Green Cleaning For Your Car’s Interior

By TreeLiving Although we know that running cars contributes hugely to environmental problems, our reliance on cars isn’t going to go away any time soon. The compromise is to switch to eco cars and environmentally friendly driving strategies. Being an ecologically minded driver doesn’t stop there. You can follow through with green strategies for maintaining your car, including keeping the interior spick and s pan. Using green products for cleaning the interior of your car isn’t only about being eco-friendly. It’s also about you and your family’s health. Cleaning agents, detergents and car shampoos are typically laden with toxic chemicals and the residues keep on giving off volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are known to be bad news for allergy sufferers and can be carcinogenic for humans and pets. Especially if you spend substantial periods of time in the enclosed space of your car, green cleaning makes sense. A top tip for reducing or eliminating the use of unfriendly chemicals in your car is to clean regularly. Vacuuming and dusting with a good quality cloth will keep your car sparkling because you won’t be allowing the dirt to build up. Dealing with dust and dirt early means you won’t need heavy duty detergents to get rid of it down the line. Even if you do this, keeping your car clean as you go along, it will still be a good idea to give it a spring clean now and then. There are plenty of harmless household substances you can use for stain removal, buffing up metallic surfaces and fittings and general refreshing of your car’s interior. Well known include using baking soda and weak solutions of white vinegar, which are cheap and effective cleaning agents. If you’re not sure about home-made cleaners, then look out for specially formulated green cleaners for cars. It is possible to get it wrong with home-made cleaners, so make sure you don’t damage your fittings and fabric or leather upholstery. For peace of mind, purchasing these products can be well worth the cash outlay. There’s something about that new car smell that we all love. You can buy all sorts of car air fresheners, including some that specifically aim to replicate that new car fragrance. The down side is that they are, inevitably, purely chemical, and can be highly allergenic. Air fresheners of all kinds are well known migraine triggers, so for the comfort of your passengers, green alternatives are the way to go. Essential oils in the fragrance of your choice are a healthy substitute – just add a few drops to the water you use to wipe down dashboards and leather seats. With eco cleaners and a bit of planning, even those of us who don’t drive high end eco cars can green our driving experience and look after our health in the process.