A Simple Trick To Remove Dust From Car Air Vents Uses A Common Garage Essential

• Cars

Cleaning and detailing your car is a love-it or hate-it activity. For some people, there is nothing less appealing than the thought of spending some hard-earned downtime with a bucket and sponge in hand, cleaning the filth of their car before heading on inside and tending to the interior too. Handing a fistful of dollars over to a professional and enjoying a quick cup of coffee while watching them have it sorted is a much more idyllic solution. Many car enthusiasts, however, relish the idea of waking up early on a Sunday morning and working all day tirelessly until their pride and joy gleams like the very first day it left the showroom.

While most aspects of cleaning and detailing a car are quite easy, like applying polish or shining up chrome wheels, some areas are much more fiddly and time-consuming. One of the trickiest areas to clean is your car's air vents; they get lined with a thin coating of dust, and while that's hardly a problem in the eyes of many, it's enough to frustrate a gearhead who wants every inch of their car to shine and sparkle. Fortunately, there is an easy way to blast this dust out in a matter of seconds.

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The solution is simple. Grab a clean microfiber cloth and place it over the air vents, holding it firmly in place. Next, blast compressed air through the microfiber and into the vents. This will quickly remove the dust, while the microfiber stops those particles from flying around and landing all over your dashboard and seats. It's super quick and easy, plus it leaves you with that perfect dust-free finish.

Different ways you can approach this technique

So, the quick-fix of blasting your air vents with compressed air sounds great, but if you don't have a fully equipped garage with its own air compressor, does this mean you're out of luck? Fortunately, that's not the case, as there are a number of cost-effective ways you can achieve the same result without needing access to an expensive full-size air compressor.

In fact, there are two cheaper solutions for getting hold of compressed air, and they are both handy ways of keeping your keyboard clean, too. A cordless compressed air cleaner can be had for under $30, and most come equipped with pointed nozzle attachments, which are perfect for channeling that blast of air directly at your air vents. Or, you can achieve the same result by simply buying a can of compressed air for roughly a third of the price. Again, you'll want to make sure there is a suitable nozzle attachment before buying it.

Whichever way you approach this method, it will be quicker and easier than the typical approach of wiping each air vent slat with a microfiber or cotton swab. Also, not only does removing dust from your car's air vents provide a smart-looking dashboard to sit before, but there are other benefits too, which many might not consider.

Here's why you want to keep your car's interior dust-free

Think about it. If dust is blasting out of your car's air vents and around your cabin, then that's what you'll be breathing in when driving around, too. If you notice excess dust flying out of your vents when driving, then that's a good sign to take a closer look at why it might be happening and how you can set about rectifying it.

Dusty vents and a musty smell to the air that comes from them could be the sign of a potential blockage in the system, which ought to be investigated further. Other signs that something is up include excessive sneezing and eye irritation when in the car, and these shouldn't be ignored. This is especially true if you suffer from allergies, as pollen, mold spores, and pet dander could be trapped in those vents, causing annoying irritation.

If there is a blockage in your vents, then compressed air could once more be your friend, although you'll need a different approach. There's no need to cover the vents here; instead, just fire short blasts of air into the vent itself. This should help to dislodge any blockages from within the system. It's wise to wear a dust mask here, and to have a handheld vacuum at the ready, to capture those particles as they come flying back out into the cabin. Replacing your cabin filter will also help reduce the amount of contaminants entering your car, thereby reducing any irritation you might be experiencing.