Getting Started with the Air Gun

Okay, so my car's interior was getting pretty gross. You know, the usual spots - floor mats, between the seats, those little vents? Stuff gets stuck everywhere. Wiping just wasn't cutting it. I'd seen these air car cleaning guns around, the ones that hook up to an air compressor. Figured I'd give one a shot.

Got one online, nothing fancy. First thing, realized you definitely need an air compressor. Like, a decent one. Hooked up the air hose to the gun. Pretty simple connection. Then, I mixed up some all-purpose cleaner with water, nothing special, just followed the rough idea on the cleaner bottle. Poured it into the little plastic jar that screws onto the gun.

Hitting the Inside First

Decided to tackle the inside first. The floor mats were the main target. Pulled them out. Connected the air line, adjusted the little valve on the gun for the liquid flow. Squeezed the trigger. Whoa. It spins the cleaner out in this misty tornado thing. Sprayed down one mat, let it sit for maybe thirty seconds. You could see the dirt kind of lifting up.

Then I used the gun again, maybe turned the liquid down a bit or just used the air blast, can't remember exactly, to blast the loosened dirt away. It really kicked up the grime. Did the same for the carpets inside, especially under the pedals and around the seat tracks. It gets into those tight spots way better than a vacuum nozzle sometimes.

• Door pockets - blew out all the crumbs.
• Dashboard vents - finally got the dust out of those tiny crevices.
• Between the console and seats - yeah, it found some lost fries.

It's kinda messy, though. The spray goes everywhere if you're not careful. Definitely wear safety glasses. And it's loud. The compressor running plus the gun noise... yeah, it's noisy.

Trying it Elsewhere

Took it outside later. Tried it on the door jambs where all that black gunk collects. Sprayed the cleaner mix, let it soak, then blasted it. Worked pretty well there too. Also hit the wheel wells a bit. Didn't do the whole exterior, wasn't really the plan.

Was It Worth It?

So, did it work? Yeah, actually, it did a pretty decent job. Especially on fabrics and carpets, lifting out that embedded dirt. And for blasting dust out of impossible little corners, it's great. Better than just scrubbing? For some spots, definitely.

But you gotta have the air compressor already, that's the main thing. And be ready for the noise and a bit of overspray mess. Need to wipe things down after. After I was done, I made sure to run some clean water through the gun to rinse it out, figure that helps keep it from clogging up. Overall, for deep cleaning those annoying spots a couple of times a year? Yeah, I'll keep using it. It's another tool in the box.