Splat cleaning putty
Available at: Staples, Auto Value, Canadian Tire, Walmart and others.
Price: $7 or less
It's slimy, it's oozy and looks like a Grade 5 science project, but it is the best thing to hit the dashboard.
Vdera's Splat AutoClean is a highly viscose, orange-scented and coloured gel that you press into hard-to-clean spots. Peel it away and the dust, crumbs and flakes of yucky-I-don't-know-what comes up with it.
Being so slimy, I thought it would slip into the vents – never to be seen again – but as I slowly pulled it back, all the gel came back. I rolled it into the slim spaces around the buttons and dials and it pulled back, leaving a clean dry surface. To test it even harder, I jammed it onto an old calculator on my desk and all the gel and the dust peeled off.
I can't wait to go all "Tom Sawyer" on the teens who make the mess, convincing them that this silly putty is fun to use. The dashboard will be clean long before the fascination with the gel wears off.
Splat comes in a resealable pouch. Reuse it until it is too dirty.
If you have questions about driving or car maintenance, please contact our experts at globedrive@globeandmail.com.
Follow us on Twitter @Globe_Drive.
Add us to your circles.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter.