How To (Cars): Washing Your Car Part II (Interior)

I know I promised from my last blog on how to wash your car exterior, that I would write about how to clean your interior. Sorry for the delay, but here it is:

Materials:
Microfiber cloth
Leather cleaner/conditioner (if your car has leather)
Vacuum
Meguiar's Quik Interior Detailer Wipes (or similar products)

1. First and foremost, take out EVERYTHING that is in your car (except for things in compartments). That means on the floor, seats, dash, behind and above your rear seats, etc.

2. Take out all your car mats (if you have them) and pound the outside to get rid of dirt, dust, twigs, etc. Set them on the side where they won't collect more dust or dirt.

3. Vacuum the interior starting with the seats. This way, you don't vacuum your floor first, which is probably more dirty, and then place the vacuum on your seats. Recline the front seats all the way back so you can get all the dirt and dust stuck between the cushions.

4. Next vacuum the floor. Make sure you vacuum up all the little rocks, pebbles, twigs, dirt, etc. If you can, try to vacuum under the front two seats.

5. If you have leather, read on. If not, skip to step 6. I normally use Meguiar's Gold Class Rich Leather Spray. The spray not only cleans your leather areas, but also conditions them to protect them against wear and tear, and from the harmful rays due to the sun. Some people don't like the Meguiar's spray because it leaves somewhat of an oily residue (which is what conditions your leather), and when it gets onto some plastics of your car, they look like oily spots. This is easily removable by taking a damp paper towel or microfiber cloth and wiping it away.

I like the Meguiar's spray because it is quick (it sprays a large surface area) and it has a nice aroma. Plus, Meguiar's products are normally great. You can also try the paste, but that usually takes more work since you have to work the paste into the leather. Do what you feel more comfortable doing.

For smaller areas such as leather wrapped steering wheels, shift knob, etc., spray onto your cloth and then apply the cloth onto the small area. This prevents overspray onto your plastics or other things not leather. Don't worry if you do spray on other things than leather...it won't hurt the part...it'll just make it oily. You can always wipe it off later with a damp cloth.

6. Next, use a slightly damp microfiber cloth to wipe the interior of your windows. Sounds foolish, but it really makes a difference in the clarity of your windows. Over time, your windows build up a haze which people usually never clean. You will notice the difference when you wipe it down. If you used a really damp cloth, just dry it off with a microfiber cloth. Be more easy on tinted windows, since it's possible to scuff or scratch your tint. DO NOT use any type of chemicals on the inside of your windows if you have tint. This will also destroy your tint.

7. Next, wipe down your dash, plastic moldings (side door panels, cup holder, etc), vinyls, etc. If you normally keep your car relatively clean, you can just use a damp microfiber cloth and wipe everything down. It is still good to use detailer wipes to keep the sun from doing damage to your dash. A good one to use is Meguiar's Quik Interior Detailer Wipes.

I like the Meguiar's wipes because they don't leave a really shiny residue on your dash and plastic panels. I think shiny residues not only look tacky, but when they become reflective during daytime driving, they can actually hinder your ability to drive. And like the leather spray, the wipes also have a nice aroma.

8. Vacuum the car mats you took out and place them back into your car. If you have mat protectants, use them (usually a thin piece of plastic with grips that cover the top of your car mats). You'd be surprised how much dirt gets on them. Also, they are easier to pull right out and clean rather than your car mat which is carpet. You can pick up the mat protectants at any Walmart, Costco, Target, etc.

9. Pop open your trunk and vacuum the interior. Make sure your spare tire is also properly inflated in case you get a flat.

There is a reason why I clean my interior in a particular order. By vacuuming first, you get rid of all the dust and dirt, but dust can still rise up onto your dash, the inside of your windows, and seats. This is why you wipe down the inside of your windows, your dash, and seats after. This way, you'll wipe away all the dust and dirt that may have floated onto other interior parts of your car.

A way to keep your interior clean is to keep it as empty as possible. I know most people like to live out of their car by putting clothes, shoes, boxes, etc. in the back seat and floor. The less clutter you have, the less dust will collect on your clutter, and ultimately, the cleaner your interior.

How To (Money): Update on the Individual Housing Account

About 2 months ago, I wrote an article on Individual Housing Accounts. Well, the time has come to give an update on how much I actually saved by putting in $5000 into my IHA.

But before that, let me tell you a quick story. I was telling a friend of mine about the IHA and that he should open one since he is in the market to purchase a new home. At first he was very open to it, but when he found out that it was a state refund instead of a federal refund, he didn't think he would earn much from it. To top it off, the 2.75% interest rate that I got from the account also seemed too low for him, so he thought the payoff from the interest and the tax refund would be negligible. He didn't end up opening one.

Since he does work in accounting, I was somewhat concerned, but knew that at worst I would be getting some sort of refund including interest (large or not)...and at the same time, saving for my first home instead of spending that money elsewhere (a good way to budget your money).

Anyhow, I did my taxes recently and found that I received $408 BACK due to the IHA ALONE. The amount may vary depending on how much you make and how much you put in the IHA account (I maxed mine out at $5000), so $408 is a lot to get back for putting in $5000. Not only did I get taxed off a smaller income, but I received interest as well. I also did my brother's taxes and found that he received about $350 back by putting $5000 into his IHA.

Moral of this story: if you live in Hawaii (if you live elsewhere, check your state to see if an IHA or similar account is available) open one up and try to put the maximum of $5000 into your IHA. If you can't max it out, at least put as much as you can. It'll benefit you in many ways.

I'll be sure to max it out for 2007. You should too.

Random Tips: The Truth on Gas

As if living in Hawaii isn't expensive enough, not only did our general excise tax increase, but our gas increased 11 cents on the start of the new year. You can read more at Aloha Update, another blog I write for on the increase of gas prices.

Anyway, I recently had an opportunity to talk to a big time engineer who works at one of the large gas companies, and decided to tap into his head about the truth on gasoline. As you already know, I like to save gas particularly because with a few pointers, you can actually save a lot of money. I've already wrote two articles on saving gas, which can be found at this link, and this link. Anyhow, here is what he had to say.

Grades of Gasoline
So I asked him what's the benefit of having midgrade, or 89 octane, gasoline? No cars ask that the minimum octane level should be 89...most say the car needs a minimum of 87 or 91 octane. He reported two reasons.

1. Psychologically, people think 89 is better than 87 because it has a higher octane number. Partially true, but not quite. People think 89 is better because they think it is a cleaner gas and/or will help your car engine run cleaner and smoother. All is false, except the last point, which is semi-true. A higher octane gas does not clean your engine better...the cleaning agents are due to the additives, which is normally added in all grades. If you car only requires 87 gas, putting in 89 won't make your engine cleaner. For the most part, it won't even make your car run smoother, unless you have a very old car. This leads to the 2nd point.

2. He added that the ONLY time you ever need to use grade 89 gasoline is if you have a really old car, and the car starts knocking. The engine may need a higher octane to reduce the knocking due to the compression ratio. If 89 doesn't get rid of the engine knocking, you will be forced to use 91 octane and above. Most cars these days have knock sensors that prevent knocking if a lower octane is used, so you shouldn't experience knocking at all. Since that is the case, using 89 octane will not help your car at all. Only two octanes are needed, 87 and 91.

Additives
I wrote about additives in my previous article Tips to Save Gas in point number 1. I wanted to know how important these additives are, and if they really do what they are supposed to do, which is keep your engine clean. This is what he had to say.

The additives are important because they really do clean your engine. Examples are Chevron's Techron and Shell's V-Power. BUT, it is NOT NEEDED EVERYTIME. This means, you DON'T have to put in gas with these cleaning additives everytime you fill up. It won't hurt your car if you do, but also isn't necessary to put it in so frequently. He told me that you only need to use these types of gas every once in a while. For example, you can put in gas from Costco or other gas stations, then every month or two, put in gas from the big companies such as 76, Shell, Chevron, etc. This will ensure that your car engine will stay clean, AND you will save big bucks by not using big gas companies which usually charge more than others.

Conclusion
1. Use the type of gasoline your car manual asks for. If it's 87, only put in 87. If it's 91, put in 91 (or higher...some places have 92). There is no sense putting in 89, unless your car engine starts knocking...but the chances of that are very slim due to knock sensors. Putting in 89 octane normally is a waste of money.

2. Octane levels do nothing more than prevent your car from knocking. Cars with higher compression ratios need higher octanes...these are usually high end sport cars or luxury cars...all of which normally have really high horsepower. Then again, a Corvette only takes 87 octane gas. That Honda Civic you drive definitely won't need 91 octane gas. Octane level does not correlate to a cleaner running engine. Instead, putting in the correct octane will save you money if your car only requires 87 octane gas.

3. Additives do clean your engine, but you do not need to fuel your car with expensive fuel everytime. This means you can fill your car at Arco for the most part, then every month or two, depending on how often you drive, fill in gas from 76, Shell, or Chevron. This will save you money by purchasing cheaper gas for the most part, but keeping your engine clean every month or two.