Here are more summer car cleaning tips that will help keep your car shiny, clean, and sparkling new.

Tip 1: Assess your paint finish before applying wax. Is this your first time to wax your car after a while? You might need to pre-clean or prep the paint before applying polish and wax.

You can use any kind of product to clean and polish your car. We mentioned in the first post of summer car cleaning tips that wax and polish are two different things. Wax is good for sealing the finish and protecting it from the sun and acid rain, while polish is used to erase and smooth out any imperfections to the finish.

If your car is relatively new (less than a year old) then you can either use polish or wax to achieve a brand new finish. On darker colored cars, polish will minimize the appearance of swirl marks. It will also get rid of small paint scratches. On older cars, using a polish will clean or prepare the finish for the application of pure carnauba wax. Although using polish before waxing is highly recommended, you can achieve brilliant results by using any one of the other.

Follow the instructions written on the bottle of the polish or wax before application. Do not wax on a hot finish, and remember to wash your car using mild soap and water before treating the paint.

Tip 2: Your car interior deserves special care as well. Take out the floor mats and use a vacuum cleaner to remove excess dirt, dust, and loose sand that may be embedded deep in your carpets. Vacuum the floor mats, or simply dust them off before placing it back inside the car. If you are using rubberized floor mats, wash them with mild sop and water and wipe dry.

Summer is the hottest season of the year. Parking your car under the hot baking sun might cause cracks, discolorations, and faded interior surfaces, particularly the dashboard, leather seats, and the door panels. Wipe the surfaces thoroughly with a damp terry cloth towel before applying a surface protector such as Armor All. This will moisturize, protect, and prolong the plastic and rubber surfaces inside and outside your car.

It is easy to maintain a clean car this summer. All you need is a spare weekend and the right car care products. Spare a little elbow grease on your new or used car and you won’t regret it.