A reader question:
I, too had the golden, the Volvo and the sweater. Sadly I have lost all. The lovely dog has a “new brother”, a beagle named “Rugby”.
My question for the community. How do you clean your car, and how often?
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Once a month, at the car wash.
ReplyDeleteDrive through car wash w a do it yourself vacuum area post wash. As often as needed.
ReplyDeleteBoth Subarus through a car wash as needed. Interior at home
ReplyDeleteThrough a car wash when dirty and weather good. The car wash I go to has free vacuums available with a car wash.
ReplyDeleteDepends on the car. Mercedes or BMW, weekly, Volvo every other year! Lol
ReplyDeleteI don't. It's just me in the car and it doesn't get that dirty. It's a 2009 Honda CR-V with only 47,000 miles on it. Before retirement, my job was less than 2 miles away from home and everything I now need is nearby. Have the occasional trip to the rels in VT. Our 325 year old house doesn't have a garage so heavy rains are my car wash.
ReplyDeleteI apply my mother's motto to this and lots of other of life's situations; do it before the need becomes obvious.
ReplyDeleteAs a bachelor with rustic tastes I clean stuff when the filth gets on my nerves, never before. That way I know cleaning is time well spent and I'm not doing it for nothing haha. Who wants me now?
DeleteWhen they are both (Mini convertible and BMW X3) starting to show the need I clean them. First the interiors are cleaned by grabbing the receipts, tags, and other detritus of life, followed by vacuuming with a Shop Vac, and, as needed, Armor-all, leather cleaner, and finally insides of windows using Invisible Glass. Then they are lightly sprayed with a hose, washed with a bucket of water with a capful of Mrs. Meyers' multipurpose and an old wash cloth, rinsed, and dried with old towels.
ReplyDeleteOnce again for those in the back. Invisible Glass is the greatest invention in the history of ever. I hope the inventor has endless bags of money with dollar signs on them like in cartoons.
DeleteI'm surprised any of ours have any paint left on them. My husband is fanatical about keeping the equipment clean. My car as a single gal - probably the day I bought it and the day I listed it for sale.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have a car anymore, living in Manhattan. When we last had one, an Audi e-tron during our three years living in Brookline, I took it to a car wash in Boston about monthly for a full-service interior and exterior cleaning. I suppose we went more than a month between washings at times, as we had an enclosed garage and drove mostly on weekends.
ReplyDeleteBy hand at home in the shade. Shop vac interior, saddle soap for seats et al, Aerospace 303 or Connolly's Hide Food for seats & dash , Turtle Wash & Wax for body, tires & rims Simple Green with a scrub brush & sponge to remove dirt/brake debris, clean door interiors, floorplates, hatches/trunks, lube all hinges & latches, recheck fluid levels for antifreeze , brake fluid, windshield washer fluid, oil level , transmission fluid. Dry with old towels. Apply Tire Brite or Armour All to tires & exterior rubber parts. Sprayway for glass. It's like cutting the grass, rather do it myself so it is done right. The 240 Wagon never complains.
ReplyDeleteWaiting for someone here to say the chauffeur brushes out the back every evening.
ReplyDeleteIf we had one, that's what would happen. But we don't, so it doesn't happen. But hardly ever does anyone sit in the back anyway.
DeleteOld joke: A man finally buys the new Rolls Royce that he has coveted all his life. Eager to show off to his friend, he opens the passenger door and offers him a ride, asking "have you ever ridden in a Rolls before?" The friend replies "not in the front."
DeleteRemoved rubber floor covers, doors and canvas top in Jeep Wrangler. Leaf blower and hose takes care of sand, dirt and dog hair. Rain takes care of the outside. Other vehicles with a vacuum and hose in the driveway as needed. May I suggest Maguire's carnuba wax. Never use Armor All on the tires or outside rubber. Kind of...urban.
ReplyDeleteWill
Will
Car wash exterior every week or ten days, vacuum same time schedule. We have two Jack Russells (muddy pups) and delightful grandchildren, so keeping ahead keeps the car from being a rolling barnyard!
ReplyDeleteInterior of wife’s car - every Saturday morning before house is awake. Mine- every two weeks. Both usually only need front mats vacuumed.
ReplyDeleteExterior or both - alternating Saturdays after vacuuming.
The Land Rover, Jeep, and our MG gets a weekly going over. An ounce of prevention!
ReplyDeleteBoth vehicles at home, by hand, very meticulously. We've got a great Orvis hammock for the back seats that protect the interiors from the dogs. --Holly in PA
ReplyDeleteOnce a beagle, never any other breed! These creatures are simply amazing, they aren't dogs, they are the best version of us in a dog's body! But you will need to clean a car, a house and everything around all year round. Best from Ceasar, a wonderful 4,5 years old beagle.
ReplyDeleteI tell the chauffeur to do it, and he complies. I don't know what products he uses.
ReplyDeleteProbably your toothbrush.
DeleteYou are wonderfully hilarious!
Deleterubber mats and rubber-backed carpet mats get power-washed, sometimes after using carpet cleaner on spots, shake most of the water out, let them dry in the sun. shop vac cleans out the accumulated debris, glass cleaner for the windows and display surfaces, armor-all on the vinyl/leather surfaces, some sort of leather conditioner to clean/condition the seats, steering wheel, other leather surfaces.
ReplyDeleteDoesn’t anyone have a “stable car?”
ReplyDeleteWe don’t have a “stable car.” But we do have a “garden car.” It has 280,000 miles on it. It’s a Subaru Forester. Today in the back there are a few onions rolling around, a couple of dried pepper plants, some Brussels sprouts not quite acceptable for the table, and a pitchfork. In a couple weeks, God willing, the garden car turns into a rolling ski lodge. Downhill and x-c. Likely we’ll clean it all out come spring. Meanwhile, Please. Pray For Snow. Thank you.
DeleteI think the full service car wash is one of the best values going, at least at a place where they do a good job on the interior.
ReplyDeleteThe trouble I run into is that I usually have "stuff" in my car when I think to get it washed. Skis, my golden, and/or groceries are usually in the back, and they're a bit awkward to carry around while the crew mucks out my wagon.
I find I don't get it done often enough, but I don't care much, either.
What I want to know is, how do you owners of the shedding-est dogs on earth deal with the dog hair accumulating on your shetlands, tweeds and moleskins? I have all but resigned myself to “sharing” my wardrobe with a Corgi. Don’t get me started on the backseat of the car.
ReplyDeleteEvery second day a nervous break down, vacuum cleaning 2-3 times a day sometimes, a car is not a problem since he is not travelling so much and for this occasion we have a special cover, and for the clothes cleaning roller and a brush. Dogs are such wonderful creatures but keeping home clean can be really challenging...
DeleteEndless supplies of lint rollers, along with a once of week vacuum and window cleaning. No, this is not the most eco friendly product, but nothing else seems to get the short, white hairs of two Jack Russell Terriers out better than those sticky-tape lint rollers. Costco is my go to for this product.
DeleteSimilarly I use strips of packing tape on those hard to reach nooks and crannies that seems to attract dog hair. Sort of like waxing your own eyebrows, but less painful.
DeleteI gave up trying to get it off my waxed Barbour. It was quite literally futile.
DeleteThe counterintuitive thing about dog hair is that long hair is easier than short hair to get out of fabrics and rugs. Goldens and setters will shed tumbleweeds, but it vacuums right up. Pointer hair, in contrast, is permanent.
DeleteMy dogs are window lickers so it's frequent
ReplyDeleteSince I've been retired, now going on five years, my car doesn't get a lot of use, about 2,500 miles a year. But sitting on the hard stand beside the driveway, it gets surprisingly dirty, just from dust from the paved street in front of the house, not to mention leaves and the things birds do. So, it benefits from an occasional washing and the rain doesn't hurt. The amazing thing, all the same, is how good the paintwork holds up with absolutely no polishing or waxing. It's one of those quality improvements in vehicles that almost goes without being noticed. The paint on most of the older cars would oxidize and get a little chalky.
ReplyDeleteI am somewhat OCD about car washes because I saw my parents car undercarriages and lower body panels rust out from salt exposure. So I have a car wash subscription and wash at least weekly (if not more so in the winter when roads are salted). I also vacuum weekly … I find my family members treat the car better when it is neat (the James Q Wilson theory of public policy applied to my personal vehicle). My carwash provides an undercarriage spray and a spritz of wax so I have not seen early paint degradation.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the introduction to James Q. Wilson. I had never heard of him.
DeleteMy six-year-old car has never seen a car wash or brush. If I'm expecting big rain I'll spot clean bird poop, spritz the car with soap/wax, and let the rain take care of it. The paint and finish look almost brand new.
ReplyDeleteUnwashed car a badge of courage on Virginia’s gravel roads
ReplyDeleteI go to a full-service inside/outside wash across the street from my barber every time I get a haircut. Drop the car off before my cut and pick it up afterwards. Every few weeks. Keeps us both looking presentable. :)
ReplyDeleteIntermittently, and poorly
ReplyDeleteI'd be weary of using a car wash. The bristles will scratch your clear coat, and eventually your paint.
ReplyDeleteSame with hiring a cleaning service. There's no guarantee their rags aren't riddled with brake dust or other debris.
The key is having a solid coat of wax over your paint. Then you can wash a bunch without washing away the wax. This protects the clear coat, which protects the paint from UV, mainly.
Apply wax every 6-12 months after a nice claybar. Then wash as need-be, with a gentle soap and microfiber. I really enjoy Meguiar's 3-in-1 wax and their soaps. For a wash mitt, I prefer the Chemical guys microfiber.
I do this even on my old, old "beater" car and it makes a difference.
Claybar + wax: 2-3 hours depending on car size, 1-2x a year.
Wash/Dry/Windows/Interior vacuum: about an hour every 4 to 6 weeks depending on use of vehicle.
My truck is a 2009 model and I keep it clean, especially the under-carriage because we live on the seacoast where salt spray from storms, winter brine and sand on the roads will rust it unless frequent freshwater washes keep it clean. When I take it to the shop for things like inspections the guys are often pleasingly surprised (and grateful when working underneath) at what good shape it's in for a fifteen year old vehicle. I've even had one guy ask if he can buy it.
ReplyDeleteDepends where you live as to whether washing is important . I'm in the sub tropics of Queensland so there's no road salting , but salty ocean spray blowing about , which is worse . Driving in heavy rain is the easiest way to clean the underside . AutoGlym is my choice for surface treatment .
ReplyDeleteIf it’s a Volvo, license plate only once a year unless parked outside Griswolds, Essex,CT during New Years celebration - drunken sailors use Volvo as a hangover rope! . Mercedes, every Sunday, touch-less only. BMW, never since it’s always garaged and never step out in inclement weather. Audi, Mercedes and BMW combo here. Now the interior, Volvo = sand and dog hair, once a year vacuum. Mercedes = poodles don’t shed, sand only in Caribbean magazine adds, still vacuumed daily. BMW = no dogs allowed, hair only from horses bridle, use lint brush. Audi = dog doesn’t shed due to its a bobble head in rear window, and sand, mom has that portable shower hanging off the rear of car, kindly noted as the “outdoor” shower.
ReplyDeleteA good, solid cleaning & detailing every week!
ReplyDeleteI have someone clean the inside of the cars once a month. The outside is never clean. I really don’t care what anyone thinks of them and a little dirt does not affect how they perform
ReplyDeleteI wash my car as necessary and in tune with the weather forecast, living in the English countryside,sometimes it’s pointless at this time of the year.As for coping with my Labrador’s hairs l have a dog bag made by roof box uk It's like a small tent and the hair mud and sand is contained in it and not in the car
ReplyDeleteMe, I just leave it as is. After all, dust just protects the finish, no?
ReplyDeleteI've never washed my 2016 car except to give the undercarriage a dousing in the spring. Just rain and a spritz of car soap/wax and the paint job looks new.
ReplyDelete