Without proper care, the steering wheel can become a shell of what it once used to be as this is the part of the vehicle that you enter into contact with the most, by far. Unfortunately, most car owners tend to overlook care and maintenance when it comes to the steering wheel, only tending to cleaning and maintaining other parts of the car’s interior and its exterior. When neglected for too long, the wheel will peel, lose the smooth feel, and it will crack. Obviously, the only way to avoid this from happening is to not forget to pay attention to this essential component of the vehicle when it comes to cleaning and routine maintenance work.

What affect it are the body oils that you leave behind after using it, the dirt on your hands, and other elements. To make sure that the decay of the steering wheel won’t ever occur, continue to read this article as here we will give you useful advice on maintenance work that needs to be done. Also, we will explain what the proper way to clean it is.

The number one care and maintenance rule that you must apply when it comes to this part of the vehicle is to put a steering wheel cover on it. If the wheel has already been damaged by the elements that normally affect it, the cover will hide this unfortunate event and give your car a fresh new look. In case cracks and peeling haven’t occurred yet, the cover will prevent these unwanted occurrences to take place. Thus, it’s an investment that you should definitely make if you care for your car. Considering the fact that high-quality steering wheel covers are made with the best possible materials and that they not only protect the wheel but deliver a smooth surface to enter into contact with as well, your experience when driving will receive a boost when it comes to how pleasurable it is as well.

Cleaning the steering wheel isn’t a hard task at all, the only requirements being to use the right products and to have patience when it comes to thoroughly wiping the dirt, oils, and anything else that has gathered on this surface. There are two steps that you must follow when cleaning the wheel, and in the following, we will present them so that you know what needs to be done from now on in order to keep this part of the vehicle in a top notch shape.

First of all, you must tend to remove all the dirt and grime that has gathered on the wheel’s surface. To do this, you need to take a damp cotton cloth on which you have put a dab of leather cleaner and gently wash it. Don’t rub the wheel hard when doing this part of the procedure as you might end up damaging the material. When you’re done, rinse the wheel with a damp cotton cloth, removing the excess cleaner before drying it off with a soft, clean towel.

In the last part of the cleaning process, you must use a leather conditioner on the wheel as this product has the role of replenishing the oils that maintain it soft and flexible. Put a small amount of conditioner into the palm of your hand and massage it into the wheel’s fabric for about one minute. Let the oils get absorbed into the material for approximately 30 minutes, and when the time passes, just rub away the excess on the wheel using a clean towel.

Aside from the mandatory cleaning routine that we have explained in the previous section of the article, there is certain routine maintenance work that you mustn’t neglect. On a daily basis or every time you enter the car and you want to go somewhere, make sure that you don’t forget to wipe the steering wheel clean with quick wipes. These pre-packaged wipes fit perfectly in the glove compartment, not taking up a lot of space and offering an easy manner to keep the wheel clean, without the involvement of special sprays and towels. Of course, remembering to do this essential routine maintenance work on the wheel will make it less of a hassle when cleaning the steering wheel as well as there won’t be too much dirt accumulated on it in the first place.

Last but not least, you should not forget about the damage that the sun can do to the wheel. Regardless of the material that it’s made with, whether it be leather or a synthetic material, the powerful sun rays cause a rapid decay when they enter into contact with the wheel’s surface for too long. What we recommend you do in order to prevent cracks that appear due to high heat and sitting in the sun for too long is to put a protective cover on the windshield of the car. This way, the harmful sun rays won’t affect the wheel anymore. Additionally, during hot summer days, you won’t find the steering wheel to be as hot as it normally was as the sun rays won’t get to heat it up anymore.

The steering wheel is the part of the car that you enter into contact with the most, so it’s bound to get dirty fast. Instead of ignoring cleaning this essential part of the vehicle, like most people unfortunately do, check out this article to learn some easy ways to clean and maintain the steering wheel so that it will always be clean and look perfect.