30 cheap auto cleaning tips.

[Rusty Heap]

I learned some new techniques , and household chemicals.

I wouldn't try some of them on my Pcar, but RAV4 or Dodge Ram is fair game.

slide show:

28 Insanely Useful Car Cleaning And Maintenance Hacks

[Zeke]

Kinda simple if not ghetto in some respects and 2 thousand ads make for slow loading (the point of it all).

The newspaper on glass worked very well before vegetable based ink was used. That's pretty 1950's. Now you might as well use paper towels, something designed for the job.

Cola sodas don't do dick for rust unless you've got a soak tank and a spare few days. Lots better product than that for on-the-car rust treatment. Trust me, I know, I was an early Porsche owner.

It talks about using dryer wipes (whatever they are) and cooking spray for bumper bugs. Actually this is a better place for using the Coke.

And olive oil on your leather? Yeah, right. Wait until summer and it goes sour.

All in all, the "28 Insanely Useful Car Cleaning And Maintenance Hacks" is 30 ideas that include using a cereal box for a trash can in the interior that is just a advertising rabbit hole.

[biosurfer1]

I disagree about the dryer sheets. They work EXTREMELY well on dead bugs and a quick wipe of the wash mitt after cleans off any residue. I've been doing it for years and never found anything that came close especially considering the price.

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by biosurfer1

I disagree about the dryer sheets. They work EXTREMELY well on dead bugs and a quick wipe of the wash mitt after cleans off any residue. I've been doing it for years and never found anything that came close especially considering the price.

I've used Pledge furniture polish with great success...on metal not glass. It also works great on tar splashes.

[Por_sha911]

to get bug jerky off the front bumper:
wet down the bumper
sprinkle some arm and hammer baking soda on your wet hand
GENTLY rub it around with the palm of your hand to get it on the surface
wait a few minutes
rinse with the hose and then wash with your car wash soap
the baking soda disolves whatever is in the bug guts that acts like glue and concrete.

[jcommin]

Vinegar does work on salt stains! I have seen this link before. Thanks for sharing.

[Starless]

I think we'll end up with 30 better cleaning tips from fellow Pelican members than from the link.

[MMiller]

Who has a good solution for brake dust? Spray on rinse off is what I would like.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by MMiller

Who has a good solution for brake dust? Spray on rinse off is what I would like.

You'll be playing with fire if you depend on spray on/ rinse off chemicals. They used to sell some cleaners with Hydrofluoric acid in them and that was a good way to ruin wheels, chrome included. There are many acid type wheel cleaners available but to spray and rinse is dancing with the devil. You gotta get down on your knees and keep the stuff moving and then thoroughly wash it off preferably with some detergent.

Depending on the severity of the brake dust build up, you can make a concentration of Tide or All (I like the powder) and get pretty good results with that. On chrome you can safely use steel wool or SOS pads.

[MMiller]

Originally Posted by Zeke

You'll be playing with fire if you depend on spray on/ rinse off chemicals. They used to sell some cleaners with Hydrofluoric acid in them and that was a good way to ruin wheels, chrome included. There are many acid type wheel cleaners available but to spray and rinse is dancing with the devil. You gotta get down on your knees and keep the stuff moving and then thoroughly wash it off preferably with some detergent.

Depending on the severity of the brake dust build up, you can make a concentration of Tide or All (I like the powder) and get pretty good results with that. On chrome you can safely use steel wool or SOS pads.

I assumed that elbow grease was best but thought I would ask. I'm not talking build up as wheels are cleaned weekly but was looking for a short cut to weekly clean.