The smell of a clean car's interior is almost therapeutic. It gives you some sense of relaxation that makes it pleasant to drive or enjoy a good road trip. To ensure that your car is always clean, you can take it in for professional detailing, which is quite expensive, or do it yourself.
With some time and general household and cleaning products, most of which are already lying around in your house, like dish soap and some baking soda, you will be able to clean your car's interior. You can also invest in good quality car cleaning products if you intend to clean your car by yourself more often.
Here are steps to guide you on how to clean your car interior.
Remove trash from the car's interior
Collect and remove any visible pieces of paper, fruit pills, shoes, or other trash that the occupants might have dropped off your car. This step should be first in the cleaning process toward a clean car because it's easy and makes it easier to spot areas that need further attention. Ensure you check under the seats, in the trunk, seat crevices, and any other hard-to-reach places to ensure that you have covered all places. Once you remove trash from your car, dispose of it correctly and per the local regulations.
Clean the Car Seats, Floor Mats, and Carpet
For this step, you will need a vacuum cleaner. You will also need different products depending on the material of your upholstery and floor mats.
Floor Mats and Car Carpets
Start by taking out the floor mats and washing them. For clean floor mats, pour some dish soap into a bucket of water and use a scrub brush to scrub the mates and ensure that you remove as much dirt as possible from the mats. The brush will be effective even on the most stubborn dirt because of its bristles. After cleaning, make sure you hang them out to dry correctly away from mud or other debris.
After the floor mats, take the car carpets out and vacuum them. Vacuuming will rid the carpets of any fine dirt particles and leave them clean. If you don't have any floor mats and your car carpets have stubborn stains, then it will force you to wash them entirely before hanging them to dry. Because of the after-odor that car carpets may develop after cleaning, adding a few drops of your favorite essential oil into the water mixture will make all the difference. It will musk the tough odors and leave your car smelling fresh.
Car Seats
The final step in this stage is cleaning your seats. Take note that different seat upholstery will require different levels of attention. For leather seats, use a damp cloth to wipe off any dirt or spill stains. After that, use a clean cloth to dub some saddle soap onto the leather, then spread it on the leather surface by rubbing it in a circular motion. The saddle soap will moisturize the leather and save it from drying. After that, apply some leather conditioner to protect the leather seats further and let them dry before polishing them to your preferred shine.
For cloth car seats, vacuum the seats and use a piece of cloth and some seat cleaning solution to wipe off any stains. Repeat this process across your car on any area with cloth upholstery, including the back seat.
Vinyl seats should receive the same level of care. You can start by using a softer bristled brush to scrub off any dirt from the vinyl seats and ensure that you don't scratch or bruise the seats. After that, use a damp cloth to wipe off any residue product.
Clean Other Interior surfaces
At this step, your focus will be on other surfaces like the center console, steering wheel, cup holders, door panels, glove compartment, and windows.
Windows
Start by cleaning your windows. You can use a soft cloth or damp microfiber cloth and some window cleaner to ensure that all fingerprints are wiped off your windows. The best way to do it is by filling a spray bottle with your window cleaning solution, then spraying it onto the window before rubbing it with the clean cloth. For tinted windows, it's paramount to ensure that the tint is not damaged. Use some soap and a microfiber cloth on the tinted windows for effective results. Ensure you wipe gently and in one direction to preserve your tint and leave your glass cleaner than before.
Rearview Mirror
The following surface to tackle is the rearview mirror. This surface may not be so dirty; apart from settled dust, you may be forced to clean off fingerprint marks, especially if you share your car with people of different heights who would be forced to adjust the rearview mirror to their preference. Use a microfiber cloth to wipe off any marks from the rearview mirror, then adjust it to your preferred angle.
Center Console
Modern cars have a center console from the dashboard and flow to the center of the front car seats. Again, this is where the cup holders are situated for most cars. While cleaning this area, use a clean microfiber cloth to wipe the surfaces, and in case of any spillages, especially at the cup holders, wet cloth would work to do the trick. Dip some cotton swabs into warm water to clean the air vents and wipe off any dirt or grime. Consider stocking paper towels or baby wipes in the car to help wipe off any spills.
Looking For Interior Detailing Services In Harford County? We can Help
At Detail Solutions, we offer interior detailing services that will leave your car spotless and smelling wonderful. Our auto detailing package covers the exterior, seats, upholstery, dashboard, and windows and is guaranteed to leave your interior looking as good as new.
Feel free to call us at (410) 238-3000 for a free quote on the services our professional team can offer to meet your interior detailing needs,
