How to Properly Clean Your Car Interior…

Interior car cleaning and detailing involves a deep cleaning of the whole interior as well as the trunk of the car. All of the dash area and center console, panels, windows, seats and carpets are cleaned extensively. Vacuuming is standard, along with steam cleaning, liquid cleaners, and brushes may be used to remove stains on upholstery. Some nonporous surfaces may also be polished. Some detailers remove seats and other interior components to provide the most thorough clean possible.

We are all guilty of letting our car interiors become messy, it’s so simple to get the exterior of your car washed, but time constraints and our busy lives lead to us decide that an interior car cleaning is low on the radar and can wait until another day. After all, people rarely see the insides of our cars, and they always see the outside, so it’s no surprise we prioritise one over the other! On top of that, nobody likes to deal with trying to park their car close enough to their house so the vacuum will stretch outside, lugging junk out of the trunk and climbing over gear sticks in an attempt to reach every area. Don’t throw in the sponge quite yet; we’ve made a guide to make cleaning your car interior really simple. Check it out:

Step 1: Gather your Equipment!

Obviously, the biggest problem facing any regular driver is crumbs and dirt; just by walking around every day and eating in our cars we can accumulate a lot of mess on the carpets and in the crevices of the seats, not to mention the kids!. That means you need a hoover. It’s extra beneficial if you have a handheld cordless hoover, but a plain old rolling hoover will do the job.

Other equipment you may need will include polishing cloths, polish, a small amount of water, and cotton wool swabs, these are so you can clean the dashboard and air vents. The cotton wool swabs are great for getting into smaller spaces like between the grills of your air con vents. Use the water sparingly on a barely damp cloth only if you need to, as water can damage some surfaces in your car. If water and polish doesn’t look like it will rise to the challenge, you might also need to purchase some specialist vinyl cleaner like the Detailing Knights use.

Finally if you’ve got leather seats, you will of course, need a leather cleaner.

Step 2: Clean it all up

Once you’ve removed any rubbish start with your dashboard; it’s the simplest place to clean! Get rid of all the dust with a dry cloth first, then polish everything. Don’t forget to clean your gear stick, hand break and steering wheel too. Next, move on to the glovebox, cup holders and ash tray – use a damp cloth in these areas to mop up any dirt and grime.

If you’re happy with the way all your fixtures look you can now move on to vacuuming. Start by removing the footwell carpets; these may need a wash in soapy water as they will have taken the brunt of many dirty feet. Leave them to dry in the fresh air whilst you hoover the remaining carpets, don’t forget to hoover under the chairs and in the boot too. Once you are done with the carpets, move on to vacuuming the seams of your chairs, as crumbs will often gather in these places.

Once that big job is out the way you’re almost there! It’s now time to clean the seats. Upholstery can be cleaned with anything you might use for your sofas in your home – a damp cloth works well, just don’t get the seats too wet as if the padding becomes damp it will be very difficult to dry. Polish leather seats regularly with a leather care kit.

After that you can sit back and relax! The job is done. You might want to treat yourself to a brand new air freshener to add the finishing touch. Your car will thank you for it – just try your best to never let it get quite as messy again…

This guest post was contributed by Dave James on behalf of Chester car rental by County Rental, vehicle hire specialists in the UK.