How to keep your leased car clean
July 28, 2021
To get the most out of leasing your vehicle, it’s important that you keep it spic and span. But when
you’re busy playing family taxi driver, having a demanding job, or you just having endless places to
go and people to see, keeping the car clean is easier said than done.
The consequences of not keeping your lease clean are rather stark though. According to a study by GAP Enviromicrobial Services cited by News24, cars can hold over 17,000 times more bacteria than the home – or 228% more than a toilet seat! Plus, when it comes to trading your leased car in for an upgraded model, returning a car that is covered with remnants of your busy lifestyle might result in a disgruntled dealer and some unwanted fees.
To avoid shocking levels of grime, additional charges and maintain a shiny, new leased vehicle, here are some top tips on how to keep it clean.
Protect your cup holders
Accelerating, stopping, turning and bumps in the road can all cause plenty of small spillages if you’re
a fan of having a coffee or can of cola close to hand for some mid-drive refreshment. Sticky cup rings
are bad at the worst of times but can be a real annoyance to clean if they’re deep at the bottom of
your car’s cup holders.
The solution? Pop a cupcake holder beneath your drink and it’ll stop the liquid in its tracks. Easy!
Stay prepared
You never know when a spillage, sick child or any other messy mishap might strike your cabin, so be
sure to pack some wet wipes, leather cleaner, or a bottle of cleaning spray in the boot so you don’t
have to wait till you get home to tackle mess.
Invest in cleaning gel
While wipes and cloths are a fine enough means of cleaning your upholstery, there are plenty of
places in the car that aren’t so easy to clean with traditional means.
That’s where cleaning gel comes in. Designed to clean fiddly hardware like keyboards, cleaning gel can be squished into parts of your vehicle filled with small, dust-trap crevices, such as the air conditioner vents and dashboard. As you pull it out, any dirt sticks to it, without leaving the surface with a sticky residue. Truly the future of car cleaning!
Invest in a good air freshener
Having a pleasantly smelling car makes your car more appealing to passengers and can make longer
journeys more pleasant too. As such, it’s a good idea to get hold of a nice air freshener for your
vehicle – perhaps a liquid one that clips to the air vents, or even a classic tree-shaped cardboard
freshener that dangles from your rear-view mirror.
Seat covers
If you know you’re quite a messy driver but want to keep your leased car clean so you don’t lose money when giving it back to the car company, go all out and invest in some seat covers. These will protect the leather or fabric of the seat so you can drive safe in the knowledge that crumbs, drink drips and other dirt won’t have any chance to damage the upholstery.
Taking on board these great little hacks will mean you can clean as you go and keep your leased car
looking fresh and ready for a smooth handover. Happy cleaning!