HOW TO KEEP YOUR CAR INTERIOR CLEAN.
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Whether you use your car to transport pets, kids, guests, or just yourself, keeping things squeaky clean is going to keep you and your passengers riding happy. Plus, dirt, dust, and grime can build up over time to degrade your car's interior materials, so you could end up with even bigger problems than weird smells and ugly stains.
Say goodbye to cracker crumbs and last month's spilled soda with these steps, tips, and products.
To get your car interior cleaner than the day you drove it off the lot, you need to know what stuff to use. While you can repurpose many common household items to use in your car, you can also purchase cleaners specifically designed to give your car a deep clean while protecting its materials.
CLEANING EQUIPMENT
MICROFIBER CLOTH
VACUUM WITH ATTACHMENTS
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BUCKET
DUSTER
SPRAY BOTTLE
HAND GLOVE
Step by Step: Detailing a Car Interior
Once you've gathered your supplies, it's time to get started. Follow these steps to clean every curve, crack, and crevice of your car:
1. Take Out and Clean Floor Mats
After removing all the trash from your car, take out your floor mats. If you're going to wash your floor mats with water and cleaner, it's a good idea to do this step early in the cleaning process so they have time to dry while you detail the rest of your car's interior. When you take your floor mats out, shake them outside to remove large crumbs and other debris. Run the vacuum to collect dirt embedded in your mats.
If you have carpeted mats, apply a carpet or upholstery cleaner by following the instructions for the product. You can use a bucket with water and a few drops of the product to soak and scrub your mats before rinsing them and hanging them to dry.
2. Vacuum Interior
With the floor mats removed, run your vacuum throughout the interior of your car. Use the attachments to get into those hard-to-reach corners, like your cupholders and the space between your windshield and dashboard. Don't forget to run the vacuum over your seats to collect all the sneaky bits of dirt and crumbs.
3. Clear Dust and Disinfect Dashboard
While the vacuum is great for picking up some of the dirt and dust in your car, it may be too large to navigate the smaller areas of your dash. Use a duster or microfiber cloth to clear your dash and vents of smaller particles. Dusters and microfiber cloths are soft enough that they won't scratch your vents, and they're designed to capture dust rather than spreading it throughout your vehicle.
After removing the dust from your dashboard, use disinfecting wipes to kill germs and bacteria living on your dash. Avoid using any bleach-based products and always read product labels carefully before using chemicals in your car. Crumbs, spills, and everyday use can cause bacteria to thrive on your dash, particularly on high-contact surfaces, so make a regular habit of disinfecting these areas.
4. Carefully Clean Console
Similar to your dashboard, it's important to remove dust, dirt, and debris from your console. Be careful when cleaning areas like your gearshift, infotainment panel, and console controls. For example, the climate control and radio buttons embedded in your console may be sensitive, so be gentle when dusting and disinfecting them.
5. Clean Cupholders, Door Panels, and Steering Wheel
Take care of your cupholders, door panels, and steering wheel by removing dust and disinfecting these surfaces. If you have removable cupholders, take them out and wash them in warm water with some dishwashing soap.
Use a sponge or soft-bristled brush to give them a good scrub to remove any residue. You can use disinfecting wipes to clean your door panels and steering wheel, which are both high-touch places in your vehicle. No one wants their car to double as a petri dish.
6. Wipe Interior Windows
Use an alcohol-based glass cleaner, like Invisible Glass, to wipe the insides of your windows and windshields. Never use products that aren't made to clean glass. When using glass-cleaning products inside your car, try to use two microfiber cloths. Spray the product on one cloth and use it to apply the cleaner to the glass. This stops particles from the cleaner getting onto other surfaces inside your car where they might cause buildup and damage. Use the second cloth to wipe the glass clean. This strategy helps you reduce streaking, and a microfiber cloth saves your glass from abrasions.
7. Take care of the seats
Clean your seats, first by using the vacuum with the hose attachment to remove crumbs and other debris. Then use the right products for your seat material to clean them. For leather seats, wipe the seats with a leather cleaner manufactured with cars in mind. Follow the instructions on the product and consider doing a follow-up treatment with a leather conditioner to keep things supple, soft, and shiny. Who doesn't like that clean leather smell?
8. Deodorize
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