First, gather together the materials you’ll need to do the job. These include engine degreaser, a stiff plastic or metal brush, aluminum foil and plastic bags, tape, water and dish soap. Once everything is gathered, it’s time to begin. Make sure you’re in an area that has easy access to all of the necessary items you’ll need, and will make for easy cleanup afterward.

Turn the auto on and let it warm up or a couple of minutes; slightly warm helps loosen dirt and debris. Once the engine has been running for awhile, turn it off and remove the battery cables from their respective terminals, negative first. You’ll then need to take your plastic bag and put it over the electrical items that are on the engine; if they are exposed to water, they can become damaged and will need additional repair, which can be costly. The breather and/or carburetor need to be covered with the foil, as well, then taped into place. Make sure all components are completely covered, and no water will be able to invade your wrappings.

Next, use your brush to clean off the engine’s surface, loosening dirt and grime, or debris that could be stuck on. You don’t need to scrub too hard, just enough to get surface grime off. After your engine has been brushed, mix dish soap and water together and wet your engine block down, paying special attention to the dirtiest areas. After the engine has been thoroughly covered with the soap mixture, use clean, cool water to wash it completely off.

Use the engine degreaser next, according to the instructions on the bottle or tube. In a pinch, using a household grease cutter might work, too. Scrub the metal parts with the cleaner and brush, as well, making sure to clean the plastic coverings of all the chemical residue. Rinse your engine well with clean water and a rag. Let the engine dry completely, then remove all the wrappings that were put on to cover the electrical bits.

Now that you understand what the EGR valve does, it is the time where you need to find it in your car. It is usually in the same spot on most cars. This means it should be on the top of or in the back of the engines intake manifold. If you cannot find it, then refer to the owners manual. Once you have found the actual valve look at it close, make sure you memorize where all the bolts go and how many bolts there are. You do not want to have any spare parts when you put it back together. Now slowly remove the bolts and keep them in a safe and dry spot.

Top Cleaning Method

Once you have the EGR valve safely off, turn it upside down and look at the open hole and the other hole near it that is covered. The covered hole is the valve. Push your valve down and see if it mooves smoothly or if it is sluggish in its moveemnts. If its sluggish then you need to clean it until it does. The best cleaner you could use is carburetor cleaner. Spray it on the cover and inside as well, it will not hurt your EGR in the least. Use a rag or a wire brush to clean the oil and other stuff off.

Second Top Cleaning Method

You can also use a slightly smaller wire brush to clean your EGR valve. You need to use this carefully so that you don’t ruin your valve and have to buy a new one. You want to use smooth even strokes when cleaning the gunk off your valve. Be careful not to scratch the surface too hard, and also be careful that you don’t leave deep gouges or your valve will not work properly.

An easy way to clean

A little soap and water goes a long way. If your EGR valve is fairly clean and does not need any harsh build-up removed then use some soap. Any kind of liquid soap will work, just make sure that you wash it all off your valve so it don’t get inside your car system. Rub gently and be careful of using scratch buffers. Using such may cause deep gouges to result from your cleaning. Once your done cleaning your EGR valve your ready to piece it back together again.

Once you’re done cleaning your EGR valve then move onto where the valve actually goes, spray a little of the cleaner here and wipe away the oil and dust away so that its clean as well. Now that you have successfully cleaned the egr valve you can now piece it together. If you cannot remember how it goes on, refer to the owners manual and go from there. Now that it is clean you can now hopefully get some power back in you vehicle.

However, if you cannot figure out how to open up your car’s hood or recognize where the battery is, then sell the car and take public transportation. You’ll be doing yourself and the general public a great favor.

The Coke Method

After doing this, you will never look at a can of Coke in the same way. Some auto mechanics prefer to use Coke because they say Pepsi has too much sugar in it. Some other auto mechanics say there is no difference. Take your pick. Put the reason we are using Coke to clean the car battery is that it will effectively dissolve the gunk. The gunk may look light grey, like ash. That’s corrosion and it’s not good.

First off, make sure the car engine is cold. If it’s hot, you can get a nasty burn. Look at the terminals, which had the plus and minus signs on them when the battery was new. Disconnect the cable (usually black) going to the minus sign. Use a wrench. Giving a couple of light taps with a small hammer can also help to loosen the terminal. Now disconnect the white cable leading to the plus sign.

You can just pour the Coke directly onto the battery’s terminals. Then take the toothbrush of someone you hate and use it to scrub the gunk off of the terminals. Reconnect the cables and cross your fingers.

The Baking Soda Method

This follows the same steps as with the Coke method, only baking soda and a cup of water is used, instead. Sprinkle the dry baking soda onto the dirty battery terminals. Dip the toothbrush into the water and then begin to scrub. The baking soda will turn into a paste and be far more effective than just trying to scrub it dry. Also, baking soda will not harm the environment.

The Coffee Method

This is the same as the Coke method, only hot coffee is used. It has to be hot in order to help remove the gunk. Be careful not to burn yourself.

The first thing you want to do is turn on the engine and allow it to run for a couple of minutes. What this will do is heat up that clogged dirt making it easier to wash off. After you allow the engine to heat up turn it off and begin procedures for covering any wires or parts that can be damaged by soap and water.

The first thing you want to remove are the positive and negative terminal cables connecting to the cars battery. This will ensure no shock damage will take place. Next to further protect against shock damage cover up all electrical components with plastic wrap. The plastic acts as a water repellent and will keep all your electrical equipment safe and in working shape. Next cover the air intake and the carburetor with a more dense layer of plastic wrap, or even aluminum foil. Make sure you completely cover these areas because any water leaking into these parts will reek havoc on your engine.

Now that you have everything covered up you can begin by using either a soft tip or wire brush to remove any exposed dirt from the engine. With all removable dirt taken off you can get into the fluid cleaning. What you want to do is create a mixture of two cups of detergent to one gallon of water. This formula will act as a grease remove and will remove clogged on grease from your engine. You can start by using a brush to spread the formula onto the engine making sure to use an extra amount of formula on the built in grease in dirt.

With the engine dirt and grease free you can wash it off with a regular tap water from a garden hose. Make sure you completely wash all areas and remove any left over formula from the parts of the engine. After the engine has been washed allow it to air out and then begin taking off your tape from the components of the engine. With everything untapped you can finish off by reconnecting the terminal cables back to the car’s battery.

If you are too worried you will damage your engine by not adding enough tape to electrical parts you can take your car into any local mechanic and have the engine steamed clean.

As long as you follow these basic instructions you will have a clean engine that will run like new.

With any of the methods, your number one step is to first wipe the dash down with a slightly damp washcloth. Warm water will get rid of any loose debris so the rest of the cleaning is more effective.

Another general tip is for the coffee drinker in you. If the dash or any other part of the interior (that isn’t of cloth origin) has a stain on it, it can be rectified with a small amount of laundry detergent. Apply the detergent to the stain, rub it in, then scrub it away with a warm washcloth.

If your dashboard is dusty, don’t go for your run-of-the-mill feather duster. A Swiffer pad, even one normally used for tile floors, is perfect for gathering dust. Run it over the dashboard to collect the dust, but keep in mind that it can’t get into the nooks and crannies, so you’ll have to improvise in the crease by the window and any other small areas. What you could possibly have gotten in there (aside from dust) is unfathomable, but if all else fails, you can vacuum the dash.

To remove the rest of the dust and protect the dashboard, look into buying a liquid protector like Armor-All to clean and shine. Protectors do exactly what you’d expect- they protect your dash from sun damage and scratches as well as help reduce dust’s ability to cling to the surface. Vinyl protector is the trick used at car washes, and can be purchased anywhere where car cleaners are sold.

Some people choose household products instead of specific protectors, and one is glass cleaner. It’s safe for the windshield in case it splashes, and it acts the same as water in terms of picking up dust. Beware that it leaves your dashboard looking greasier than protectors, so unless you’re driving Greased Lightning, splurge on the Armor-All.

Your dashboard is the first thing people see (after the paint job, the tires, and the driver), so its maintenance is vital. Paying close attention to its cleanliness will get your car the attention it deserves. Unfortunately, the only people that get close enough to see it tend to have a written citation to put under your windshield wipers. So take care of those as well.

Cleaning Up a Simple Spill

Your child will spill lots of stuff on his car seat, depending on how much damage is done, will determine how you clean it. If your child spills his juice or something small on his car seat, do not worry. It is easy to clean up the mess with just a wet wipe. Every mother will have wet wipes in the diaper bag. They come in handy for more than just cleaning up a dirty diaper. If your child spills his milk or juice, just simple take the wet wipe and wipe the spot. You will be amazed how fast and effective this cleaning method is.

Throwing Your Car Seat In The Washer

We all have those trips where a few hours later we look at our child’s car seats and they are a mess. Luckily, most car seats are easy to take apart and throw right in the wash. You just unstrap the car seat cover and read the washing instructions, which are usually on the back of the cover. As long as you follow the instructions, your car seat will come out looking as good as new. This method to wash the car seat is great for those big messes.

Hand Washing The Car Seats

You can also wash your car seats by hand which takes more effort than a wet wipe. You can take the car seat cover off, or leave it on, depending on which you prefer. Take warm water soapy water and scrub the car seat. Allow the car seat to dry in an open area, so it does not get a bad odor. This is an effective, but of coarse more time consuming way to clean car seats. This method is best used if you do not want to risk ruining the car seat in the washer, or if you do not want to take the car seat apart.

With all three methods, it is best to wash a car seat as soon as it gets dirty, as it is harder to clean if you let it sit.