Here at the AA, we warmly welcome the arrival of spring. As birds chirp and flowers bloom, the cleaning fanatics amongst us gear up for a good ol' fashioned spring spruce up. So, what better time to give the car a good spring clean?

So we decided to put our money where our mouth is! Armed with the Car Wash Pack from the AA Shop we put it to the test against one Nissan Leaf and two small children who are not afraid to push the boundaries of car cleanliness. Read on for how we got on and our top ten steps for a sparkly spring car.

Firstly – Unpacking the pack

What’s in here?

• 1x Sponge & Mitt Microfibre Set

• 1x Microfibre Buffing & Polishing Cloth

• 1x Wash & Wax 1L

• 1x All Purpose Wipes, Tub of x30

• 1x Windscreen Washer 500ML

• 1x Vehicle Protectant 250ML

• 1x Air Freshener - Vitality 

• 1x AA branded Reusable Bag

Ten steps to a super clean car (and your children’s validation)

1. First things first, we need to get our space in order. Sunny Day? Check! Water access? Check! Good drainage? Check. There were a few false starts as I waited for the sun to make its appearance in Auckland, but once it did – I was off!

2. Armed with my Wash and Wax, and Microfibre Sponge and Mitt Set and good ol’ fashioned elbow grease, I began to soap up. My aim was to remove all the dirt and grime (and significant bird *contributions*) so that later I can get protection on to the car and create a ‘barrier’ against things that can harm that precious paintwork. Sudsy and satisfied, the Leaf started to shine. So far, so good. 

3. Now it was time to get buff (far from the gym though). I grab my Microfibre Buffing and Polishing cloth as ‘Carwash’ by Rose Royce begins playing on my headphones. With hips swaying and vocal chords exercising (badly), I started to see how silly I looked in my now very shiny car. Ten points for shine, zero for my international singing career.

4. With exteriors super shiny, I went under the bonnet. First stop was to load in my mythical shine potion (with the power of 1000 magical cleaning fairies.) It is also known as Windscreen Washer Concentrate to those over the age of 10. Shine windows shine!  

5. Time to get inside the car. My mouth dropped as I opened the car door, what animals have been living in here? Oh yes, that’s right. A 4- and 7-year-old. I swept up a sea of stickers, wrappers and precious (to them) objects to throw in the bin whilst they were at school and unaware of the crime being committed. Then I opened up all the doors and let sweet sun air out my car (sidenote you can also use a portable moisture absorber like Damp Rid.  Just pop one inside your vehicle for a few days and you’ll be equally amazed and horrified at how much moisture is actually sucks up).

It's important to consider that clutter will not only diminish the appeal of your vehicle, but will also create safety hazards and projectiles in the event of an emergency. 

6. With the rubbish out, it was time to treat the car's internal surfaces to a clean with some All-Purpose Cleaning Wipes to get rid of dust and grime that may have accumulated. I paid particular attention to frequented areas like the cup holders and the diamond hard grime patch my son had created around his car seat. (Although I suspect a jackhammer may have speed up the process.)

7. I dash inside to grab the Dyson, turn it up to eyeball-sucking out mode and hit those interiors like my life depended on it. If you don’t have access to a suitable vacuum cleaner for your vehicle, you can use the commercial ones located at most service stations for just a few dollars. Easy peasy.

8. As I am nearing the ending of cleaning experience I grab my bottle of Vehicle Protectant Spray, this will restore life back into vinyl, rubber and plastic by cleaning, rejuvenating, adding shine and protection from UV light. I don't think it would stop my 4-year from adorning the door with dinosaur stickers, but then, nothing would. 

9. As school pick-up time nears, it is time for the finishing touches. I grab my Air Freshener, (kitten themed) take a whiff and am momentarily transported to the ocean, or to my daughters favourite scented marker – it's hard to tell the difference. But it smells fresh and I love it.

10. The final step is parading my hard work and effort down at the school run, surely the ultimate testing ground for the cleanliness of one's car? Half expecting a small parade and round of applause as I enter the school gates.

The results

Before

L-R, A significant contribution from a bird, Healthy collection of dirt and grime, An ironic 'messy' number plate

After

L-R, Hey I can see myself now, A shiny interior, Ready for the school run.

But we all know the final verdict lies in the score my kids bequeath to me.

Zoe, 5/10: (After dropping several hints that I had in fact spent the last two hours cleaning the car) “Oww, yeah, I can tell”.

Henry, 10/10: “Wowwwwww, how did you do that?” (as if I was a magical car cleaning wizard – will take that as a win!)

The bundle of AA Motoring car cleaning products sets you up with everything you need to ensure the inside and outside of your car is clean, sparkling & tidy.

The AA Motoring Car Cleaning Bundle is valued at $79.50, but AA Members only pay $62.10 SAVING 20%!