Have a Clean Car after a Day at the Beach
It’s summer. For many of us, this means that it’s beach time. So we hop in our cars, stuffing surfboards and beach bags in the trunk for a day of fun. Yet, what happens at the end of the day, when we return from playing in the sand and swimming in saltwater into our (sometimes) tidy cars? We leave a mess, obviously! Sand is practically dumped all over the seats and carpets, making it appear as if someone sprinkled grainy sand from the Arabian Desert all over the place. Then what do we do? A clean car after a long day at the beach doesn’t have to be as annoying and time consuming as you might think. In fact, the entire process should only take you fifteen minutes tops. Here’s how:
Shake the Carpets
As soon as you get home, be sure to remove your car’s carpets and shake them outside. Even if you washed your feet in clean water at the end of your beach outing, chances are that you still somehow transported sand into the car. You might have even washed your flip flops, but those tiny grains somehow magically appear all over your carpet every time. That’s why, always shake the carpets outside the car. This will remove nearly all the dirt you brought in with you.
Although shaking the carpets helps a lot, it won’t help you have a completely clean car. No matter what, you’ll still find sand throughout the vehicle, like in between the seats, underneath the carpets, and sometimes on your dashboard (yeah, we’re clueless as to how that gets there, too). The best way to remove the remaining sand is to vacuum the entire area. Be sure to vacuum the seats, the carpets and the ground underneath the carpets, the dashboard, and anything with sand on it. Get in between the seats (the seat cracks) and clean in there as well. This should help remove 90% of the dirt.
Air Dry the Seats
Returning from the beach might be an hour-long journey. During that time, your damp attire almost always soaks the seats. Therefore, when you get home, don’t neglect these wet seats thinking that they’ll dry on their own without any consequences. The fact of the matter is that leaving areas around your car damp will cause mold. Mold is an organism that survives off of moist, hot environments. As a result, don’t close all the windows and lock your car as soon as you get home. Bring a dry towel and try to pat the wet seats to soak some of the water out of them. Then, leave the windows down. If you’re worried about thieves, crank the windows down a mere inch. This will help you have a clean car.
Don’t Forget the Trunk
Lastly, don’t forget about the trunk. A lot of the things you bring with you back from the beach are full of sand, so it’s best to vacuum the trunk. Be sure that it is uncluttered first. Take out everything in there, and then clean the surface and all the corners and edges.
The Next Time You Go To the Beach
As you can see, shaking the carpets, vacuuming the upholstery, air drying the seats, and cleaning the trunk don’t take too much out of your time. Though, to make matters much easier on you the next time you go to the beach, be sure to place a clean, dry blanket in the trunk. When you bring all your beach things back at the end of the day to store them in the trunk, the blanket will be there to catch all the sand. Then, all you’ll have to do is shake the blanket outside the trunk upon your return. As for the wet seats, all you need to do is bring an extra dry towel with you. When you hop back in the car to go home, place the towel underneath you. This will keep the seat dry.
Having a clean car at the end of a fun beach day is easy if you follow these quick, efficient steps and tips. They’ll help you have a stress-free time and enjoy the summer.
After your next trip to the beach, we recommend a Full Service Car Wash. It is a budget friendly solution to cleaning both your car interior and exterior.
