Toronto Cleaning Tips

We all want our cars to have that “like new” feel, even if the car is a few months, years, or even decades old. However, apart from covering the seats with plastic and refusing to drive even to the store and back is there anything you can do to maintain your automotive vinyl? Sure there is- clean it.

The Stain Game

One of the hardest parts about cleaning vinyl is determining what is making it so dirty. If you are facing unknown stains, then you will need to get down and dirty. It’s always best to treat a stain right away, but, this is not always possible, especially if you were not aware that the stain was there. Old coffee cups from those morning commutes to work, a melted ice cream cone from that trip to the zoo or a missing M&M that got stuck under your bum on the ride home from the movies can easily become annoying stains later on. The first thing you need to do is determine what the stain is.

For some of the trickier stains, such as gum, you may need to get a chemical composition that can freeze the sticky mess in place and thus allow you to scrap it off later. Any stain that is sugar based, such as cola, chocolate or most of the other stain culprits can be removed with a spot remover. Finally, grease, which can often look like cola, will respond to a grease remover. Because you are dealing with vinyl, a good rubbing should do the trick.

Regular Cleaning

Once the stains have been dealt with, you can get down to business- cleaning the automotive vinyl so it shines like new. The best way to do this is with a specialty formulated vinyl cleaning product. Use some elbow grease and wash all seats and vinyl coverings with a clean rag or paper towel. Because you are dealing with vinyl, you do not have to worry about getting out the steam cleaner.

After you have dusted off the seats and other vinyl coverings, make sure you leave the doors open for a little while. This will get rid of the unwanted smells. You can also invest in an air freshener, especially ‘new car smell’ which can really help return your vehicle to that nostalgic new car time.

Preventative Matters

Of course, the best defense against stains is a strong offense. Although it may be difficult to find the time, try to give your car a good clean and vacuum twice a month. If you cannot manage that, then at least check it over, remove any garbage, unwanted coffee cups, water bottles, shoes, towels and hats that somehow get lost in your vehicle.

So whether you are restoring an old car to you, trying to sell your car and want to get the most money out of it, or simply tired of driving around in musty stained seats, it is completely possible to get that ‘like-new’ feel with a little care.