Here is 40 tips to make your car better ......smell!...... better or whatever !!!!!!........
Fix Your Car Issues with These Affordable Fixes
It is estimated that we spend 51 minutes on average driving, every single day. We go to work, we take the children to soccer practice, we run errands, we go out to dinner, and we even simply go for a drive when we need to clear our heads. We spend a large part of our lives in our cars, and the daily use that we put them through takes a toll on them, little by little. Eventually, our cars go from looking, and smelling, brand new to looking completely worn out. However, with a few simple maintenance tricks, we can extend a car’s functionality and keep it looking brand new.
These tricks, contrary to popular belief, do not require expensive products or labor-intensive projects. Real wonders can be done with items that we already have at home, or with objects that we can find in any supermarket. From the bottle of Coca-Cola that you didn’t finish yesterday to the old socks that live at the bottom of the drawer, it’s easier than ever to keep your car looking like the day you drove it off the lot, without costing you an arm and a leg in the process.
1. Quickly Defrost Door Handles
Items Needed: Cooking spray
Est. Price: $2*
Another cold-weather problem we’ve encountered is waking up in the morning to find that your car door handle is frozen shut. It’s as frustrating as it sounds when you’re stuck with coffee in one hand, yanking on an immovable door handle with the other, hoping to get inside and blast the heat as soon as humanly possible.
The solution to this problem can also be found in the kitchen, this time in the form of cooking spray (no matter what type of oil it is) to spray on the hinges of the handles. With this simple hack, those painful winter morning moments can be completely avoided!
2. No More Dents
Items Needed: Plunger
Est. Price: $9.95*
Annoyed by the dents on the body of your car? Have you ever lent your car to a friend, only to get it back with marks they insist were there before? This is another problem that can be solved with objects that we already have at home. In this case, we will need a regular plunger and some hot water.
If you splash some hot water on both the plunger and the dent, and little by little start pushing and pulling with the plunger, the dent will miraculously come out. If the body isn’t badly damaged, the dent should come out right away, and if it’s not fully fixed, it will at least look less prominent.
3. Make Your Own Air Freshener
Items Needed: Scented candle wax, glass jar
Est. Price: $7*
We all have a little glass jar in our homes that was originally home to a food item or other home good, that we have since washed and has wound up in a drawer somewhere. This hack is that random container’s chance to shine, in the form of a car air freshener.
The first step involves drilling a few holes into the lid of the glass jar. Then, you can scoop some scented wax out of a candle and place it in the bottom of the jar. From now on, when the car gets hot enough, instead of being stinky, the wax will melt, releasing its pleasant aroma throughout the car.
4. Don’t Lose Your Coins
Items Needed: Pool noodle
Est. Price: $7*
Either while moving or in a parked car, it’s always easy to lose your things underneath the seat of a car. The problem isn’t when your coins or phone fall beneath the seat in front of you, but when your items fall in the tiny crevice between the seats and the center console that it becomes a real headache.
This narrow space is difficult for even the tiniest child’s hands to reach into, and many of us end up using a stick or a coat hanger to retrieve our belongings. However, for this annoying problem there is a simple solution: foam pool tubes. They can be cut to the length of the problem spaces, shoved in, and problem solved!
5. Headlights + Toothpaste
Items Needed: Whitening toothpaste
Est. Price: $3*
The car’s headlights are exposed to external elements on a daily basis: weather changes, stones, bugs, rain, hail, and more. These elements little by little yellow the headlights, making the light dimmer as time goes by. This rather serious problem can be solved in less than 30 minutes with a cloth, water, soap, and whitening toothpaste.
First, wash the headlights with soap and water. Once clean, place a thin layer of whitening toothpaste on the headlights. Let it dry for about five minutes and with a slightly damp cloth, clean the area in a circular motion, spreading the toothpaste. With about four minutes of polishing, you can already see a difference.
6. Vaseline: A Car Owner’s Best Friend
Items Needed: Vaseline
Est. Price: $4*
We normally associate Vaseline as the solution for extremely dry skin or to overcome cracked lips in cold weather, but the effectiveness of Vaseline for a dashboard worthy of envy has been touted by experts as comparable even to the most specialized products.
The trick is to clean the dashboard first with a little water and some cleaning solution that you have on hand, and once dry, apply a small amount of petroleum jelly on a clean cloth and clean the board again.
7. Hands-Free Phone
Items Needed: Rubber band, pen
Est. Price: $5*
To be clear, no responsible driver would ever use their phone while operating a car. Texting, surfing the web, and phone calls are all off-limits. But what about GPS? Today almost all drivers use one of the many GPS apps to find their way, but it can be difficult to navigate with your phone on your lap. With just an elastic band and a pen, you can create a phone holder that is attached to the ventilation system and solves this problem.
If you put the elastic band around the vent and use the pen to roll it up so that it sticks out from the bottom, it’s easy to secure your phone by placing it through the upper and lower loops. Cell phone holder ready!
8. Paper Towels Always Come in Handy
Items Needed: Roll of paper towels, elastic cord
Est. Price: $9*
Paper towels are the MVP of cleaning supplies. They are multi-useful, as they are super absorbent and can replace other objects when cleaning. They are an ideal object to have in the car to solve any mishap, but they can easily end up wandering around lost in your trunk.
On the other hand, if you place a short elastic cord inside the trunk’s lid you can place a roll of paper towels in there in a useful way, preventing them from being damaged. In any situation, you’ll now be ready to clean up messes big or small.
9. All-Purpose Conditioner
Items Needed: Conditioner
Est. Price: $4*
This is a trick for sunny Sunday afternoons when you go out with a sponge and a bucket of water in hand to clean your car. You don’t have to go to the supermarket or the hardware store to be able to properly wash your car, you only need the conditioner that you have waiting for you in the shower.
The trick is to add a little conditioner to your bucket of water before starting to wash, applying it to the body will give it shine and increase resistance to damage from dust or watermarks. The only care we have to take is to make sure that the conditioner you use contains lanolin or silicone since these are the ingredients that will work the magic.
10. Deep Clean
Items Needed: Isopropyl alcohol
Est. Price: $3*
In warmer weather, the last of your worries on your car is the windshield wiper. It doesn’t rain, so you don’t need to use them, and your car concerns are focused elsewhere. However, when the rainy season begins it is necessary that the windshield wipers work well since they will be the determining factor to achieve the visibility you need to be safe.
To keep the brushes clean and working optimally, they have to be rubbed with isopropyl alcohol. This will de-grease the surface and the blades will clean even the smallest of raindrops. Now you’ll be ready to see even in the biggest downpours.
11. Coffee Filters Do More Than Filter Coffee
Items Needed: Coffee filters
Est. Price: $2*
Coffee filters are not only a necessary implement to start our mornings, but they are also the perfect material to combat dust. This is because these filters are made from lint-free fabrics, which when used for our car-hack purposes collect dust without leaving marks.
It is these characteristics that make them ideal for cleaning the dashboard of the car. What you have to do is apply a little olive oil to the filter and start wiping. In a short time, and without much effort, you will have a dust-free surface with a shiny touch. Voilà!
12. Figure Out What That Button Is For
Items Needed: Knowledge and a “Recirculation” button
Est. Price: $0*
There is a button on the dashboard of our cars that really influences the air we breathe, and it happens to be a button unknown to most drivers. It’s called the car’s recirculation button, and it determines where we want the car to take air from. By default, it is the outside air, but for example, if we are stopped in a traffic jam and we want to avoid the hyper-polluted air outside, we can press the button and the car will become practically hermetically sealed by recirculating the clean air that we already had inside.
In addition to being beneficial for our health, using this button will also help us save fuel since the air conditioning and compressor will have to make less effort to continue cooling the car. This is an easy trick that can save a little money at a time, which certainly adds up.
13. Keep Cupholders Clean
Items Needed: Cupcake tin liners
Est. Price: $1*
Cup holders are one of the most useful spaces that we can find inside the car. However, they are spaces that, because they normally contain liquids, food, or small garbage, get dirty quickly. Instead of getting a tiny vacuum cleaner or some special gadget for the area, cupcake liners can be placed inside the cup holders to easily pick up debris.
The liners will prevent dirt from accumulating on the brackets and in addition to being very inexpensive, they can be constantly replaced. This way the car will stay clean for longer, and you won’t have to worry about gunking up the holders.
14. Do the “Penny Test”
Items Needed: A penny
Est. Price: $0.01*
For this trick, you can use that penny that’s stuck under your couch cushions or that you found in the pocket of your pants. To find out if it is time to buy new tires, the penny test will help you make the difficult decision.
Take the penny and place it upside down so that the top of Lincoln’s head is facing the floor. Then dip the penny into the tread to check its depth. If the tread goes across Lincoln’s forehead, then the tires still have some life. If not, Lincoln recommends we buy new ones.
15. Unfreeze Your Locks
Items Needed: Hand sanitizer
Est. Price: $7*
During winter, windshield wipers and mirrors aren’t the only parts of our car that can freeze. We can face a bigger problem if the handle lock freezes. But today, in times of abundant hand sanitizer, we can solve this problem quickly. We will only need an alcohol-heavy gel, an object that we all have in our purses, in our pockets, or in our backpacks.
We will need to put as much sanitizer in the lock as possible, it can be done by squirting the liquid directly or by placing it on the key. What will happen is that the alcohol will heat up the ice and quickly thaw everything.
16. Defog Your Windshield with Kitty Litter
Items Needed: Kitty litter, old socks
Est. Price: $9*
Another problem of winter is the condensation that forms inside the car due to the difference in temperatures between the outside and the inside. This situation causes the windows to fog up, reducing visibility and making driving difficult.
Cat litter is designed to absorb moisture, thanks to one of its main components, silicate. That is why you can put some inside a pair of old socks and after tying them you can place them in inconspicuous places in the car to absorb internal moisture.
17. Use Socks to Protect Your Windshield Wipers
Items Needed: Old socks
Est. Price: $0*
We all have at home that pile of socks that were left without a partner when they entered the washing machine. We might be able to use some of those unpaired socks to cut down on condensation, but we also have another use for the rest of them.
What we have to do is cover the windshield wiper with the sock to prevent the wipers from sticking to the windshield when temperatures drop. It is very important to make sure to keep the windshield wipers in an upright position when putting on the socks so as not to break them or force the structure.
18. Keep Your Leather Interiors Clean
Items Needed: Olive oil
Est. Price: $9*
Keeping leather car seats in good condition can convince you to purchase some extremely expensive products, since it is a delicate material that can easily get destroyed over time. Today there are many people who recommend the use of olive oil to achieve the same results as with these expensive products.
After washing the leather seats with hot soapy water, rub a small amount of olive oil on the seats to prevent them from drying out and cracking. If there are already cracks, you can apply a greater amount of oil and leave it in to hydrate the leather for three-quarters of an hour. It may not solve the problem in its entirety, but it will make even the worst of cracks appear less deep.
19. Watch Out For Pennies In Your Door Handles
Items Needed: A penny
Estimated Price: N/A
This particular hack has been circulating on the internet, but is it a real hack? Apparently, it’s more of a warning than something that can help your car run better. Word on the street has it that thieves often place a penny in car door handles as it stops the car being locked properly by fobs.
So, next time you leave your car in a public place, you may want to take a little look at the door handles before you walk away. After all, not many people would realize straight away if the lock hadn’t worked.
20. Say Goodbye to Imperfections
Items Needed: Nail polish, toothpaste
Est. Price: $5*
Minor body scratches? The solution may be right at home. Before the long and tedious calls to insurance, our salvation may be in the pantry or even in the bathroom. The list of items that will work for our purposes are: shoe polish, toothpaste, candle wax, glue (or super glue), and nail polish.
For example, for scratches that will not disappear with simple sanding or polishing, nail polish will fill them right in. At any supermarket or pharmacy you can find a color that matches your car’s paint. Another home remedy: fetch toothpaste from the bathroom, clean the area to be polished and make circular strokes with a soft cloth. The abrasive elements in the paste will help remove small scratches.
21. The Ultimate Tech: Garmin Dash Cam 55
Items Needed: Garmin Dash Cam 55
Est. Price: $245*
This hack might be one of the more expensive ones on the list, but we guarantee that it’s a worthwhile investment. With spectacular GPS technology, it captures the entire road in detail. It can be controlled by voice prompts to start and stop recording, or to take photos. Its 3.7 megapixel camera with 1440p video quality certifies that it will work even in low light situations.
The Garmin Dash Cam 55 also has a “G-Sensor” that will automatically detect incidents. In addition, you do not have to be aware of turning it on or off, because if it is connected to a power source it starts recording automatically.
22. Cola Tip #1
Items Needed: A bottle of Coke
Est. Price: $1.50*
Over time the battery terminals tend to accumulate grease and dust, dirt that can make it difficult for the engine to run, or even prevent the car from starting. And strangely enough, this serious problem can be solved with something as simple as a can of Coca-Cola.
The popular soda removes corrosion from the terminals quite effectively, and all you have to do is rinse a cloth with warm water and carefully pour the Coke on the same cloth. This technique will make debris peel off easily and save you from battery problems in the future.
23. Clean Every Corner
Items Needed: Cleaning gel
Est. Price: $9*
In cars, there are many small crevices that are difficult to access for cleaning. Small corners of the dash, the slits of the air conditioning, and buttons with a little relief are all spaces that are near impossible to reach.
On the other hand, using cleaning gel, a sticky substance similar to slime, we can reach all those corners, managing to remove all the dust that accumulates over time. Beyond the aesthetic component, this trick is very important for the health of everyone who gets in your car, since cleaning the air conditioning vents is necessary for the purity of the air. When you finish using the gel, you can simply wash it, and voila, you can use it again at any time.
24. DIY New Car Smell
Items Needed: Clothespins, pom-poms, essential oils
Est. Price: $10*
As we well know, our daily activities leave our cars smelling less-than-fresh over time. We eat fast food from the drive-thru, transport our dogs, let our kids snack in the backseat, and sweat on a hot summer day. To solve this stinky problem, while avoiding toxic air fresheners, we can create a personalized, simple and friendly air freshener with our health and the health of our family in mind.
For this hack, you only need a wooden clothespin, three pompoms, and your favorite essential oil. First, glue the pom poms on top of the clip, and then add a few drops of oil on those same pom poms, and it will be ready to attach to the vent, saying goodbye to bad smells. What if you get bored of the essential oil you chose? It’s easy enough to make several and switch them up!
25. Keep Your Mirrors Ice-Free
Items Needed: Sandwich bags
Est. Price: $4*
Getting up and going to work on a cold winter morning is certainly a challenge, so adding a battle against the ice on your mirrors can be enough to make you want to call in sick and crawl back into bed. Little did we know that there’s an easy and cheap trick to avoid ice accumulation in the first place.
Ideally, you can park in a garage or somewhere covered, but if you have to do it outdoors, there is no reason to be concerned. It’s easy enough to buy, or scrounge from your kitchen, a couple of plastic sandwich bags which you can place loosely over the two side-mirrors, which will prevent most of the ice from forming at all.
26. Cola Tip #2
Items Needed: Bottle of Coca-Cola
Est. Price: $1.50*
For the last trick, you can head back to your fridge again to use the rest of that flat bottle of Coca-Cola. In this case, you can use it to remove the unpleasant rust stains that form on the body of an older car. First, apply a little soda in the area with rust and let it work its magic for a while.
Then remove it with a cloth and see the incredible improvements that happen in as little as thirty seconds! It is important to mention that we can use Coca-Cola for rust stains, but it is not recommended to use it on regular car paint as it can damage the lacquer.
27. Use Potatoes to Defrost Glass
Items Needed: Potatoes
Est. Price: $1 per potato*
Here’s a simple trick using a product that we all have in the kitchen: potatoes. Defrosting your car’s windows is a problem that we’ve already been able to solve a few times; however, here is a solution that does not require a trip to Walmart to grab extra supplies.
If your car is already a few years old and the function to defog the glass does not work perfectly, all you have to do is cut a raw potato and pass the skinless side meticulously over the glass. The tuber’s starch will prevent the water from condensing on the glass, solving future defrosting-related issues.
28. Restore Your Bumper with Shoe Polish
Items Needed: Shoe polish, sponge
Est. Price: $7*
With the passage of time, the impact of the sun, and daily use, your car’s bumper may wear down to an unflattering shade of gray. Did you know that your bumper’s formerly perfect black can be recovered easily by applying shoe polish with a sponge?
The amount that you will use depends on the black tone you’re looking for. The amount of shoe polish you use is up to you; just pass the product all over the bumper with a sponge. Work patiently and neatly, and your car’s bumper will look like new in just a couple of hours.
29. Make Sure You Reach Every Corner
Items Needed: Swabs
Est. Price: $3*
There are aspects of car cleaning you don’t need to think about until some time has passed. There are details that are not prioritized until the dust begins to accumulate in the car’s corners long after you bought it. But it happens. For example, the dust that collects around the mark on the steering wheel, how did it get there? And, more importantly, how do you get rid of it?
For a detailed cleaning effect, as if it were new from the factory, you can use swabs. These Q-tips are in pretty much everyone’s bathroom, and they’re not just useful for cleaning your ears; they can detail your car, too.
30. Make Magic with WD-40
Items Needed: WD-40
Est. Price: $9*
Even something as small as an insect can be problematic for your car if you don’t catch it quickly. The bug sticks, you don’t see it when it happens, and when you finally find it, it is almost impossible to remove it without damaging the paint.
WD-40 is an oily substance that will help eliminate even the most stubborn insect, all without a ton of elbow grease. You have to use the aerosol can as indicated on the label and let it dry for about 10 minutes. When you remove the WD-40, the insects will come right off. But, be careful, as it is not recommended to use WD-40 on the windows or the windshield.
31. Carpets Matter Too
Items Needed: Stain remover
Est. Price: $4*
Remember how spotless your car’s carpets were when you bought the vehicle? No dust, no stains, no dirt, but now, they are a constant struggle to keep fairly decent. Deep cleaning is tricky and shaking them every now and then isn’t as effective as we want it to be, but this trick will make them look good as new.
Once out of the car, spray the mats with any stain removers you have at home, and put them in the washing machine with whatever detergent you have on hand. Then, let the mats dry in the sun for a couple of hours to avoid humidity and mildew-buildup. That’s all you need for clean carpets!
32. Get Rid of Bad Odors
Items Needed: New air filter
Est. Price: $11*
Bad odors can occur for many reasons. They are something that we avoid at all costs because there is nothing worse than having to endure some mysterious smells, but bad odors are sometimes unavoidable. Where do they come from? Your first culprit is the air filters.
Filters accumulate dirt, odors, and more over the years. What is the solution? Take a good look at whether the car’s filters are removable, and if that’s the case, buy new ones. Sometimes, purchasing new air filters is preferable to cleaning them, especially if the old ones are just horrifically dirty.
33. WD-40 to the Rescue Again
Items Needed: WD-40
Est. Price: $9*
Maybe your car came with bumper stickers when you bought it, or maybe you just had a rough period where expressing your emotions with bumper stickers was your go-to. Whatever the case, you might want to remove them one day without having to shell out for professional help.
Go back to the WD-40, the same method used to remove the insects that had been embedded in your car’s paint. With the WD-40, spray everything you want to remove, let it soak, and the stickers should come out easily within minutes.
34. Remember, Safety First
Items Needed: Ethyl alcohol
Est. Price: $2*
Picture the scene: you’re driving home in a nonstop rainstorm, and your windshield wipers, which are supposed to help you find your way home, just make things worse. When wipers stop working, the results can be downright hazardous. At the very least, the situation is unduly stressful.
Changing the wipers might not be necessary. With a little ethyl alcohol that you might have at home, you can rub and remove all the dirt that has accumulated, giving the windshield wipers a new life. In exchange, you’ll also get the security and peace of mind you need for the next outing.
35. Watch Out for the Doors
Items Needed: Pool noodle
Est. Price: $3*
This trick is for the area where you park the car, ideally for those who have to do it in a garage or next to a wall in a small space, or something else that is equally a tight squeeze. What you have to do is buy or use two pool noodles and screw them to the walls of the garage, adjacent to where the car is parked.
This will prevent scratches or dents the next time you open the doors with great force, blocking the doors from chipping the paint or denting (an expensive fix). The pool noodles will protect your doors from careless guests (or you, if you’re not paying attention).
36. The Mayonnaise Solution
Items Needed: Mayonnaise, rag
Est. Price: $3*
The mayonnaise you have in the fridge has more to it than being a good accompaniment for your favorite foods. This refrigerator staple can also be used to effectively remove tar stains from your car’s body.
Apply a small amount of mayonnaise on a cloth and rub the affected area. Continue cleaning until you have spread all the mayonnaise and let it rest for five minutes, allowing it to fully work its magic. Finish by cleaning the area with a clean cloth. Say goodbye to annoying stains!
37. Vacuum Thoroughly
Items Needed: Cardboard tube
Est. Price: $1*
Sometimes we do not want, nor can we buy, an infinite list of accessories for the vacuum cleaner. These accessories are very expensive, specific, and there really isn’t a more general use for them. However, if you find yourself in need of a vacuum attachment that you don’t have, do not panic! This trick will help you find a practical, inexpensive solution.
You will need a simple cardboard tube that can be attached to the end of the vacuum cleaner. Once glued or taped, flatten the other side of the tube to achieve something similar to a nozzle. With this new accessory, you can reach the sides of the seats, the vents, and any other corner that you think needs a deep and urgent cleaning.
38. Peppermint Helps
Items Needed: Peppermint gum
Est. Price: $1-$3*
The following trick will help us stop a leak that may begin in your car’s engine compartment. Chew a little mint or gum and stick it in the hole that is causing the leak. This will give you a little more time to drive before you’re able to take the car to the nearest mechanic shop.
This will be a perfect solution in the short term, but we emphasize this part, it is only for the short term. This problem needs a professional solution for everyone’s safety, as well as the well-being of the engine.
39. Get Rid of Stubborn Stains
Items Needed: Clay bar
Est. Price: $7*
Grease stains, dirt stains, can there ever be enough tricks to remove them? How your car looks from the outside is as important as how it looks on the inside, and stubborn stains are usually a problem for the aesthetic appeal you want to achieve. To fix these stains, you’ll need a clay bar.
First, moisten the clay bar. Once it is ready, pass it over the stains you want to make disappear. To finish the process and create a shine, dry and polish the areas with wax to soften the paint and achieve a pleasant gleam.
40. Let Your Wheels Shine
Items Needed: Bleach and detergent
Est. Price: $3*
Bleach continues to come in handy with its many uses and excellent results. This time, use bleach as the solution for your car’s worn and dirty wheels. With this trick, there will be no need to buy expensive products available in auto shops or mechanic shops. Welcome to saving money while you’re cleaning.
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