Winter can be a challenging time for those of us who live in North Idaho. The roads tend to be wet and have lots of grime on them. Consequently, that grime ends up on our vehicles. The purchase of a vehicle is one of the highest priced items you will purchase in your lifetime, second only to a home. Because of that fact, I thought I would share with you several way to make the care of that special item a lot easier.

1. Before washing your vehicle, clean your windshield first. Wet, and then sprinkle some baking soda on it. Use a nylon scrub pad or an old nylon stocking to use as a scrub pad, and scrub the windshield in a circular motion. Make sure you clean your wipers, too. Grease gets trapped in the wiper blades and then it smears on the window. The baking soda will make it easier to get off the built-up gunk that has accumulated on your windows over time.

2. Making tape over the keyhole will help keep it from freezing.

3. Paste wax your windows and buff to brilliant shine. This also will help prevent your windows from frosting over. The wax makes it difficult for the frost to stick to the glass.

4. Nonstick cooking spray, if sprayed on your hood and grill after washing will really help the next time you wash your vehicle. Bugs will wash right off.

5. Fabric softener sheets work well in cleaning your dashboard, air vents and polishing your mirrors.

6. Moisturizing bar soap will clean leather seats right up. Rub the soap on a wet cloth and scrub down the seat. Don't rinse the soap off, just buff up with a dry cloth. Note: The moisturizer in the soap will help keep the leather soft and supple.

? Copy written by Edmond E. Madan, certified executive housekeeper and certified fire, water and mold inspection and remediation contractor. Ed is chief executive officer of Northwest Environmental Services, which specializes in commercial, residential construction, and crime scene/meth lab cleanup.