Clio Sport 172
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Clean Your Car for Less
Surprising Ways to Remove Ice, Grease, Bird Droppings, More
Joan Wilen
Lydia Wilen
Special from Bottom Line/Personal
you don't need to spend a lot of money or time dealing with car-cleaning problems. Cheap and easy tricks that really work...
Caution: Always test any cleaning remedy on an inconspicuous area of your car to be sure that it won't harm the car's finish. Never use scouring pads, steel wool or abrasive household cleaners on your car's finish.
Foggy windshield. A thin coat of gel shaving cream applied to the interior of your windshield and other car windows can keep them from fogging up in the winter. To apply: Spread the gel on the window, let dry, then use a clean cloth to rub it off. The glass should remain fog-free for days, if not longer. (This also works on bathroom mirrors.) Keep a blackboard eraser in your glove compartment to quickly wipe the glass clear without leaving streaks when it does fog up again.
If your windshield seems hazy even when it's not fogged up, pour white vinegar on a clean cloth and wipe down the glass inside and out. Then wash the windshield with water, and wipe it dry.
Grime-covered headlights. Combine one cup of white vinegar, one quart of water and one tablespoon of cornstarch. Use a sponge to apply the mixture to your headlights, or you can use an old pair of panty hose. Let the cleaning solution sit for about 10 minutes, then rub off with a soft cloth.
Dirty windshield wipers. Wipe the blades with a cloth soaked in rubbing alcohol. Besides cleaning the blades, the alcohol also will reduce the amount of ice that builds up on them during storms. Also: Lightly run a folded piece of extra-fine sandpaper along the wiper-blade edges to remove stubborn gunk. This light sanding can help older wiper blades remain effective longer.
Bumper stickers. Soak a cloth in white vinegar, then position the cloth so that it completely covers the sticker for 30 to 60 minutes. If the sticker is on a vertical metal surface, use refrigerator magnets to hold the cloth in place. The vinegar should dissolve much of the sticker's glue, allowing you to peel it off or very carefully scrape it off using an old credit card. (Favor peeling over scraping if the sticker is on paint.) If some of the sticker's adhesive remains after the sticker has been removed, pour some vegetable oil on it and the adhesive should become much easier to rub away.
If this doesn't do the trick, use a hair dryer to loosen the adhesive. Set the dryer on high, and check every few minutes to see if the sticker will peel free.
Nicks and scratches. If your car dealer doesn't have touch-up paint for your car, crayons are the cheapest way to hide ugly nicks and scratches. Find the crayon color that most closely matches that of your car, and carefully work it into the nick or scratch. Use a clean, soft cloth to wipe away any excess. This won't be a perfect fix, but it should make the flaw much less obvious. If you can't find an appropriate-colored crayon, at least apply clear nail polish to the damaged area to prevent it from rusting.
Dead bugs. Bugs and bird droppings (see below) contain acids that can damage a car's painted or chromed surface if they're not cleaned away quickly. To make bug removal easy, spray a light coat of vegetable cooking oil on your car's bumper, grille and hood before long drives. The slick oil should make it much easier to wipe away the bugs after the trip.
When dead bugs do get stuck firmly to your car, dip a scrunched-up mesh onion bag, nylon net shower sponge or old pair of panty hose in warm soapy water and gently scrub off the bugs.
Bird droppings. Pour seltzer on the droppings as soon as possible. Once the seltzer stops bubbling, wipe the area with a microfiber or cotton cloth.
Tree sap. The easiest way to remove sap is to wipe it off before it has a chance to dry. If the sap already has dried, coat it with mayonnaise, wait a few minutes for the mayo to reduce the sap's stickiness, then gently rub with a cloth. If this fails, pour rubbing alcohol on a soft cloth, hold it against the sap for a minute, then use the cloth to gently rub away the sap. If the sap still won't budge, spray WD-40 on it. Wait a few minutes, then rub it off with a cloth. Wash the affected area after the sap has been removed. To make sure these remedies won't harm your car's finish, test an inconspicuous area.
Road tar. Put mayonnaise on the tar, wait two minutes, then wipe the area clean with a soft cloth. (Test on an inconspicuous area first.)
Grease. Grease is not as sticky as sap and tar, but it can be difficult to wash away. A simple solution is to use baby wipes. Baby wipes also can be used to clean grime off a car's vinyl or cloth upholstery. Cloth upholstery should be allowed to air-dry after a baby wipe is used, but vinyl can be wiped dry with a paper towel. Baby wipes should not be used to clean leather car interiors -- use saddle soap instead.
Bad smells. A pet has an accident in the car... a child gets sick. You clean up the mess, but the smell's still there. Put shallow bowls of white vinegar on the car's floor, in front and back. Then close the windows and leave the car overnight. In the morning, remove the bowls of vinegar and open the doors and windows for a few minutes so that any lingering vinegar smell disappears.
Clean Your Car for Less
Surprising Ways to Remove Ice, Grease, Bird Droppings, More
Joan Wilen
Lydia Wilen
Special from Bottom Line/Personal
you don't need to spend a lot of money or time dealing with car-cleaning problems. Cheap and easy tricks that really work...
Caution: Always test any cleaning remedy on an inconspicuous area of your car to be sure that it won't harm the car's finish. Never use scouring pads, steel wool or abrasive household cleaners on your car's finish.
Foggy windshield. A thin coat of gel shaving cream applied to the interior of your windshield and other car windows can keep them from fogging up in the winter. To apply: Spread the gel on the window, let dry, then use a clean cloth to rub it off. The glass should remain fog-free for days, if not longer. (This also works on bathroom mirrors.) Keep a blackboard eraser in your glove compartment to quickly wipe the glass clear without leaving streaks when it does fog up again.
If your windshield seems hazy even when it's not fogged up, pour white vinegar on a clean cloth and wipe down the glass inside and out. Then wash the windshield with water, and wipe it dry.
Grime-covered headlights. Combine one cup of white vinegar, one quart of water and one tablespoon of cornstarch. Use a sponge to apply the mixture to your headlights, or you can use an old pair of panty hose. Let the cleaning solution sit for about 10 minutes, then rub off with a soft cloth.
Dirty windshield wipers. Wipe the blades with a cloth soaked in rubbing alcohol. Besides cleaning the blades, the alcohol also will reduce the amount of ice that builds up on them during storms. Also: Lightly run a folded piece of extra-fine sandpaper along the wiper-blade edges to remove stubborn gunk. This light sanding can help older wiper blades remain effective longer.
Bumper stickers. Soak a cloth in white vinegar, then position the cloth so that it completely covers the sticker for 30 to 60 minutes. If the sticker is on a vertical metal surface, use refrigerator magnets to hold the cloth in place. The vinegar should dissolve much of the sticker's glue, allowing you to peel it off or very carefully scrape it off using an old credit card. (Favor peeling over scraping if the sticker is on paint.) If some of the sticker's adhesive remains after the sticker has been removed, pour some vegetable oil on it and the adhesive should become much easier to rub away.
If this doesn't do the trick, use a hair dryer to loosen the adhesive. Set the dryer on high, and check every few minutes to see if the sticker will peel free.
Nicks and scratches. If your car dealer doesn't have touch-up paint for your car, crayons are the cheapest way to hide ugly nicks and scratches. Find the crayon color that most closely matches that of your car, and carefully work it into the nick or scratch. Use a clean, soft cloth to wipe away any excess. This won't be a perfect fix, but it should make the flaw much less obvious. If you can't find an appropriate-colored crayon, at least apply clear nail polish to the damaged area to prevent it from rusting.
Dead bugs. Bugs and bird droppings (see below) contain acids that can damage a car's painted or chromed surface if they're not cleaned away quickly. To make bug removal easy, spray a light coat of vegetable cooking oil on your car's bumper, grille and hood before long drives. The slick oil should make it much easier to wipe away the bugs after the trip.
When dead bugs do get stuck firmly to your car, dip a scrunched-up mesh onion bag, nylon net shower sponge or old pair of panty hose in warm soapy water and gently scrub off the bugs.
Bird droppings. Pour seltzer on the droppings as soon as possible. Once the seltzer stops bubbling, wipe the area with a microfiber or cotton cloth.
Tree sap. The easiest way to remove sap is to wipe it off before it has a chance to dry. If the sap already has dried, coat it with mayonnaise, wait a few minutes for the mayo to reduce the sap's stickiness, then gently rub with a cloth. If this fails, pour rubbing alcohol on a soft cloth, hold it against the sap for a minute, then use the cloth to gently rub away the sap. If the sap still won't budge, spray WD-40 on it. Wait a few minutes, then rub it off with a cloth. Wash the affected area after the sap has been removed. To make sure these remedies won't harm your car's finish, test an inconspicuous area.
Road tar. Put mayonnaise on the tar, wait two minutes, then wipe the area clean with a soft cloth. (Test on an inconspicuous area first.)
Grease. Grease is not as sticky as sap and tar, but it can be difficult to wash away. A simple solution is to use baby wipes. Baby wipes also can be used to clean grime off a car's vinyl or cloth upholstery. Cloth upholstery should be allowed to air-dry after a baby wipe is used, but vinyl can be wiped dry with a paper towel. Baby wipes should not be used to clean leather car interiors -- use saddle soap instead.
Bad smells. A pet has an accident in the car... a child gets sick. You clean up the mess, but the smell's still there. Put shallow bowls of white vinegar on the car's floor, in front and back. Then close the windows and leave the car overnight. In the morning, remove the bowls of vinegar and open the doors and windows for a few minutes so that any lingering vinegar smell disappears.
