When you buy a car, it looks lovely inside and out. Keeping it spotless can be a bit more of a challenge than anyone tells you. Although a deep clean might only happen once every 6 months, keeping on top of car cleanliness is an ongoing task.
With the tips outlined in this blog, we’ll make those deep cleans that little bit easier and dare we say enjoyable because you’ve put the work in throughout the year.
How to Make Your Car Smell Good
There are a number of different things you can do to ensure your car continues to smell great, from simple things like keeping it clean to using certain products to ensure the interior remains fresh.
Deep Clean Your Car
The key to a clean-smelling car is that it is clean! Before focusing on air fresheners and perfumes, you should have a deep clean of your car. To really make sure your car stays in great condition and smells fresh, aim to deep clean your car about every 3-6 months. Keep on top of dirt and rubbish with a quick maintenance clean every week or fortnight. A deep clean should include:
Vacuuming: Crumbs, dust and hair can accumulate in carpets and seats if left, and can lead to a stale smell building in the car. Using a strong vacuum cleaner to remove this debris is the first step to a fresh-smelling car.
Removing rubbish: Rubbish build-up in your car can contribute to a bad smell, as well as general untidiness. Small bits of food or drink left in packaging can soon contribute to a rather large smell.
Cleaning the mats: Removing, vacuuming and washing your car mats is a quick and easy way to spruce up your car’s interior and remove lingering odours. Consider whether your upholstery is rubber or fabric before choosing suitable cleaning products. It’s helpful to give the mats a quick brush to remove any loose debris before vacuuming. Use ventilation settings or open windows to bring in fresh air (air conditioning can also help reduce moisture and odours), followed by a good quality carpet cleaner.
Removing pet hair: As much as we love our four-legged friends, we have to admit that they can be a tad smelly. By removing pet hair as well as toys, you can start to clean up the area and remove anything that might contribute to bad odour.
Cleaning the seats and seatbelts: You might not realise it, but seatbelts can collect dirt and odours over time simply because people forget to clean them. Spilt drinks and bad odours can trap in the fabric of a seatbelt in the same way they cling to upholstery. You can check out our comprehensive guide to cleaning seatbelts here.
Using an air con cleaner: Using a product like Air Con Cleaner can help to eliminate bacteria and bad odours in your car. Simply depress the trigger in the footwell and close the door – its auto-spray action ensures the product circulates around the cabin of your car. It’s perfect for use after vacuuming and cleaning the interior, leaving a fresh car smell in less than 10 minutes.
Check the air conditioning system and cabin filter: While they’re usually great at removing moisture and circulating air, your air conditioning and ventilation system can be a hidden source of odours. The cabin filter is usually located behind or under the passenger-side glove box.
Hang an Air Freshener
Once you’ve scrubbed the car’s interior and removed persistent smells, you should consider replacing the old, bad smell with a new, fresh one. There are a variety of smells available, including vanilla, strawberry, and cologne-style fragrances, as well as the iconic ‘new car smell’. There are also a variety of ways to apply the fragrance, including hanging ones and vent clips, as well as solid air fresheners and sprays.
Habits to Keep Your Car Smelling Good
A deep clean every month can only do so much if the car is messy and smelly only a week or two later! Here are our top tips for keeping your car clean so those deep cleans are an absolute breeze.
Don’t litter in your car: Now that you’ve removed all the rubbish from your car, it’s important to keep it clean. If you’ve got a few wrappers or packets in your car, take them with you when you get out and dispose of them properly rather than allowing the smells to penetrate into fabrics.
Make sure you clean up after eating in the car: Sometimes it’s unavoidable to eat in the car, especially on a busy day. As delicious as a fast food burger might be, no one wants their car to smell like one – so get rid of any leftovers or rubbish as soon as you can!
Opening the windows more often: Adequate ventilation can help to remove bad smells, using the air conditioning to bring in fresh air or opening windows is the best way to do this.
Clean up spills as they happen: We get it, accidents happen, but dealing with them as they occur will stop their smells from entering fabrics within the car.
No smoking: If you do smoke, it’s probably best to do it outside of your car. Cigarette smoke lingers in fabrics and can be very difficult to get rid of, not to mention the staining that can occur as a result.
As well as yourself, ensure that your passengers are following these rules and not leaving any sneaky chocolate wrappers under the seat!
Other Things You Can Use to Keep Your Car Smelling Good
As well as dedicated cleaning products, you can also make use of some everyday household items that can contribute to a great-smelling car. This can be an easy way to refresh your car’s interior in just a few minutes.
Coffee: If you like the smell of coffee, you can create your own air freshener using coffee beans. Coffee beans can help to mask an odour, so that you can no longer notice the offensive smell.
Dryer sheets: If you’re looking for a fresh laundry smell, you can place dryer sheets in your car. Either place a dryer sheet under the seats.
As well as these, continued use of professional products can help, such as using Simoniz’s Multi-Surface Interior Cleaner to remove grime and leave a fresh smell.
With regular cleaning and a continuous effort to minimise smells, the foul odours of your car can be a thing of the past. For more specific cleaning guides, you should check out our blog page which details removing make-up, getting rid of mould and much more.