Essential Car Cleaning Products You Must Keep at Home
Driving a clean car is definitely a pleasant experience. Besides, keeping a car clean is also important to maintain a good resale value. It is recommended to clean your car on a weekly or daily basis, depending on your driving frequency, but not everyone can easily take out time for a regular car wash. Hence, in such a scenario, cleaning your car by yourself is suggested. However, if you are residing in the UAE, make sure you don’t wash your car in public, else you will be charged a fine by the government.
Maintain a DIY car cleaning kit at home and read on to know what are the must-have tools and products.
DIY Car Cleaning Kit
Here are the must-have items for your car cleaning kit that can aid you in keeping your vehicle in perfect condition:
Microfiber Towels
The first car cleaning equipment that should be in your kit is the microfiber towels. Get at least two of these to rub the basic dirt, such as bird crap, insects, and mud. The second microfiber towel must be kept separate to polish the surfaces that look dull, using the correct liquid, which we’ll mention later. They are cheap, small in size and always at hand. Moreover, these towels are one of the essential products used for cleaning car interior. Plus, they are quite useful when one tends to repair scratched car window glass.
Car Shampoo
Albeit the common notion that most cars are washed with soap, opt for the car shampoo always. When it comes to cleaning the car exterior, none works better than the shampoos. Therefore, search for a really good brand and keep it in your car cleaning kit. You can also get a car shampoo machine that may ease cleaning the exterior of your car.
Washing Mitt
The washing mitt, in addition to the microfiber towel, is recommended for your car cleaning kit arsenal to preserve the paint, makeup lots of suds, and let your hands work the best. When it’s time to shampoo the car, always put on the washing mitt. It will hold plenty of soap and make it easy for your hand to work efficiently.
Rim and Wheel Brush
Cleaning the wheels is an essential part of the car cleaning process. For this purpose, you must have a wheel and rim brush in your car cleaning kit to reach the narrowest crease. A wheel and rim brush is a mandatory tool for your cleaning kit at home. Apart from this, you must also buy essential automotive tools for regular maintenance of your car.
Tyre Shine Spray
The tyre shine spray enhances the look of your wheels, makes it shine perfectly. Therefore, make sure you get a good tyre shine product as it has proven to shield car tyres from wear and tear.
Wet Wipes for Interior Cleaning
Proceeding next to the car interior, keep a packet of protective wet wipes for cars specifically designed to clean leather and plastic surfaces. These wet wipes, having various cleaning agents, make your life much easier as it cleans the dirt and contaminants from your car’s interior.
Duster
An optional tool for your cleaning kit; the dashboard duster is a handy item to clean the dashboard. You can use a microfiber towel alternatively in its place.
Mini Vacuum for Car’s Interior
Cleaning the car from the inside is also mandatory. Other than the bonnet, roof and other exterior parts, car mats are the second dirtiest places that need proper cleaning. While we can’t drive barefoot or keep a dozen mats to replace, a mini vacuum is a perfect solution to keep them clean. Get a car wash vacuum to suck all the dust without you having to do much effort. You can buy car vacuums and various other car electronics in the UAE online as well.
Glass Cleaner/Wipes
There are glass/window cleaning wipes that can make your car windows squeaky clean. In most cases, these cleaning wipes produce a hydrophobic layer on wiping that effectively repels water and removes obstructions from your windshield.
You can alternately get a glass cleaner itself, specifically designed for window treatment with a chemical formula.
Car Wax & Freshener
In the end, give your car a final wash to make it outshine and look equal to, if not better than the expert car washing services. Buy a car wax, if your car shampoo doesn’t have this ingredient, for the final polish. Importantly, get a car air freshener for a refreshing fragrance every time you step into your car.
Fine for Driving a Dirty Car in the UAE
It is worth noting that driving or keeping a dirty car (even in parking for long) is considered an offence in the UAE and may incur fines. For instance, a fine of AED 3,000 is imposed in Abu Dhabi if you keep your car dirty for 30 plus days and AED 500 fine is charged in Dubai for driving or keeping a dirty car parked.
Keeping a car cleaning kit at home is significant when it’s about getting a spotlessly clean look, without spending a lot of money. Washing your car yourself is affordable and you just have to pay one time for the cleaning equipment, tools and products. However, make sure you follow the car cleaning tips when you do it yourself. Most of the car cleaning tools, products and other auto parts and accessories can be bought online in the UAE. Though self-care washes are cheaper, however for a full-fledged cleaning of interior and exterior, you can head to car wash service providers in the UAE.
Stay tuned to UAE’s popular auto blog for more auto maintenance and repair guides, car service details and a lot more.