How to wash the steering wheel. Car care products: delicate skin. Plastic steering wheel care

10.10.2017

Even when regularly caring for their car, many drivers don’t even think about cleaning the steering wheel. However, sooner or later the steering wheel does attract attention - with its obviously dirty appearance or stickiness to the touch. This means that a logical conclusion arises: this car control device also needs to be cleaned, just like the upholstery or dashboard. It’s just that it’s quite difficult to find a special cleaner for the steering wheel on sale... What to do, and what will help tidy up this essential element driving? We tried to find answers to your questions!

The steering wheel is one of the most contaminated elements of the interior. And this is not surprising! After all, we don’t wash our hands before getting into the car and taking the wheel. Therefore, over time, a dense layer of dirt accumulates on its upholstery, consisting of fat, particles of sweat and the skin of our hands, dust, fuel residues and other unpleasant substances. By the way, for drivers prone to allergies, a dirty steering wheel can even provoke an exacerbation of the disease.

A greasy steering wheel looks, to put it mildly, unaesthetic. Control elements made of plastic are less dirty. On them, dirt accumulates in places where hands come into contact with the coating. As a rule, these are positions, as they say, at 3 and 9 o'clock. But a steering wheel upholstered in leather or suede collects more dirt, because it accumulates in the pores and irregularities of the natural material. This means that such a steering wheel must be cleaned more often, and in addition, it must also be treated with special care products.

Cleaning the steering wheel from dirt

If you try really hard, you can find a special product for cleaning the steering wheel on sale. For those who are not ready to shell out substantial sums for keeping the steering wheel clean, we can recommend simpler, but no less effective ways deal with the dirt. What will help in this case?

- Car shampoo diluted in water.

You will say that car shampoo is already diluted in water. Indeed, to wash a car, a certain amount of product must be mixed with liquid in the required proportion. So, to clean the steering wheel, you need to take a little more water than indicated in the instructions for the car shampoo. In this case, it is better to use the liquid warm. If you add little water and a lot of cleaning agent, then you will have to try very hard to wash off such a composition from the steering wheel. Most likely, a sticky layer will remain on it, which will collect even more dirt.

How do we act? Using microfiber soaked in the prepared solution, we clean the steering wheel from dirt. For ease of application, you can pour the cleaning composition into a spray bottle. In addition, an old toothbrush will come in handy to remove dirt from hard-to-reach places. If the steering wheel is very dirty, apply diluted car shampoo to the surface and let it dissolve the dirt for a couple of minutes. Only then wipe the steering wheel with clean microfiber.

- Wet wipes.

Many drivers use this product to quickly deal with dirt on the steering wheel as it appears. By the way, baby cleansing wipes are especially popular in this matter. Designed to delicately fight dirt on the delicate skin of babies, they also do a good job on the steering wheel. Alas, this method will only give results if the steering wheel is not very dirty. Yes, and in this way it will not be possible to remove dirt from the pores and unevenness of the skin.

How do we act? Wipe the steering wheel with napkins until dirt is visible on them.

The plastic steering wheel should be cleaned well and wiped dry with clean microfiber. But if the steering wheel is upholstered in leather, then another stage of care will be required. It is not enough just to clean this coating. On cleansed skin, you need to apply a care product that will give the material elasticity, renew its color, and most importantly, protect it from fading and prevent further contamination. Depending on the cleaning results, SONAX products are perfect for high-quality care of the steering wheel leather.

If there was little dirt on the steering wheel and you easily cleaned it off with napkins or diluted car shampoo, then you should choose .

This product will gently remove any remaining dirt and grease from the surface of the steering wheel. Vitamin E in the product will give the skin elasticity and protect it from cracking, and beeswax will prevent rapid contamination and moisture penetration. The steering wheel will look like new, and picking it up after such care will be much more pleasant!

If the steering wheel was heavily dirty and even after cleaning with diluted car shampoo, dirt remained in the pores and uneven areas of the skin, then this will come in handy .

The product is designed to clean even old and stubborn dirt from any genuine leather surface. It will easily remove remaining dirt, grease and other substances, returning the surface to its original color, as well as lost softness and velvety. By the way, modified beeswax in the product prevents slipping, which is important when caring for the steering wheel. After treatment with this composition, the steering wheel will look clean, renewed, and soft to the touch.

Regular care will help you avoid greasy shine, stickiness and other unpleasant signs of a dirty steering wheel. After all, sitting in a neat car interior, holding a clean, well-groomed steering wheel in your hands, is undoubtedly a pleasure!

Every driver spends a lot of time behind the wheel of his car. And let's hope that your hands come into contact with it more often, and not with internal parts. After all, this may mean that you are engaged in deep repairs.

So, the steering wheel of a vehicle is subject to no less contamination, if not more, than the wheel. It can collect bacteria, sweat, various oils or hand creams you use, and much more. Therefore, taking care of the steering wheel is no less important than taking care of other parts of the car. If you neglect proper care, your shiny steering wheel will turn into a piece of round, worn-out wheel.

Most often, drivers are faced with the fact that the car’s steering wheel begins to peel, crack and lose its smoothness and elasticity. This may be due to improper care or lack thereof. Be sure to check your vehicle's manual because the steering wheel can be made from a variety of materials, each with specific needs.

Now we will look at the rules of care leather steering wheel car, because this material is more common than others.

Step 1

The leather steering wheel is quite easy to use. But there are several basic rules for caring for this part of the car. So, the first thing to do is:

• Remove all dust and dirt from the surface.
• Take a damp cotton rag and apply leather cleaner to it. It will even do special creams for shoes, because they are in good contact with genuine leather and moisturize it.
• Then carefully wash the surface of the steering wheel. Do it carefully! There is no need to rub the product in, just lightly cover the surface with it and gently wipe it off.
• After the above procedure is completed, all you need to do is take a cotton rag again and moisten it with water. Carefully remove any remaining product not only from the steering wheel, but also from a number of instruments, levers and other places.
• After this, you need to use a soft, dry towel and wipe the steering wheel.

Step 2

The second step is aimed at steering wheel prevention. This will help you increase its service life and make the surface pleasant to both look and feel.

So, the second step consists of just one point. You need to soak your steering wheel in oil because its effect moisturizes and protects the skin from damage. To do this, you use a special leather conditioner.

Now here's a little trick: the best tool for applying conditioner is your bare hands! Use about one-tenth the amount of conditioner in the palm of your hand and gently massage it into the leather surface of the steering wheel for a minute or two. This way you can moisturize not only the steering wheel, but also your own hands! Then let the oils in the conditioner soak into your skin for about 30 minutes before patting everything dry.

Plastic steering wheel care

To care for a fully or partially plastic steering wheel, you will need special cleaning products. Most often, they are in liquid form, and you can find them in any specialty store. Among the most popular brands are: tortoiseshell wax F21, Autoglym Super Sheen or Quick Interior Detailer from Meguiar.

If you don’t want to spend a lot on such things, then it doesn’t matter. All you have to do is make your own cleaning product. To do this, you will need warm water and shampoo for daily care.

Try not to mix a very large amount of shampoo, because it can foam a lot and make it difficult to further dry the surface. In addition, the steering wheel will be excessively slippery or sticky.

Daily driving care

The entire above procedure is designed to give your steering wheel a deep, long-lasting clean. But this does not mean that you should ignore daily care, which can facilitate further procedures and significantly increase its service life. For these purposes, special wipes are perfect, soaked in a special moisturizing and cleansing agent at the same time. They are convenient because you do not need to constantly carry a cotton rag with air conditioner with you.

These wipes are quite compact and can be easily stored in any accessible compartment in the car. Moreover, they contain exactly enough substance to wipe the steering wheel once. So you don't have to calculate the required volume of cleaning agent and remove it from the surface.

As mentioned above, each material needs special care. One thing remains unchanged - you need to clean your steering wheel regularly and as thoroughly as possible. It doesn’t matter whether it’s expensive leather, regular fabric covering or cheap synthetic material.

• Be sure to take into account that the steering wheel coating is very susceptible to sunlight and temperature changes. Certain types of stains are more difficult to remove due to these factors.
• Pay attention to the composition of the cleaning product you will use. Some types may contain additional wetting elements, they make the steering wheel a little slippery. The effect lasts for several hours, so try not to drive during this time to avoid dangerous situations. If you urgently need to leave, you can use a dry towel and polish the surface of the steering wheel.
• If your steering wheel is made of textured plastic, you may experience regular appearance of black dirt. The same applies to suede, synthetics and even natural leather coverings. The method of cleaning them is no different from the above methods, you just need to take into account the material itself.
• Some car owners try to use hand sanitizer to clean their steering wheel. This is an acceptable method, but not ideal. The steering wheel will still be stained with sweat and grease from your hands. Because of this, dust settling on the surface will still often appear on the steering wheel.
• In order to better clean the steering wheel, take with you a toothbrush with not the stiffest bristles, a cloth made of soft fabric and another piece of microfiber cloth (microfiber). This will allow you to better clean hard-to-reach places, narrow openings and other parts of your steering wheel.

At the end of the article, let us remind you once again that the durability of your car’s steering wheel depends not only on its quality, but also on the care you provide it. In any case, this applies not only to the main control element, but also to the rest of the vehicle. Not only the aesthetic component depends on this, but also the safety of driving, as well as your health! If you want you and your passengers to have a pleasant time in your car, try to regularly keep the interior and, in fact, the steering wheel clean.

Like many elements of a car's interior, the steering wheel gets dirty over time and may become more slippery or sticky, but not every driver knows how to care for the steering wheel and how to clean it properly, so in this article we will take a closer look at these issues, while For different types car steering wheels.

Cleaning a leather steering wheel

A leather steering wheel is more demanding in terms of care and cleaning, so many car service specialists recommend using special cleaning agents and conditioners to clean a leather steering wheel, which are developed in accordance with the recommendations and requirements of the manufacturers and will not harm the leather.

When using various special products for cleaning a leather steering wheel, first of all, carefully read the instructions on the packaging, as some products may have a different cleaning process and may have their own warnings.

Cleaning a leather steering wheel usually takes place in several stages:

1. Prepare soft, clean cloths, cleaning product and special conditioner (if it is not included in the cleaning product).
2. Using a rag moistened with a cleaning product, carefully clean the leather steering wheel on all sides. In areas with seams, you can use a soft old toothbrush.
3. After cleaning the steering wheel, wipe it with a clean, dry cloth and apply a special conditioner, which will further protect the leather on the steering wheel from drying out and extend the life of the coating.

Many car owners often wash and clean their leather steering wheel with soapy water and a rag or wet wipes, which at first glance do a good job of cleaning, but do not forget that over time such cleaning will damage the leather on the steering wheel and shorten its service life.

Care and cleaning of a steering wheel made of artificial leather or plastic

Cleaning the steering wheel artificial leather, as well as steering wheels made of hard plastic, is often carried out using ordinary soapy water and clean rags.

Steering wheel cleaning process in this case simple and does not require special knowledge or special tools. Using a clean rag soaked in a soapy solution, thoroughly wipe the steering wheel and remove all dirt, after which the steering wheel is wiped with a dry cloth.

How often should you clean your steering wheel and how can you tell when it’s time to clean your steering wheel?

The steering wheel needs to be cleaned when you clearly notice and feel that it has become dirty, sticky or slippery, or a coating has appeared. It would seem like elementary things, but often the driver simply does not pay attention to this.

Over time, a leather steering wheel may become dry to the touch, which indicates that the leather on the steering wheel needs to be moisturized and treated with a special conditioner. This procedure is recommended to be carried out at least once a year.

In conclusion, it can be noted that proper care and cleaning the steering wheel are simple but important car care procedures for every car owner. Not often, but there are situations when the steering wheel is not cleaned for a long time and it becomes slippery, which can lead to an accident if it slips out of your hands at the most inopportune moment. Their useful tips and reviews on how best to clean the steering wheel in a car, leave them in the comments to this article and share it in social networks, if it was useful to you.

An article about how to properly care for your car's steering wheel. Important Rules steering wheel care. At the end of the article there is a video about caring for the leather of your steering wheel.

Contents of the article:

The steering wheel, which has been popularly dubbed the “steering wheel” since time immemorial, can be confidently called the most “communicative” part of a car’s interior. And this is not surprising: wherever we go, the steering wheel is constantly in our hands. This means that the surface of the steering wheel is more susceptible to contamination than other interior elements.

Why do you need to care for your steering wheel?

At first glance, this seems like a trifle, but, nevertheless, your mood while driving, and, therefore, your safety, can depend on the cleanliness of the steering wheel.

In addition, from various kinds contamination of the steering wheel surface, for example, from dust, some drivers may experience an allergy attack, which can lead to big troubles on the road.

The conclusion suggests itself - the steering wheel requires careful care.

Places of greatest pollution

Plastic steering wheels most often become dirty where the steering wheel comes into contact with the driver's hands. If you imagine the steering wheel as a watch dial, then your hands are mainly squeezing those places where the numbers three and nine should be. It is in this position that it is recommended to hold the steering wheel in a driving school.

If the steering wheel is covered with leather or suede, it tends to collect a lot more dust, which gets packed into the relief irregularities of the coating.

Cleaning the steering wheel from dirt is not that difficult. But don’t think that you just need to wipe the steering wheel with a napkin and the job is done. Of course not. And washing your hands in a timely manner before driving will not solve the problem either, because the steering wheel will still become dirty due to sweat and micro-dust particles contained in the air.

This all suggests that, no matter how accessible the process of cleaning the steering wheel may be, it in any case represents a certain sequence of actions that it is advisable to perform.

Cleaning the steering wheel

Before the cleaning procedure, pay attention to the material from which the steering wheel is made. This is necessary in order to decide on cleaning products.

These types of preparations have different purposes and are used to clean steering wheels made of leather, plastic and vinyl.

And for those who don’t want to visit specialized stores and spend money on cleaning agents, we can advise you to make your own product by diluting the shampoo for washing the car body with warm water. In this case, it is important to maintain the necessary proportions: if the solution turns out to be too saturated, it will be very difficult to remove it completely from the steering wheel, which means that as a result the steering wheel will become sticky and begin to get dirty very quickly.

As additional equipment, a spray bottle, toothbrush and soft rags will not hurt. With these devices, it will be easy to clean the steering wheel in hard-to-reach places.

Start spraying evenly detergent on the steering wheel of the car. After spraying, pause for a few minutes - the solution should dissolve the dirt. Then wipe the steering wheel with a soft, dry cloth.

If the result is not effective enough, this procedure can be repeated, and in addition, treat hard-to-reach places with a toothbrush, and then wipe dry again.

Leather steering wheel care

Leather is a fairly durable material, but it also has a service life that can be extended if you care for it properly. Until recently, a leather steering wheel in a car was a luxury item, but now it has become available to all car enthusiasts, which is why its popularity has not diminished at all.

A leather steering wheel looks more beautiful than, for example, a plastic steering wheel without a shell. However, daily contact with the driver's hands can have the same negative impact on a leather steering wheel as on a plastic one. Over time, the leather on the steering wheel becomes brittle, cracks appear, and the paint fades and wears off.

To prevent this, it is necessary to use special skin preparations that will cleanse and moisturize. These types of products always contain special filters that protect the skin from premature fading.

If the leather on your steering wheel is cracked

With such a problem, you have no choice but to replace the leather covering on the steering wheel. Here you can consider two options:

1. Contact a special workshop where professionals will successfully handle this task. The main advantages of this option are efficiency and quality.
2. Make the steering wheel trim with my own hands. To do this, you can use a cover or purchase a special kit in a special store, designed specifically for your car model. For greater reliability, we recommend purchasing a set - it will be ideal for your steering wheel.

Prompt response

If cracks are detected on the steering wheel, you need to react quickly. If these cracks are minor, it will not be difficult for you to restore the leather steering wheel to its original appearance.

And here you may be faced with the problem of choosing: either paint the steering wheel or carry out minor repairs. In principle, there will not be a big difference, but at the same time, your choice should be influenced by precisely those nuances that arise only in your case. When deciding to paint your steering wheel, try to choose the paint that best matches your steering wheel in color.

And if you do choose minor repairs, use only smooth leather for this purpose.

Before you begin restoration procedures, do not forget to carry out the necessary preparation: the steering wheel should be washed and degreased with gasoline.

You can do both painting and repairs in two ways. The first method is to carry out all the necessary measures to care for the steering wheel directly inside the car. At the same time, do not forget to protect other interior elements with film and masking tapes.

The second method is to dismantle the steering wheel and then repair it. In this case, when you remove the steering wheel, do not forget to disconnect the battery. This is necessary to ensure that the battery does not signal an airbag error.

By following the simple rules we have listed, you will constantly keep your steering wheel in excellent condition, which is important for the operation of the car.