Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #EarthDayDriveAway #CollectiveBias
Time to say goodbye to the winter car blues and use these easy Spring Cleaning Car tips to start enjoying those beautiful spring events and trips!
We live in Colorado and if you know anything about Colorado and it’s crazy weather you know that in one week we can literally experience every season. Snow, rain, windy and sunshine – from hour to hour it can change. You get the idea. But come April the idea of spring and summer can finally enter our minds and plans. Now, don’t get me wrong, it could totally snow again but it will melt in a few hours so its all good. And with those happy sunshiny thoughts of spring and summer we start planning our family road trips and Colorado getaways.
With all of that planning also brings up car care. Over the years I have share my Winter Car Care tips with you but guess what? We have to also get our cars ready for spring. Kind of a Spring Cleaning routine in our family, spring cleaning is not just inside the home. You have to include the whole car in your car spring cleaning and I am happy to share our spring cleaning car tips with you today. These tips will get you on the road in no time and your car will be looking and feeling great for the new season of fun!
Spring Cleaning Car Tips
All Things Windshield and Wipers
I always focus on the windshield wipers when preparing for cold weather but it is also important to add these updates to your spring car prep. Depending on your winter driving, your wipers might be worn and not working properly. Here is the thing about spring, you will get wind storms that make for a dusty drive and even some rain (hopefully!) which means in order to see properly you will need wipers that work well and enough windshield wiper fluid to get you through the season. Simply change those wipers and top off the reservoir and you are ready to go!
Change That Oil
Seems like a simple task but I know there are a number of you out there reading this that have that reminder in your calendar that you have been ignoring. Oil changes are so important for your car health, and thinking of doing it as the seasons change just might be the way to keep on top of it. For us, spring and summer is when we drive the most and usually our drives include heading up into the mountains so our car needs to be ready for these trips because I do not have the energy to sit on the side of the mountain waiting for a tow truck with my crazy kids!
I would love to say that we change our oil on our own every time but frankly we don’t. But did you know that while you are picking up all of your spring cleaning car items at Walmart you can also get your oil changed? When you head into your local Walmart Auto Center you can trust that your car is getting the best care. I was happy to see that Walmart used Mobil 1™ for our oil change because Mobil 1™ synthetic oil protects more than just your engine. When using Mobil 1™ synthetic oil you will need fewer oil changes with means you will be reducing oil consumption and oil waste!
Earth Day Drive Away Offer At Walmart
Walmart customers have a chance to win a Chevy Equinox and receive their $10 Walmart Select Certificate at earthdaydriveaway.com that’s valid on a future Mobil 1™ purchase at Walmart! You can enter by purchasing 5 quarts of Mobil 1™ in the store or a Mobil 1™ oil change at the Auto Care Center, or by recycling any used oil at an Auto Care Center recycling any used oil at an Auto Care Center.
The Earth Day Drive Away offer is valid from January 15, 2018 – April 30, 2018. Limit 2 entries in the sweepstakes per customer (1 for purchasing and 1 for recycling). For more information about this sweepstakes visit the Earth Day Drive Away Sweepstakes. Make sure you keep your receipt to receive a $10 Walmart Select Certificate!
You can purchase ExxonMobil oil in the auto aisle at Walmart if you are one to change your own oil. You can use the Oil Selector Tool to find the right ExxonMobil oil for your car before heading to the store to pick up the items you need for your spring cleaning. Keep in mind that you can also recycle your oil at any of Walmart’s Auto Care Centers.
Give Your Battery A Little TLC
So you made it through the winter without any car battery issues, which is great but just like the oil change a battery is pretty essential (seriously) for a car to GO! Why worry about getting stuck somewhere on your family getaways, not worth it! I always have my husband double check our car batteries with every new season. Simply make sure your battery’s posts and connections are corrosion-free and also check to see if your battery has all the water it needs to run properly. If your battery is a bit older it might be ideal to take it into a shop and actually have it tested. We try to change our batteries every three years, or less.
Toss the Trash and Vacuum Up Winter
Look my car gets trashed. I am not your typical “soccer mom” but the kids are in my car more often which means all of their STUFF is in my car. Water bottles, books, trash, SO MUCH STUFF! So for every new season I make sure we take out all of the trash and other items and clean out the car. It always looks like a different car when I am done! So crazy.
In addition to cleaning out the car I like to vacuum, especially after winter. With the snow brings mud and also all of the sand from the icy roads. It all just collects on the floor of the car. If you have kids in car seats make sure you take out the seats and vacuum as well. You will be scared to see what you find under those seats! Parenthood is gross.
I’d Rather Be Shiny!
I hope you sang that line like I did. Anyway, cars should be shiny, inside and out! Find some auto wipes to get that dust off of the car inside and make sure you run the car through a car wash. Winter brings so many bad things for your car’s paint. Chemicals from the de-icer, salt and sand from those snow days, and DIRT. I always think that my car must feel like my hands do in winter weather….dry and cracked! It usually takes a few good car washes for my car to look SHINY!
Smell So Good
Who doesn’t love that “new car” smell? Well, now that my car is over 8 years old that new car smell is long gone. BUMMER! But, that doesn’t mean that my car has to smell like busy kids and happy meals. Once I complete my Spring Cleaning in my car I make sure to find a new scent that matches the blooming season. Maybe some ocean breeze, or floral gardens or even fresh linen. Adding a simple air freshener will make those car trips even more enjoyable.
Alright! We are ready to go!! The kids are excited to see our road trip plans this spring and summer. Just like last summer we are trying to visit more of our own state – lots of staycations and Colorado getaways for us. Thankfully, with these Spring Cleaning Car Tips our car is ready to go and we can feel prepared and ready for those road trips.
How do you prepare your car for Spring and Summer time?
This post reminds me that I need to get an oil change 🙂 it’s been a while. I recently changed my wipers which made a HUGE difference – I think the ones I had on there were the original ones (Oct. 2014, and it’s now April 2018…) and they were not working that well anymore. Unrelated, those mini TVs in your backseat are awesome! I imagine they keep kids busy during road trips. 🙂
Walmart is my one stop road trip stop. I always get the oil changed there, have my tires and fluids checked before hitting the road. While on the road, Walmart has become our rest stop instead of stopping at truck stops. We can buy snacks, use the restroom, fill up the tank and hit the road in no time. Plus we get the benefit of walking a little and stretching out on those long road trips.
Keeping the automobile clean is one of the straightforward approaches to keep it safe and serviceable for a longer period of time. And If I am not wrong, I think spring is the perfect moment of the year to clean the speed machine both inside and out by which a car parent can remove the sludge of the Jack Frost and prepare his road companion for the upcoming provocations of the warmer months. Cleaning the interior makes the ride comfortable, and exterior cleaning keeps the body paint in peak condition and increases the vehicle’s resale worth. So, every vehicle owner should follow the recommended spring cleaning procedures to keep their roadster in a gilt-edged shape.
Shelley Kingsays
Walmart is where we do everything. I need new windshield wipers bad. I just changed the oil so we are good there. Everytime we go on a trip we have a rule. Clean as you go. Every gas stop we clean out the car. Before we carry anything in we clean out the car when we get home. Keeps a clean car all year round. The weather in Kentucky is crazy too. We have no idea what spring is now days.
Next week I was planning on bringing my car in and changing out the oil. I want to make sure my battery is still holding a charge. When I bought it they said it would last me a good five years and it will be 5 years in a few months.
This post reminds me that I need to get an oil change 🙂 it’s been a while. I recently changed my wipers which made a HUGE difference – I think the ones I had on there were the original ones (Oct. 2014, and it’s now April 2018…) and they were not working that well anymore. Unrelated, those mini TVs in your backseat are awesome! I imagine they keep kids busy during road trips. 🙂
Walmart is my one stop road trip stop. I always get the oil changed there, have my tires and fluids checked before hitting the road. While on the road, Walmart has become our rest stop instead of stopping at truck stops. We can buy snacks, use the restroom, fill up the tank and hit the road in no time. Plus we get the benefit of walking a little and stretching out on those long road trips.
Keeping the automobile clean is one of the straightforward approaches to keep it safe and serviceable for a longer period of time. And If I am not wrong, I think spring is the perfect moment of the year to clean the speed machine both inside and out by which a car parent can remove the sludge of the Jack Frost and prepare his road companion for the upcoming provocations of the warmer months. Cleaning the interior makes the ride comfortable, and exterior cleaning keeps the body paint in peak condition and increases the vehicle’s resale worth. So, every vehicle owner should follow the recommended spring cleaning procedures to keep their roadster in a gilt-edged shape.
Walmart is where we do everything. I need new windshield wipers bad. I just changed the oil so we are good there. Everytime we go on a trip we have a rule. Clean as you go. Every gas stop we clean out the car. Before we carry anything in we clean out the car when we get home. Keeps a clean car all year round. The weather in Kentucky is crazy too. We have no idea what spring is now days.
Next week I was planning on bringing my car in and changing out the oil. I want to make sure my battery is still holding a charge. When I bought it they said it would last me a good five years and it will be 5 years in a few months.