It's time to get your car ready for summer! Winter is a harsh time for your car. There's plenty of ice, slush, and salt to go around. Also, many people have limited car washing opportunities in winter, meaning thorough cleaning is often neglected. Because of this, dirt can easily become ingrained on the car's surfaces. Now that the snow is melting and the asphalt is reappearing, it's a great time to give your car a spring clean!
A good time for such a project is, for example, when you change your summer tires. When the tires are off the car, cleaning them is much easier, and it's also simple to check their condition. The wheel arches also accumulate a lot of dirt and salt during winter, which should be washed off.
Below you will find our 7-step instructions for getting your car ready for spring!
The "car ready for summer" project begins by moving the car into the shade and ensuring all surfaces are cool.
1. Interior
The "car ready for summer" project is best started with the interior. Begin by vacuuming the floors, seats, and other surfaces. A brush attachment for the vacuum cleaner makes it easier to vacuum the dashboard and door panels. Small grains of sand also sink into the carpet fibers, so scrubbing them with a carpet brush helps bring them to the surface.
Once vacuuming is complete, it's time to wipe down the surfaces. For this, you'll need a microfiber cloth and Fure Interior Cleaner. Spray the interior cleaner onto the cloth and wipe the surfaces clean. If, for example, stains have appeared on the seats during winter, spray the interior cleaner directly onto the stain, let it sit, and then wipe the stain away. If the stains are stubborn, a wet vacuum is an excellent way to clean upholstery.
The final step is cleaning the windows. For a streak-free result, use two microfiber cloths. Spray window cleaner onto one microfiber cloth, wipe the entire window thoroughly, and then use the second cloth to buff the window clear.
2. Rims + Wheel Arches
Perhaps one of the most important steps in the "car ready for summer" process involves the wheel arches. Once the interior is clean, it's time to move on to washing the car's exterior. With summer approaching, it's naturally time to change tires, and cleaning the tires is much easier when they are off the car. For a thorough rim cleaning, you will need Fure Iron Remover. (See washing instructions on the bottle).
During winter, a lot of dirt accumulates in the car's wheel arches, and when the tire is off, it's an excellent opportunity to clean them. This task is significantly easier if you have access to a pressure washer, but a regular garden hose will also do the trick. Start by thoroughly rinsing off loose dirt. Then, liberally spray cleaning agent around the wheel arch. Fure Snow Foam applied from a spray bottle is excellent for this. Let the cleaning agent sit for about 2-3 minutes, then carefully scrub the surfaces with a brush. At the same time, it's also good to check the condition of the parts. Rinse the cleaning agents off thoroughly.
3. Pre-wash
Perhaps the most important step in car washing. This step minimizes scratching the paintwork. The aim is to remove as much dirt as possible from the surfaces before any mechanical contact is made.
Spray the car thoroughly with foam wash and let the product sit for a moment, but do not let it dry on the surface. Start rinsing the car carefully with a pressure washer from bottom to top, and then from top to bottom.
4. Wash Mitt Application
Once the paintwork has been cleared of loose dirt, we can move on to mechanical washing. We do not recommend using brushes or sponges, as they can scratch the car's paintwork. We recommend microfiber or lambswool wash mitts.
- Fill 2 wash buckets with warm water and add car shampoo to one of them according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- Foam the car shampoo in the bucket with high water pressure.
- Start washing with the mitt from the top parts of the car and proceed downwards in parallel movements. Always rinse the wash mitt between each area being washed (e.g., a door) first in the wash bucket containing clean water to remove dirt from the mitt, and then dip it into the wash bucket with the detergent.
- Once the car has been washed, rinse it thoroughly with warm water.
If the detergent tends to dry on the car's paintwork, a good tip is to wash the car in sections. For example, the roof and windows, after which the car is rinsed and washing continues with the lower parts.
5. Tar and Iron Removal
Another important part of the "car ready for summer" project is this. A lot of tar, salt, and iron particles accumulate on the car's paintwork during winter. Tar appears as black spots on the car's paintwork and comes from both the car's own tires and the asphalt, while iron particles originate from studded tires and the car's brakes. Small iron particles adhere to the paintwork, then react with oxygen to form iron oxide, or rust. This makes iron particles adhere very strongly to surfaces.
Start iron removal by spraying Fure Iron Remover onto all exterior surfaces and leave it to act for about 5 minutes. You'll notice the iron remover working as it turns dark red when reacting with iron particles. Once the dwell time is over, rinse the car thoroughly with a pressure washer. If iron particles still remain, repeat the procedure.
Tar removal is handled with Fure Tar & Glue Remover. Spray the product onto the car's surfaces and let it sit according to the instructions. After this, you can enhance the cleaning by wiping the surfaces with a microfiber cloth. Then rinse the car very thoroughly. It's advisable to avoid spraying tar remover on soft rubber and plastic parts.
6. Drying
Finally, the clean car is dried, because water droplets can easily leave marks on the paintwork after they dry. In the worst case, in direct sunlight, a water droplet acts like a magnifying glass and can damage the clear coat. The dust season is also at its worst now, and dust clings to wet surfaces.
Finally, the clean car is dried, because water droplets can easily leave marks on the paintwork after they dry. In the worst case, in direct sunlight, a water droplet acts like a magnifying glass and can damage the clear coat.
7. Protection
The final and most important step is waxing the car. Currently, Fure's selection does not yet include waxes, but some of our trusted retailers offer protective products. Whether your choice is natural wax, sealant, or hard wax, they will help you with your selection and advise you on its use.
With these steps, the "car ready for summer" project is complete, and the dry asphalt awaits!
See our retailers here: Fure Retailers, for example Shineld
