It’s almost that day again! Sunday. One of the longest days of the year. And…Father’s Day!
What a perfect day for celebrating the men in our lives who work so hard every day of the year to make our lives better. Let’s give them a break from the usual humdrum weekend chores by doing one of these for them.
Our pick for gift of the day on this Father’s Day is…(drum roll)… a freshly cleaned car! And we’re going to give you some valuable tips to make it fun and doable.
Interior:
Open the windows and air it out - those old take-out containers can harbor a whole lotta smells!
Remove all trash.
Remove all floor mats and lay out ready for vacuuming if they’re carpet, or washing if they’re rubber.
Bring out the vacuum and go to town! Vacuum everything - carpet, seats, cup holders, consoles, car-door organizers - everything.
Wipe down and carefully polish every inside surface with a microfiber cloth.
Use cotton swabs to get into those tough-to-reach areas on the dash - that attention to detail will take your car cleaning to a whole new level and make Dad go “AHHHHH” and smile :)
Vacuum and return mats to their rightful place.
Exterior:
Use cleaning products that are designed for cars - you don’t want to remove or damage the wax or paint.
Use 3 buckets: #1-clean, soapy water for car body #2-rinsing your cleaning mitt #3-wheel bucket.
Wash the wheels first so you’ve removed the heaviest grime before moving onto the body of the car. Make sure you use bucket #3 and carefully wash the insides of all the little grooves and holes in those fancy chrome rims. Polish at the end.
Rinse car body with a hose first to remove the bigger pieces of dust and dirt - they can scratch the paint if you start rubbing the dirt with your cleaning mitt (OK, so this is where a little water fight might be called for - I promised fun, right?).
Using bucket #1, begin sponging the car body in sections, starting with the roof. Work your way from top to bottom to prevent newly cleaned sections from having dirty water being dripped on them.
Make sure you rinse your cleaning mitt often in bucket #2 to keep dirt or sand particles from being rubbed into your newly cleaned paint job.
Pay special attention to any sticky spots of highway dirt, tar or asphalt - there are special products available for cleaning these areas without damaging the cars’ finish.
DRY the SURFACE. This is a critical step to prevent water spots and maybe even notice a spot you may have missed. Use a special chamois designed for painted surfaces.
Windows:
The final function - and arguably one of the most difficult - requires some special care.
Choose a product designed for windows and follow the instructions on the packaging.
Use a microfiber or special window cloth.
Always wash and dry in the same direction i.e. up and down or from side to side. Do not rub in circles, this creates too many streaks. Elbow grease is the key here, so put your weight into it and check your work from a variety of angles.
After cleaning Dad’s car, here’s an idea to keep him smiling even after the initial reveal. Hide little surprise notes and gifts in various places that he may not notice everyday.
A note in the glovebox that says, ‘this entitles you to a car vacuum on the day of your choice’, or ‘Best Dad Ever!’.
A coupon for a free ice-cream in the trunk.
A family photo of an excursion or camping trip on the passenger seat visor.
A pen with his name on it in a side door pouch. Be creative!
Happy Father’s Day to all the amazing fathers in our world - you deserve the best!