 |
Halfords Natural Demister Pad Small
by Beccky
When I first bought my current car I made a trip to Halfords to buy a few essentials. This demister pad was one of the first things I purchased, it currently costs £2.99 and is available in most Halfords stores. The pad is designed to absorb moisture and keep surfaces clean and steak free.
The demister pad comes in a plastic ... packet. It is made of sponge and covered in chamois, which is a type of natural leather. The pad is 4cm x 12cm x 17cm and is the ideal size to keep on your dashboard. It is soft and squeezable I squash it underneath the edge of my windscreen so I have easy access to it when needed.
To use the demister pad simply wipe is across the surface you would like to clean and dry. It absorbs moisture very easily and leaves the surface streak free. I use mine often to demist my windscreen, if it's been a cold morning it's inevitable that you may steam up once you start driving and to wait for the fans to clear the windscreen can take much longer than I have when leaving for work. I simply wipe the demister pad across my windscreen and apply gentle pressure. It sucks up any moisture and removes all condensation and mist from it. It also leaves your screen streak free and ready to go.
I have also used my demister pad when cleaning in inside of my windscreen and windows. It's quite impressive how much dirt it collects when wiping your screen and definitely helps improve visibility by keeping your glass clean. I rinse mine out with warm water and leave it somewhere warm to dry if it is a little grubby. My current pad has lasted me years so far and I can't see myself needing to buy another for a while. It's one of the best products I have bought to go inside my car and has saved me a lot of time and hassle when it comes to demisting the windscreen.
I would highly recommend buying one of these, £2.99 is a very small price to pay for the amount of use you'll get out of this hardwearing and handy little pad. I will always have one in the car! 5/5 from me.
Read the complete review |
 |
Halfords Jumbo Car Wash Sponge
by Beccky
Cleaning the car has something I've preferred to do myself rather than pay somebody else or use a car wash. Over time we have used various things to wash and clean the car with, and Halfords Jumbo sponge has been a regular. I paid £1.49 for our sponges, but it's currently priced at 99p which is a much more reasonable price, and seems ... more in line with sponges from supermarkets and other outlets. The sponge comes in a plastic packet.
The sponge is big and yellow, there is a slight curve over the edges making the middle of the sponge slightly narrower, a design to make it easier to hold in the middle. It measures approx 20cmL x 5cmD x 6cmW. It's big enough to fit in a standard bucket, without taking up all the space. I find it a great way to lather up car shampoo as a few sloshes and squeezes of this sponge leaves you with a nice foam ready too use.
I tend to use the sponge by wetting the car first and going over it to remove any obvious marks and 'presents' from birds. I then lather up my shampoo and apply it liberally to the car using the sponge. It's big enough to be able to cover a good surface area easily without having to return to the bucket every few seconds, it also holds plenty of water to facilitate cleaning. It is able to remove muck and surface dirt with ease, and is soft enough not to leave any marks or scratches on your cars paintwork. It can be used on all surfaces, paintwork, glass, types and trim - and it's not just limited to the car either, I've used mine on my house windows too.
The sponge is pretty hard wearing, although over a longer period of time one of ours has shown a little wear and tear in the form of a few small pieces coming out where you grip the sponge. However, ours have been very well used and I feel like we've got more than our money's worth of use out of them.
Overall, this is a great product. It's current 99p price tag make it's good value for money, it's a simple but very versatile and hardwearing piece of kit which is essential for any car cleaner! 5/5 from me.
Read the complete review |
 |
Autoglym Vinyl and Rubber Care
by Beccky
Auto Glym's Vinyl and Rubber care is another product that has found it's way into our, now quite vast, car cleaning kit. It is a solution which cleans, conditions and protects vinyl and rubber, and has a variety of uses.
Vinyl and Rubber care comes in a 500ml white bottle, with a spray trigger and 'on/off' safety cube on the ... nozzle. It is widely available from stores like Halfords, and also in some supermarkets. Halfords are currently selling it for £7.49 but it may be cheaper elsewhere if you shop around.
The product is designed to help quickly and easily clean the rubber and vinyl surfaces on the interior and exterior of your car. For example door seals, and exterior trim. I have used it on both of these, as well as my dashboard, wing mirror casing, instrument panel and outer tyre wall. Although it won't repair damage marks on any of these surfaces it will make a huge different to their appearance and really freshen them up. Tyres will look clean and black again, door seals will also go back to being a fresh black colour, and a dashboard will have that new look about it that seems to slowly disappear over time.
When using Vinyl and rubber care make sure you shake the bottle well first, then spray it liberally (for a high sheen finish) or sparingly (for a low sheen finish) to the surface. If you would like a high sheen finish then you can leave the cleaner on the surface for a few minutes then buff away gently with a cloth, if you prefer a lower sheen after use then wide away any excess liquid immediately with a soft cloth. After this, simply buff with a soft cloth and the surface will look fresh and conditioned, with the colour restored. I like both the high and low sheen, I find the low sheen best for door seals, but higher sheen looks better on the dashboard and exterior trim.
The cleaner is a blend of polymers and emulsifiers which gently clean and create a tough but flexible barrier over the treated surface. The barrier is also moisture repellent and antistatic so you'll get a nice beading on your exterior trim when it rains after using this, and your door seals won't attract dust or 'bits'. The cleaner is clear with a slight yellow colour, it has a fresh citrus scent which lingers on the area slightly making your dashboard smell great.
I think this is a great product to have, and I would recommend buying it as part f a car cleaning set, or to add to one. It's a great surface cleaner and leaves a good finish on both interior and exterior surfaces, the colour of my door seals is particularly impressive after using this and it's a product I'll continue to buy, especially as it lasts so long! 5/5 for me.
Read the complete review |
