will also find reasons this Resolution will help you in our new 2019.  Thankfully all of these ideas are absolutely possible with help from Onsite Detail, even for those who don’t have the time, energy, or ability to do them (because let’s be real, the majority of us are busy people)! Without further ado, here are ten ways to keep your vehicle clean for your New Year’s Resolution!

1. Engine Cleaning

Our vehicle engines do a lot of work for us and deserve to be treated well so they function better and last longer. Aside from necessary mechanical maintenance, cleaning out engine areas and detailing it does more than making it look new it can help the engine run better and more smoothly removing all the caked-on dust, dirt, and debris. It can also potentially help reveal any potential mishaps coming your way.  One client had an engine detail service done by us to help maintenance workers find a leak later that day. Others just find peace of mind knowing they can open a hood and be able to tell the difference between dirt and damage. Doing this a few times a year is an optional but effective way to keep your engine in check!

2. Hand Washes

Who likes a dirty vehicle? Well, maybe those off-roading guys wear the dirt caked on their vehicle with pride but most of us would rather be driving a fresh shiny car or truck down the road. Not only does it feel and look great but it is also better for the vehicle itself. Leaving dirt and grime on a vehicle for long periods of time can damage the paint, plastic, and other parts of the vehicle, sometimes to the point of no return.

Sometimes people call me and ask why a hand wash is preferred over an automatic car wash.  And to that, I have quite a few answers! For starters, car washes can cause swirl marks and micro scratches to appear in the paint with overly aggressive methods and dirty brushes. In the long run that will cost more to correct and repair.  For another, hand washes can be more thorough and detailed, and our hand washes include all the details most automatic car washes are not equipped to get including under door handles, door jambs, mirrors, wheels, wheel wells, and rims. Even if we are not doing the hand wash for you, hand washing your car can feel empowering, as well as help you notice any nicks and dings you may have missed before that need repair from a body shop!

3. Protection

Paint sealants and waxes are more than just making your car shiny, though that is a benefit!  Protecting a car’s paint and other surfaces can help prevent oxidation and other damage to the clear coat, plastic and metals. Some waxes can hide blemishes if applied properly as well.  Doing this every 2 to 6 months means it’ll be easy to keep to your resolution while also preventing long-term damage that will cost big bucks to repair if ignored.

4. That One Odd Spot

Sometimes life happens and you end up with tree sap, tar, scratches, or some other kind of unwanted blemish on your vehicle.  While some are willing to shrug and live with it, it can still will be bothersome whenever you see it. You paid a lot for your car, so why let something like that demoralize you?  Taking the time to remove the blemish is much like taking care of those rock chips on your windshield- not only does it feel good to take care of, it can prevent potential long-term issues later. Take care of these small issues as they happen and before they before a big problem for you. If you don’t have the time or the knowledge of what to do we are happy to help you out!

5. Child Seats

This obviously does not apply to everyone, but those with child seats in their car know that the children who sit in them, no matter how precious, can and will make messes. You may be tempted to “not worry about it” because it’s just going to get dirty again, but a child’s car seat left uncleaned can be a breeding ground for germs, molds, and bacteria. Not only is it nice to not put your child in a sticky gooey car seat but it will also keep them safe from those nasty illness-causing things. We at Onsite Detail can take care of that with our thorough Child Seat Cleaning service, so you can keep your kid’s areas sanitized, neat, and tidy!  This doesn’t mean just vacuuming them either, we go as far as steam cleaning and shampooing the car seats to take care of stains and grime.

6. Vacuum and Wipe Down

Keeping the inside of the car clean is important for personal well-being.  Dust and dirt can easily get on the headliner and in our seats, and being surrounded by uncleanliness can make us feel down on ourselves.  Taking the time to dust, vacuum, and wipe down the inside of your vehicle not only gives you a sense of control over the car but also takes initiative on helping you feel better.  Taking even twenty to thirty minutes every few weeks makes this a worthwhile endeavor!

7. Interior Detailing

Some of us lose track of time and our cars’ interiors take the toll to the point that vacuuming and wiping down the inside won’t be enough to get the job done.  Maybe there was a spill or accident that has begun to leave a smell or the basic cleaning can’t take care of the finer details or get much dirt or grime out of carpets or seats.  Taking a day to do a full Interior Detail might be the way to go. Not only does it take care of long-term grime, it gets in the parts of a car you may not even think about like pockets, crevices, and under seats and the mats.  Not sure you have the time? At Onsite Detail, we offer an Interior Detail service that takes about two hours on average, and with us going to you, that’s almost no time at all! It makes it easy for you to get the interior detail done and still get everything else done you need to.

8. Clay Bar Treatment

Clay bar treatment is a process that detailers use to remove contaminants from the vehicle’s paint and smooth it out.  In short, it takes care of many things a regular hand wash cannot! Not only will your car’s exterior look better, but it will also feel better too.  Why not take the extra step to ensure all the contaminants are removed from your car’s paint? Your car will look and feel great. You will feel great as well.

9. Pet Hair Removal

Many of us have furry family members that we bring everywhere with us.  However, that can lead to lots of pet hair being left behind in your vehicle!  Pet hair is not only unsightly, it can cause people with allergies to struggle.  Taking care of pet hair can be satisfying since you can see the results of the work quickly!  It also helps pave the way for putting down covers to keep pet hair off at a later time. You and your pet will be happier for it!

10. Annual Packages at Onsite Detail

As was said early on, many of us are super busy.  We may not have the time or resources to take care of our cars to great lengths, or even to consistent ones.  However, to make your Resolution happen we have a special service: annual packages. Setting these flexible services up means paying upfront but taking 20% off the services you want to be done for your vehicle for at least a year, as well as consistent appointments to have us come and take care of your car.  Call our office for more information, we would love to set one up to make your New Year’s Resolutions happen!

These are just a good handful of ways to keep your car clean this year, with benefits to yourself to keep in mind when moving forward.  We at Onsite Detail wish you a Happy New Year, and we look forward to detailing your vehicles all through 2019 and beyond!

by Miranda Hughes, Onsite Detail