The chaos over Christmas may have turned your once spotless vehicle into a right mess as you filled it up Christmas trees, glittery presents and even transporting food for the big day.
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As the New Year fast approaches many drivers will be wanting to give their beloved cars a good spruce up.
It can cost as much as £40 to get the inside and out of your car gleaming once again, according to CheckaTrade, but you can get the same results for much less, thanks to the tips from the experts at Vanarama.
Hand sanitiser for removing tree sap
The boot of your car could be covered in tree sap with it being transported back and forth from your home.
It could also be all over your roof if you stored it on a roof rack.
Sap could occur to combat injury to the tree, from pests or just general wounds from parts of the tree or branches.
If your tree is nearing the end of its life, this could also be more prominent.
Hand sanitiser, which Sainsbury’s is currently selling for just 90p is an effective way to get the sap out of your car’s upholstery.
Lint roller for removing pine needles
If you have been transporting a real Christmas tree in your car then it’s very likely it is covered in pine needles, especially if it was getting near to the end of its life.
One of the easiest ways to remove pine needles from your car’s upholstery and boot is with a lint roller which can be bought for as little as 75p from IKEA.
Or if you haven’t got access to a lint roller, try using masking or duct tape instead.
Hairspray for removing glitter
If you’ve been transporting glittery decorations and presents it’s likely your car could be covered in the sparkly stuff, making your car more like a glitter ball.
Some drivers even decorate their cars for the festive season, which can result in a big clean-up operation in the new year.
The experts though say this can be easily cleared up for as little as 89p.
Simply spray a paper towel with hairspray and dab the glitter with it, as the hairspray has a sticky texture the glitter should stick to it.
Savers is currently selling a 75ml can of hairspray for just 89p.
Baking soda for greasy spills
It’s a huge effort cooking the Christmas dinner and many families split the task in order to spread the load.
However, transporting it by car isn’t so easy if you have to navigate potholes, speed bumps or even having to slam the brakes on which can send the food slopping everywhere.
Here though is where baking soda, which costs as little as £1 from Poundland, comes in handy.
Simply cover the area with baking soda, don’t be shy with this, and leave it to sit for at least 15 minutes.
Then grab your handheld car vacuum to hoover the baking soda and this should remove the grease stain.
Microfibre clothes for coffee spills
Anyone on a long journey to see family or friends may feel the need to grab a quick pit stop and a coffee on the way.
Many drive-thru chains offer their take on the Christmas flavours.
While many like a caffeine pick-me-up, spillages aren’t so welcome.
The trick to removing coffee stains from upholstery is to blot it with a microfibre cloth as soon as you get home.
Then pour a cup of cold water over the stain before blotting again with a microfibre cloth.
Following this mix a solution of one-third white vinegar and two-thirds warm water and use a clean cloth to apply the mixture to the stain.
Once you have done this rinse again with cold water and there should be no traces of coffee residue left.
Don’t use salt to clean the exterior
While salt is a good choice when it comes to getting rid of snow and ice from concrete, it’s not the same for your car’s exterior, it can have the opposite effect.
Salt can erode the paint and metal of your car, damaging its overall appearance.
Instead, Vanarama recommends sticking to traditional products such as de-icer to avoid any unnecessary and unwelcome damage to your vehicle in the festive period.
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