The next time someone climbs into your car, you'll probably say something like, "I'm so sorry it's such a mess. Just push all the stuff out of the way." Leslie Reichert, author of The Joy of Green Cleaning, calls this C.H.A.O.S. syndrome, which stands for Can't Have Anyone Over Six (Years Old) in the car.
On average, Americans spend a whopping 10 percent of their waking hours in cars. So why don't we clean them? Because we don't know where to start. The rules are different from the kitchen, where a mop, paper towel and some all-purpose cleaner will erase most sins. The one rule that's the same: Clean a car as often as you clean your house—every two weeks or so for a big cleaning, with tidy-ups in between. Paul Ponzio Jr., president of Samaritana, operator of the CVS Samaritan vans as well as various state freeway patrols, knows a thing or two about how to clean automobiles. Here, his and other experts' advice for inside and out.
Console and Dashboard
Spray an all-purpose cleaner along all the surfaces that grimy fingers touch: console, gear shift, door handles, inside the cup holders, etc. Wipe clean with a rag, and use cotton swabs for hard-to-reach areas. Remember: You're spraying chemicals into a small enclosed space in which your family will be sitting, so opt for natural products. Reichert cleans with a spray bottle filled with equal parts water and white vinegar.
Body
Start from the top and work your way down: Using a wet, soapy sponge or microfiber car mitt, and concentrated cleaner, wash the roof, windows, hood, trunk and sides to get off dirt and salt that can corrode paint. Rinse with clean water and dry in the same order. Try Simple Green Car Wash ($6 for a 67-oz bottle at hardware stores).
Undercarriage
Salt, grime and chemicals eat at your tire rods and undercarriage, causing rust and corrosion. A simple wash prevents this. Using a hose set to jet, squat next to the car and spray the undercarriage, cleaning it out. Back up a little so you don't get sprayed. (Trust me on this.)
Windows and Mirrors
Spray the top of the window with an ammonia-free glass cleaner (ammonia can damage tints, coatings and weatherstripping). Using a microfiber or 100% cotton towel (it won't scratch or streak), trace hard along edges and in corners, then wipe from top to bottom and side to side. Do the same for window interiors and mirrors.
Seats
Cleaning depends on what they're made of, so consult your manual: Velour is usually cleaned with foam spray, while leather and vinyl have their own wash and conditioning products. All bottles will suggest that you try a corner first, to confirm that it won't damage the color. They're not kidding.
Tires
Rubber is like your skin: When totally ignored and sunned, it cracks and the color dulls. Cleaning and moisturizing goes a long way. A few times a year, condition your tires with "dressing." (Try Turtle Wax Wet 'n Black tire dressing, $7 for a 23-oz bottle at Kmart.) Pay particular attention to how long the instructions say to wait before driving—you want the product to soak into the surface and dry.
Floor
Remove floor mats and shake them out. Lay them on the driveway and vacuum up loose dirt and pebbles with a vacuum extension. Then either soak them for an hour in a large bin of warm water mixed with clothing detergent (mix as you would to handwash clothing) and rinse, or wash with carpet cleaner and hose them down. Line-dry.
Wheels
If you don't wash them, brake dust gathers on the metal and eats into it, leaving pits. Apply a wheel cleaner solution following the bottle's instructions— but don't leave it on longer than the instructions recommend (it's very strong). Rinse and towel dry.
Arianne Cohen is a contributing editor to Woman's Day and author of Help, It's Broken!: A Fix-It Bible for the Repair-Impaired. Illustrations: Brown Bird Designs
