Happy Tuesday, guys! I dunno about you, but it’s fiiiiiiiinally starting to feel like SPRING in Philadelphia. #BlessUp. This has been a long April coming, so the fact that it’s supposed to get into the 80’s (maybe even HIGH 80’s – holy moly) later this week has me feelin’ all sorta feels. Namely that I’m not even gonna get to break out the spring clothes before it’s swimsuit season, but whatevs – I’ll take whatever sunshine I can get. 😉 Besides the fact that it’s now warming up, it’s also coming up all SORTSA roses and flowers galore, which I know because I’ve been sneezing out the wazoo. Anyone else got spring fever and got it bad? Allergies make me laugh because it’s like we’re allergic to nice weather, sunshine, and pretty flowers. HA. 😉

Spring weather, spring sneezing…spring cleaning. Still doin’ it. Still killin’ it. We’ve spring cleaned our closets, our technology, our minds…and now, we’re spring cleaning our cars.

Apparently, it’s been a rumor that driving a dirty car helps your fuel economy by reducing wind resistance (like the dimples on a golf ball). Buuuuuuut…that ain’t true. With all the spring cleaning that’s been happening lately, I’ve been feeling *squeaky* clean…until I got in my car. LAWDY LAWDY, was there dust. And dirt. And wrappers. And other crap that was oh so obvious in comparison to the nice inside of my house.

In all of the spring cleaning happening this month (like in our closets and on our tech), I almost forgot another important item on the checklist: our cars! Luckily, my friends at Allstate have a few *solid* bits of two cents to throw into the ring here, too, so I’m teaming up with them to bring you 25 hacks for spring cleaning your car. Let’s begin!

{PIN ME}

EXTERIOR

• At the car wash! A more obvious choice as soon as the weather gets nice – but run your car through the carwash! Personally, I loveloveLOVE going through one (don’t we all???). If you don’t wanna drive through one (and pay), though, that’s OK – so long as you get a good clean, even if it’s DIY, that’s what counts. A good wash will help prevent rusting, which is key because rust on brake lines, fuel tanks, exhaust systems, etc, can lead to major safety issues down the line.
• Get your undercarriage serviced. This is another one to leave to the pros, if possible. But make sure your underside is spic + span, too! Otherwise, it can lead to corrosion from leftover winter junk (salt, de-icer, etc) if not properly removed.
• Replace your wiper blades. April showers are no joke! I learned this the hard way in a storm when I discovered that my wipers needed to be replaced – because they were completely streaky and I couldn’t actually see out my windows. No bueno, yo. Replace the blades, and make sure they’re working properly!
• And with that, replace your wiper fluid if need be, too.
• Shine your hubcaps. An easy solution: 1/3 cup baking soda, 1 tablespoon dish soap, 2 cups warm water. Just use an old towel to gently scrub until shiny!
• Clean your windows. Allstate has a great formula for streak-free shine: just follow this recipe to mix the right amounts of cornstarch, ammonia, water + vinegar.
• Check tire pressure. Temperature changes outside affect the tire pressure inside each of your tires, which can really impact how well your vehicle rides (+ things like gas mileage, etc).
• Polish your headlights. A little bit of toothpaste + baking soda will do the trick!

 

UNDER THE HOOD

• Drain your radiator coolant, + flush/fill fresh antifreeze every 1-3 years. 
• Get an oil change. Different resources all say different things, so first check the manual of your own specific vehicle. Some say every 3,000 miles, some say 5,000 – some say 10,000.
• Do a belt check. Check under the hood to make sure belts are in good shape, not fraying or breaking, etc. If you’re uncomfortable doing this yourself, ask your mechanic!
• Check your brakes. Having your brakes go out can be SCARY AF – my friends at Allstate have some super helpful tips to know justincase. Better safe than sorry!

 

INTERIOR

• Check your A/C. Make sure that cold air is blowing from every vent BEFORE it’s actually A/C season.
• Get your interior detailed. I swear this is the *greatest* little something to treat your S.O. on a random Tuesday justbecause. J did this for me for I think Valentine’s Day, and it was so sweet! Nobody likes a dirty car…and ain’t nobody got time to clean it themselves. 😉 But really tho, how often do we schedule our own car cleanup times?! I definitely don’t. Ha! A good interior detail sesh makes a big difference.
• Put cupcake liners in your cup holders to pick up crumbs, etc. A fun way to add a pop of color, too!
• Dust your dash. Use compressed air to get in between vent slots. Dust ALWAYS shows on your dashboard because of how the light hits it, so a quick dusting does the trick.
• Get rid of pet hair (slash any hair). Run a little handheld vaccuum across all of your seats + floors to grab the hair that sticks down there.
• Wash your floor mats. And before ya actually wash, shake ’em out!
• Clean the rest of your carpets with carpet cleaning solution. Rock salt debris, dust, dirt, mud – all that gross stuff that ain’t nobody got time for after winter – gets matted into the carpet. And not all of that comes out with a vaccuum or shake out! Deep clean that ish just this once for a good spring clean.
• Organize your compartments. I Marie Kondo’d my car console and just took it ALL out. From there, go through everything that was stuffed in there – wrappers, receipts, keys, cards, gum, hand sanitizer, tissues, pens, candy, the works. Get rid of trash (duh), pull out what doesn’t reaaaaaally need to be there anyways, and organize what’s left into little containers that fit your own size console.

 

TRUNK

• Organize via cubes (and other helpful storage containers). Anywhere from Target to The Container Store sells cube organizers that are suuuuuper easy in the trunk space. I also keep a few recyclable grocery bags back there!
• Check your spare tire. And know how to change a flat, if need be. Keep the instructions printed out + WITH your spare tire. So much easier than relying on having cell service in the moment, especially if you’re panicking!
• Pack an emergency kit. Some key things to not forget: A spare blanket, a flashlight, a list of important phone numbers, a fully charged portable phone charger. I used to make fun of my mom for having everything but the kitchen sink in the van growing up, but now…I kinda get it. 😉 She had everything from bowls for quick eating, to trash bags…even an empty peanut butter jar in case anyone reaaaaaaally had to pee (we were, like, five and three, it made sense – ha!). Make sure your emergency kit has got jumper cables, too – and print out this handy dandy list in case you need a step-by-step walk-through to jumpstarting.

 

GENERAL

• Make sure you’ve got the right insurance! Important: Check + know your liability limits. If you don’t and – God forbid – get in an accident, you could end up paying out of pocket…and ain’t nobody got time (or $$$). When I got in an unexpected accident last year (was completely not my fault, was also my first/only accident ever), I was terrified. You end up on the phone with everyone and their mom’s insurance to get everything sorted out, so it’s SO GOOD having insurance that actually takes care of you and has your back. #important.
• Within your insurance, get the best deal humanly possible. Did y’all know about multiple-policy discounts??? I didn’t. Also didn’t know that certain car safety features and anti-theft features can get you MORE discounts. So…do yo’ research. I know you guys are like me and lovelovelove a good deal, so make sure you’re taking advantage of #AllTheDeals whenever possible!

Are you spring cleaning your car this week, too?

It’s been spring cleaning FURY at our house, and I gotta say – I loveloveLOVE more than a clean errrrr’thaaaaaang. 🙂

P.S. Don’t miss yesterday’s Cool Sh*t I Lovelovelove roundup to end the month strong…because today is MAY. #what

 

*This post was written as part of the Allstate Influencer Program and sponsored by Allstate. As always, all thoughts and opinions presented are entirely my own. As the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer, Allstate is dedicated not only to protecting what matters most–but to guiding people to live the Good Life, every day. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Coming Up Roses!