June 27th, 2023 by Shauna Hammond

Whether you are a car proud or find cleaning your car nothing but a necessary evil there is a good chance that your car isn’t quite as clean as you would hope or think. After all, vehicles are quite intricate and with so many nooks and crannies, it can be quite easy to overlook certain areas of your vehicle that are either out of sight or out of reach. In this blog, we will take a look at some of these places you may have missed and how to make sure you keep them clean.

The Outside

Cleaning the outside of your car seems easy enough – apply your favourite car shampoo, rinse with a pressure washer or hose pipes, buff out and soap marks are you are all set! While this is a great start doing this will only give your car quick spruce and remove some of the most visible dirt and grime, but given that your vehicle spends the majority of the time outside, driving over different terrains in all kinds of weather it stands to reason that dirt and grime will build up in every area of the car even those you can’t see which is why if you want to truly give your vehicle the deep clean it deserves it is important that you thoroughly check all areas – here are some of the most common areas that are missed during cleaning;

Undercarriage

This is possibly the most common area of the interior to be missed, after all, unless you are cranking your car up the chances of you seeing the underneath is very unlikely, making it incredibly easy to overlook but it is also the area most likely to attract and build up dirt and grime. Now if you are wondering why you should bother cleaning an area that cannot even be seen then let me tell you that cleaning your car is more than simply making it look nice and clean – it will also help to protect your vehicle and ensure it keeps running at it’s best and prevents irreversible damage from occurring.

The undercarriage of your vehicle can easily build up mud, dirt, grease and salt – after all, it’s the area of your car that faces the road the most. Leaving these contaminants to sit on your car for extended periods can risk causing blockages which may result in water pooling in the undercarriage, likewise salt, in particular, can lead to rust and corrosion to develop – which unfortunately cannot be reversed and will lead to expensive repairs and replacements.

As mentioned it’s easy to see why this area is overlooked since it can very rarely be seen, so how do you go about cleaning them without crawling under your car – well that is where a chassis cleaner comes in. These are fantastic investments and can make cleaning your vehicle a breeze – these low-sitting pressure washer attachments usually come with wheels making it easy to roll under your vehicle while the high-pressure jets will effortlessly remove the build-up of dirt and grime.

Pro-Kleen Chassis Cleaner

Price: £59.99

Buy Now

Under the Fuel Cap

Another area that is easily overlooked is under the fuel cap, after all, you will want to keep this securely closed during cleaning to avoid the risk of any detergent or water getting into your tanks – however, it can be quite easy for dust and dirt to build up behind the fuel caps door.

This is an easy fix, simply by reminding yourself to open the door after you have finished the initial shampoo and rinse and using a damp soft fibred cloth remove any dirt and dust that has covered behind the door and around the fuel cap.

Under Spoilers

If your car has a spoiler or over features that sit away from the bodywork be sure to take the time to clean the reverse, while it can be tempting to assume this area has been cleaned if you have used a pressure washer to rinse off your shampoo – it’s much more likely that dirty and soapy water will run down without washing, so using a soft cloth or your pressure washer nozzle be sure to get under the reverse side to remove dirt.  

Under Windscreen Wipers

Your windscreen wipers can gather quite a lot of dirt and they are incredibly easy to overlook while cleaning too, in fact, you may not even notice they need cleaning until you next use them and they leave streaks on your nice clean windscreen. That is why it is best to raise your windscreen wipers when cleaning the exterior of your car – of course, be careful not to use any powerful jet directly on them while they are not fully supported but you can use this time to run a clean damp cloth along the edges and where they rest to remove any dirt or grime that may have gathered.

Rims and Wheel Wells

For the more car proud it is unlikely that they will miss somewhere as integral as the rims of their wheel after all dirty or discoloured rims can really ruin the overall appearance of your vehicle however for those of us that simply clean our cars because we know we must then it can be tempting to thinking giving your wheels a once over with the pressure washer is enough to remove the dirt – while not quite. In fact, the rims of our cars can gather quite a lot of mud, grime, salt and iron fallout that can be quite destructive if not removed correctly. It can lead to rust and corrosion which will result in having to replace the rims entirely. The same goes for the wheel wells, simply running it over with your pressure washer will not allow for you to get fully underneath to remove all the dirt that has gathered there and if you often neglect this area trust us there will be a lot!

Use a damp soft cloth to thoroughly remove dirt from the wheel walls, being sure to get the under as much as you can to remove all the dirt from the underside – as for your rims, these will take a little more care and you will need to ensure you have the correct products to hand to really keep them clean and looking their best. A foaming alloy cleaner is a great way to ensure that every nook and cranny is cleaned, use a soft bristle brush to agitate any stubborn dirt before rinsing away – likewise, it is also recommended to use an iron fallout remover on your rims at least twice a year – this will remove fallout from the brake pads that weld to your rims and can eventually lead to rusting. It is important to note that fallout cannot be removed with normal cleaning products due to the fact they essentially become welded to the surface you need to use a fallout remover which will dissolve the bond making it easy to remove the shrapnel.

Pro-Kleen Alloy Wheel Foam 400ml

Price: £10.99

Buy Now

The Interior

Moving on to the interior of the car – with so many nooks, crevices and fabrics the interior can arguably get just as much dirt as the outside of your vehicle, especially if you have little ones or pets who are regularly transported in your car. It’s easy to simply wipe the most visible surface and quickly hoover your upholstery and be done – but there are plenty of over places that can get covered in dust and dirt which can lead to odour or even exacerbate allergies too.

Inside Glove Boxes

For some the glove box of their car quickly becomes the equivalent of that one junk drawer everyone has in their kitchen. So, it can seem like a nightmare thinking of opening it up and organising through everything – but if you want a truly clean car then I’m afraid it is unavoidable. So, don’t be shy to remove the contents and sort through what you need before vacuuming the interior to remove any dust that has built up over time.

Air Vents

Cleaning the air vent’s is important to maintain the good air quality in your car, especially if you suffer from allergies since they can easily accumulate dust and debris, it’s important to take time to thoroughly clean them – use the vacuum nozzle to remove the majority of the dust before using a soft cloth that you can slide between the vents to thoroughly remove any dust  - or alternatively, you can use compressed air to remove any dust they may have built-up inside the vents.

Under Seats

It can be easy to miss areas under the seat after all its not like you can remove them every time you want to clean your vehicle, you can, however, adjust the seat moving it forward and backwards to gain better access and remove dirt, debris and possibly food that may have escaped during your travels, use the nozzle of the vacuum to get into every corner and where possible try included a carpet clean to spot clean and soiled areas – this will help to remove any odours and keep the interior carpets looking their best.

5L Pro-Kleen Car and Upholstery Cleaner Shampoo

Clean up car seats and carpets with this valeting essential. It cleans, deodorises, and breaks down stains to leave a refreshingly clean fragrance!

Price: £17.18

Buy Now

Inside Windows

When it comes to cleaning the inside of your windows, use a micro fibre cloth and a cleaner designed specifically for windows/glass. The microfiber cloth is best for getting rid of smudges on the inside of your windshield and side windows. Spray some vinegar and water onto a clean, dry microfiber cloth (soak it in if necessary), then wipe down all four sides of each window from top to bottom to remove dust and dirt build-up. Also, be sure to get into the seals too, this is the area of the windows that are most likely to be forgotten, since water from condensation and dirt can gather here it’s important to get a narrow brush or thin cloth to really get into these nooks – open your windows if it makes it easier - if these seals are not cleaned correctly it can result in the seal deteriorating or lead to mould developing.

We hope that you've learned a lot from this guide, and we hope that you now have a better idea of what areas to look out for when cleaning your car. While we do understand it can be quite the chore to keep on top of all the maintenance your car requires it can also be very rewarding seeing your car shining and looking its best through your own hard work!