How To Clean Your Car’s Wheel Wells (And Why You Should)
Detailing your car on your own can be a lot of work, and it’s also not easy, making it tempting to avoid strenuous tasks like cleaning the tires and wheel wells. However, you really should clean your car’s wheel wells.
The wheel wells are the curved compartments above the tires that protect the car’s undercarriage and engine from mud, dirt, or whatever debris your tires fling around while driving. Because these protectors are often exposed to road elements like mud and road salts (in snowy regions), they are prone to corrosion and rust. Therefore, how often you should clean the wheel wells varies considerably depending on the kinds of roads you traverse and how spotless you’d like your car to be. Ultimately, ignoring them completely could tank your car’s resale value — apart from the fact that it might take something away from the looks of your clean car.
How should you clean them? You can use soap and water or a degreaser, depending on the state of the wheel wells and your options. But if you have carpeted wheel wells, you might have to approach things a little differently. Here’s all you need to know below.
How to clean non-carpeted wheel wells
Before you begin your cleaning, here’s a list of items you should have to follow the method we’ve prescribed here:
While it might not be necessary, you may need to remove your tires to access your wheel wells properly. In that case, ensure you have the following:
Once you have all you need, you can now begin by following these instructions:
Now, use a trim dressing or protectant to coat the wheel well. It’s not compulsory, but it’ll help keep the components around there safer for longer.
How to clean carpeted wheel wells
If you notice that the wheel wells in your vehicle use some kind of carpet-like material as their liners, you’ll have to approach your routine cleaning differently. If you simply use the method we outlined for the non-carpet version, it might get the “carpet” muddy, defeating the purpose of cleaning it.
Here’s what you’re going to need:
Once you have all of that set, you may begin with the instructions below:
You should know that this wheel well will soon get dirty once you start driving again. You can just brush off the dirt using the first step and leave it at that. The density of hairs in the carpeted wheel wells might vary depending on the brand, so if your brush isn’t very effective, you could try an adhesive lint roller or a pet brush.
