Armor All Canada x Casey Palmer

Last updated on May 17th, 2021 at 10:13 pm

With 6 months of parenting and 3 years of marriage under my belt, there’s a new Casey Palmer coming out to play, taking care of all the things you couldn’t pay me enough to do as a child. The Casey who’s learned to man up and do the things necessary to take care of his family, whether it’s traversing an ice-covered Toronto to pick up a new glider; converting my office into a nursery; or the various lessons one learns when they become a father.

There’s only one Casey who could fill these very big shoes without tripping — Domestic Casey.

Last summer, that very same Casey bought his very first vehicle with his wife, knowing despite living in a city whose transit system connects everything, a baby on the way changed the game, and we weren’t about to brave the rush hour sardine can subway rides with a stroller. G2 in my wallet and a 2011 Ford Edge on the driveway, those wheels came with a new sense of freedom, giving me access to experiences I’d never have otherwise.

But that freedom comes with a price.

Vehicle ownership comes with general upkeep, annual maintenance, hidden costs, mistakes that make you wish you’d read the manual, and mechanics that make you wish you’d got a second opinion. If you want your wheels to last, you’ve gotta take care of them, and that’s where Armor All reached out to lend me a hand!

Because Spring Cleaning

In the 10 months since our purchase, not once did we wash the Edge—in fact, Sarah said that washing the car is husband work! (Though, she also says that changing the baby, taking the trash out; doing the dishes, mowing, mopping, sewing, vacuuming, dusting, grocery shopping, cooking, ironing and gardening, so….)

We kept it clean all that time, initially refusing to eat inside; with no indoor parking, we let the rain do its work; and when we suffered through The Endless Winter, all the salt and sleet and slush and snow made for considerable foes against a freshly-washed ride and its glistening exterior. If Armor All hadn’t reached out, who knows when I would’ve gotten to it!

But get to it I finally did, with the help of Armor All’s Spring Cleaning Kit as part of the Armor All Spring Kick Off Challenge. The tools they sent included:

• An Armor All Wash Bucket
• An Armor All Car Vacuum Cleaner
• A Microfiber Towel Pack
• A Car Wash Mitt
• An Armor All Soft Storage Caddy
• A Multi-function Emergency Tool (to keep in your car)
• These Armor All Products:
  • Trim & Plastic Restorer
  • Premium Wash & Wax + Protect
  • Clean-up Mini Can Wipes
  • Auto Glass Cleaner
  • Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner
  • Disinfecting Wipes
  • Pure Linen Protectant
  • Air fresheners

I’d forgotten to mention that my ride’s got leather seats, though, so I hit up Canadian Tire and added these to the mix:

• Armor All Leather Wipes
• Armor All Leather Care Gel

No doubt, though, I had quite the job on my hands! 10 months of everything Toronto weather had to offer and driving the Edge all the way to northern Quebec and back, it was time to give it a little TLC as a sign of thanks!

So without further ado, here’s “How My Ford Edge Got its Groove Back”, a short film presented by Casey Palmer and Armor All Canada!

How My Ford Edge Got its Groove Back

1. Hose car down to rid yourself of all that icky dirt and grime that’s built up for almost a year
2. Fill Armor All Wash Bucket with water (water not included by Armor All, obviously)
3. Put some Armor All Premium Wash & Wax + Protect in the water to make a smooth mixture for scrubbing the car down
4. Wash the car using a car wash mitt, applying the soapy mixture in smooth, circular motions worthy of Mister Miyagi’s teachings (Cobra Kai’s got nothing on my Edge!)
5. Rinse the body off for a nice sheen, using some microfiber towels to dry it off
6. Take that Armor All Auto Glass Cleaner to clean those mirrors and windows, so you can see how filthy the interior is
7. To correct this, plug that Armor All Vacuum Cleaner into one of your DC outlets (my 2011 Edge has four) and revel in how much suction power it has! Vacuum all interior carpets and mats liberally—they really need it!
8. Take those mats out and spray them down! We’re trying to be thorough here, people!
9. Use the Armor All Trim and Plastic Restorer on both the inside and outside to bring some lustre back to all those parts that aren’t chromed out
10. Scrub the heck out of your carpet and upholstery with the Armor All Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner to get at the dirt that’s soaked deep into the fabrics
11. Spray some of that Armor All Pure Linen Protectant on your dashboard to get rid of all the dust that’s making it look ages
12. Hey look, you did a great job with all that cleaning! Take a victory selfie!
13. Keep your Clean-Up Mini Can Wipes, Air Fresheners, Disinfecting Wipes and Multi-Function Emergency Tool (and Armor All Leather Wipes) in the car just in case you need ’em (because sprills, thrills and all sorts of other accidents can go down in a moving vehicle!)
14. Put everything else away in your Armor All Soft Storage Caddy to clean again another day!

Or if you’re more of a visual learner, here. I put a little animation together for you…

What a workout!

You Too Can Armor All it Up!

It took 3 hours, 700 photos and at least 30 plays of Drake’s “Worst Behavior” to keep me going, but I eventually got ‘er done and it was quite the sight to behold!

If you’re lucky enough to own a set of wheels, you’ve gotta take care of them. I was already smart enough to change my oil regularly and fill the tires when the air was lacking, but quickly discovered that its exterior is just as important to its well-being!

There’s no off-roading on the mean Toronto streets, but the potholes, speed bumps,  debris and inclement weather definitely add up!

If you want to keep your ride looking brand new, Armor All’s a good solution to keep you covered.

You too can look like this after getting your Armor All on!

The Point of it All

Just as mo’ money yields mo’ problems as paraphrased from the eternal words of the late, great Notorious B.I.G., mo’ age only leads to mo’ responsibility. As you strike out on your own into the world, away from anyone who once did things for you like keep a room over your head or do your laundry, you’ll soon discover that your time’s devoured by all these little tasks to keep your life in order.

Though they’re rarely fun, and at times may even overwhelm you, the more you do them, the more you learn to work smarter, not harder.

And that’s what the Armor All’s for—helping you clean your ride right the first time, making it far easier the next time you go at it.

Because if you don’t take care of the stuff you’ve worked so hard to get, who will?

Good luck out there in the real world—I hope you’re all giving your chariots the TLC they deserve!

Until the next,

Disclaimer: Armor All reached out to have me join their Spring Kick Off Challenge, sending me the merchandise listed above in exchange for a blog post. My car definitely came out shinier than I’d started, and you can feel free to check Armor All out at their website or Facebook page!