Like any other vehicle, a golf cart picks up dirt and debris over time. During the current health crisis, it’s more important than ever to keep your equipment clean and sanitary—especially if you’re just borrowing it and others will use it as well. However, cleaning a golf cart isn’t as simple as running a hose over it, especially if you plan to disinfect the machine as well. 

To help you make sure that cart is as clean as possible, we here at Discovery Golf Cars have put together some easy cleaning tips. If you have other questions or you’re looking to buy your own golf cart, contact our stores in Land o’ Lakes and Clearwater, Florida. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff will help you find whatever you need at the prices you want!

1: Supplies

For this process, you’re going to need a few supplies to cover all your bases. These are our recommendations for products to use for golf cart cleaning:

• A source of fresh water like a garden hose
• Dish soap or specialised golf cart cleaning spray
• Rubber gloves
• Aluminum cleaner
• A diluted bleach solution or a mold/mildew/stain remover
• Disinfecting wipes
• Plastic color restoring formula like Rust-Oleum’s ReCOLOR solution
• Microfiber towels
• Paper towels
• Soft-bristle brush
• Plastic shine or polish

2: Remove All Belongings

Next, you’re going to want to remove any and all items stored on the golf cart to avoid damaging them and to expedite the cleaning process. That means any personal items stored in the dashboard, golf clubs in the back seat or cargo bed, golf balls, water bottles, safety gear, and anything else that isn’t bolted down. This is a good time to remove and throw away any trash as well.

Park the cart somewhere with good drainage like a concrete or gravel driveway. Don’t do this on a lawn—you’ll be rinsing off chemicals that can damage or kill your grass, including soap and bleach. If there’s a lot of mud on tires or the undercarriage, take some time to spray that off with your hose before you begin the cleaning process in full.

3: Wipe Down Low-Touch Plastic

Put on your rubber gloves at this point to avoid contaminating any cleaned or disinfected surfaces. Mix the dish soap with some clean water in a bucket and dampen a microfiber towel with it. Wipe down any low-touch plastic surfaces in your cart, including the sides of seats, cup holders, and the dashboard. Don’t use this on the windshield, even if it is plastic. If you don’t want to use a dish soap solution, you can also use a spray-on plastic cleaner and wipe it off with that microfiber towel.

4: Rinse

Disinfecting can kill most germs, but the ones that survive will still be present. Rinse off all the plastic, whether you disinfected it or cleaned it with soap and water. This can be done with a quick hose-down, but this might get water into the electronics on the dashboard. If you want to be more careful, damp a clean cloth or rag and simply wipe down all the surfaces you’ve cleaned. Apply polish or color restorer to any plastic you want to look brand new at this point. 

5: Clean Aluminum

Any aluminum on your cart will need some special attention. Aluminum cleaner and restorer should be applied, either by spray or with a clean sponge, to get it nice and shiny again. Rinse off the cleaner and apply aluminum polish if desired.

6: Remove Mold And Mildew

The vinyl seats in most golf carts might grow mold or mildew over time. It might feel hopeless to try and clean this, but a solution of one part bleach to two parts water, applied with a clean sponge, will typically solve your problem. Rinse off with a clean wet rag afterwards. If there’s a specialized mold/mildew/stain remover you prefer, that can be used as well.

7: Disinfect High-Touch Areas

Now that the less-touched bits are clean, take some time to use the disinfecting wipes on more high-touch surfaces, plastic or otherwise. This includes the steering wheel, grab bars, handles, seats, any touch screens, and other controls. Basically, anywhere you touch with your hands frequently, you should disinfect. Make sure you keep your gloves on until you’re totally finished, and try to make sure to keep hand sanitizer with you when you drive a club-owned or rental golf cart.

We hope this helps you stay safe and clean during this difficult time! If you want more advice on golf cart sanitation, or you’re on the market for one of your very own, contact us at Discovery Golf Cars. We proudly serve the people of St. Petersburg and Lakeland, Florida—let us serve you today!