Spring is here, officially, even if the temperature doesn’t quite reflect it in some areas. The arrival of spring means it’s time for spring cleaning. Most people focus on the house, the garage, and the yard when it comes to this—and that’s fine. All of those areas should be cleaned. Don’t neglect the other place that you are in multiple times a day, though: your car. A clean car is a happy car. It will run better and look better. Here are some spring-cleaning tips for your car.

Wash and Wax It First

The first thing you need to do is give it a good washing. Don’t run it through the automatic one at the gas station. Get the hose, soap, and rag out and scrub that thing until it sparkles. Take some extra time around the bottom of the car around the wheels—that’s where a lot of dirt accumulates. After that, wax it and make it look like new. The wax is a protective coating against the sun and dirt you encounter daily.

Get the Vacuum Going

Roll the shop vac out and turn that thing on. Vacuum every bit of upholstery in the car, including the truck. Stick the nozzle in the cup holders and under the seats and get all the debris and food crumbs in every nook and cranny. Then hit the inside of the rear window. Don’t think that dirt and dust can’t get back there, because it can.

Clean the Windows

The outside of the windows should already be clean. Now, get the inside of them. You’ll be amazed at how well you can see out of a clean window. The insides get dirty, too; we just don’t realize it for a long time. A haze starts to develop, and you blame it on bad windshield wipers, but nope, it’s just dirty windows.

Armor All the Tires

The final touch should be the rims and tires. If you have a nice set of rims on there, you didn’t buy them to look terrible. Get whatever brand of cleaner and protector you prefer and go to town. Make the tires look as black as the first day you got them. Make the rims shine as bright as the sun and feel good about having a nice vehicle to roll around in. Visit RNR’s tire shop in Raleigh, NC, and get some new wheels and tires for your ride this spring. We have a huge selection of both.