These 5 surprising life hacks can simplify the way you care for your car

The citric acid content in Diet Sprite or Diet 7Up helps in removing bird droppings.
The citric acid content in Diet Sprite or Diet 7Up helps in removing bird droppings. | File photo

We love to learn simple “life hacks” -- those tips that make the usual frustrating tasks easier than we expected it to be. Steve Landers Auto Group shares a few automotive life hacks to make life a bit easier when it comes to handling your beloved vehicle. 

You should have your car registered every year to ensure you are legal to drive around for another year, and that little sticker on your license plate is proof. However, it can also be eye-catching to thieves who may take advantage of your license plate sticker, peel it off, and put it on their own so as to avoid going through a long process of legally getting one. You can avoid being a victim of such people by using a razor on the sticker and carefully scoring through it in several directions. The moment some thief attempts to snatch your sticker, they’ll only get sticky bits of it and their efforts will be in vain. Just be careful with the razor blade, though.

In case you happen to arrive in a gas station and you dock on the side that does not include your gas filler door, here’s a tip: see that little gas pump icon located on your gas gauge? You may notice a little arrow beside it. If your car has that, that arrow is supposed to point on the side where your gas filler door is located. 

Have you ever had your car smacked with smashed bugs while driving 60 miles per hour? It can take a lot of effort and time to clean the mess up, but here’s a tip: scrub your car with a dryer sheet. Dryer sheets contain gentle cleansers and even perfumed oil that can effectively remove bug remnants on your windshield. Just spritz with water first before cleaning. Likewise, you can also use the dryer sheet to keep your car smelling good. 

Condensation fog inside your front windshield during cold weather can not only be annoying but also potentially dangerous especially when driving. While there is the defroster to clear the fog, it can create a smear or blurry mess which can be worse than the fog earlier. One great tip? Put shaving cream on a rag and wipe it in circles to clear the fog. Let it sit on the glass for around 15 seconds and wipe away. Just don’t let it dry completely for better and long-lasting results. 

Finally, do you want to get rid of the bird droppings that occasionally riddle your vehicle? Get some Diet Sprite or 7-Up. Its citric acid content helps in removing sticky poop remnants without harming your paint. Just pour the beverage directly on the mess, let it sit for up to a minute, then wipe the dirt using a rag or towel.