Sand — it's irritating and it gets everywhere. Once it makes its way into your car, it can be a pain to remove. Whether you're spending a day at White Sands or trying to close your car door before the sandstorm gets through, it's difficult to completely avoid sand in your car in El Paso, Texas. Here are a few tips on how to remove pesky sand from your vehicle:
Rinse Sandy Undercarriages
Sand can accumulate in your vehicle's undercarriage and work its way into
vulnerable areas to erode them. With enough sand and time, your car could be damaged and put a dent in your wallet.
It's important to clean your vehicle's undercarriage to avoid this buildup. Many automated car washes offer cleaning services that tackle the undercarriage. If you want to save a few dollars, stick a lawn sprinkler under your car to rinse off some of the sand.
Vacuum Your Carpets
Fine sand can work its way deep into your vehicle's carpets. This sand can be difficult to remove once it's embedded itself, but with enough work, you should be able to get most of it out.
Home vacuums suck — but not enough. If you use one, use an attachment that focuses the area of suction and work your way through every square inch of carpeting. Better yet, see if you can get your hands on a Shop-Vac or find a heavy-duty vacuum at a reliable car wash to get the sand out of your carpets. Beat your floor mats senseless against a wall to knock as much of the sand out as you can.
Don't Get It Wet
Whatever you do, don't use water on your carpets until you get the sand out. Getting sand wet only helps it establish itself as a permanent resident of your carpet.
Use Tape on the Seats
When sand gets caught in the grooves and cracks in your seats, you can use tape to remove when your vacuum couldn't. Putty works as well, but avoid using anything too sticky on higher-quality upholstery. We suggest using masking tape or painter's tape to remove sand from hard-to-reach crevices.
Use a Brush
To loosen sand that's been embedded into your carpets and cloth seats, use a wire bristle brush or
horse-hair brush. This technique will help loosen up stubborn sand from your fabrics, making it easier to vacuum up.
Don't Wait
The longer you procrastinate cleaning your vehicle after a bad sandstorm, the more time you'll have to spend cleaning it. As you move about the vehicle, the sand gets pushed further into your carpets and crevices in your seats. Do yourself a favor and try to clean the sand out of your car as soon as you can.
Implement these tips to bring your car back to its glorious former self after a sandy excursion. El Paso is a dusty and sandy place, but as long as you stay one step ahead of it, you should be able to keep your car looking great.
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