These tips and tricks will make detailing your car’s interior easier – MotorBiscuit | Car Plazas
It’s no secret that cleaning and maintaining your car is fundamental to enjoying it for many years to come. Cleaning allows you to have an idea of the condition of your vehicle and enjoy it while driving. Properly cleaning and detailing your car will allow you to see its condition up close and learn its intricacies. Interior detailing is especially important to give you a more relaxed drive.
While focusing on the exterior is certainly the more fun and eye-catching aspect of vehicle detailing, cleaning the interior should not be overlooked. Follow this guide to keep your interior looking as good as the day it rolled off the dealership!
When it comes time to clean the interior of your sedan or coupe, you’ll want to make sure your kit includes some necessary tools and products. You don’t have to spend an inordinate amount of money to get the job done successfully. Make sure you get tools and products such as
- trash bags
- A vacuum cleaner with different crevice nozzles
- Detailing brushes, both stiff and soft bristles
- A few microfiber tools
- Interior detailer or all-purpose cleaner
- Leather cleaner, if necessary
- glass cleaner
- disposable gloves
- cotton swab
With these must-have tools, your interior will look great with just a little elbow grease.
How does the detailing of the interior work?
Once you have your tools and products, it’s time to start cleaning. The first thing you should do is remove your rubber floor mats or carpet floor mats, pick up trash and large pieces of dirt, and vacuum your entire car quickly.
Next you should take one of your microfiber towels, fold it in half or in quarters and spray paint your interior detailer onto the towel. Begin by cleaning the dashboard, reapplying the cleaner to the towel as needed. Once your dash is clean, take another clean microfiber cloth and buff away any residue. Next you want to repeat the same process on the center console and door panels. Your cup holders could be particularly sticky and dirty. To get these clean, spray on an all-purpose cleaner and let it soak while wiping down the larger surfaces. Use a clean microfiber cloth or even paper towels to get the dirt out. For small crevices and tight spots, use a soft-bristled brush that has been sprayed with the product.
After you have processed these areas, you should clean the seats. Start by vacuuming the seats more thoroughly and when you’re satisfied, grab your seat cleaner. If you have leather seats, use a special leather cleaner. Start by spraying the cleaner directly onto one of your soft bristle brushes and clean the seat by scrubbing away any dirt. If you have cloth seats you can use a stiffer bristled brush, but don’t apply too much pressure as this can cause tears. Finally, remove the excess with another clean microfiber cloth.
Now it’s time to clean the air vents and other tight areas. Use one of those brushes and cotton swabs to do this. Spray the cleaner onto the brush or swab and remove as much loose dirt as possible. Wipe off excess product with a microfiber cloth. If you have dirty air vents, a bottle of compressed air can do wonders, but you might want to blow them out before any of the other cleaning steps.
With all surfaces cleaned, it’s time to work on your carpets and floor mats. If you have a pet, consider getting a pet hair removal device to remove that hair, but otherwise vacuum the interior carpet thoroughly. Vacuum the floor mats outside of the car, and if you have particularly dirty rubber mats, you can hose them down with your all-purpose cleaner. At this step, you can clean the pedals with your interior detailer or all-purpose cleaner. However, be sure to remove any residue as slippery pedals can be a hazard when riding.
Next, when cleaning the interior of your car, apply all the protectants to the cleaned areas. To do this, spray the protectant onto a microfiber cloth, use on the indicated surfaces, then wipe with another clean microfiber cloth.
Now you should clean the door jambs and door sills with a quick detail spray or your interior cleaner. Use a soft-bristled bruise to loosen dirt and wipe away with a microfiber cloth.
Finally, it’s time to clean the inside of your jar. Take an automotive-specific glass cleaner, spray onto a clean microfiber cloth, or glass-specific towel if you feel like it, and clean from left to right. Use a clean towel to wipe away residue for a streak-free clean. Note that using too much of this cleaner can leave streaks on your glass! For the ultimate clean, clean the outside of your windows for the clearest view ahead.
Any deeper cleaning tricks?
Of course, if the interior of your car is particularly dirty, you should clean it more thoroughly. But that requires more tools and knowledge to work properly. You can shampoo the carpets, floor mats, and seating if needed, but doing so requires extracting the water, which can be a challenge. In addition, you can use an ozone machine to thoroughly clean the headliner and remove stubborn odors.
It may be worth working with a professional for these more thorough cleaning services if you don’t have the experience, expertise, or confidence to do it yourself.
You will love driving a freshly detailed car
With a freshly cleaned car, your driving experience can be a much more enjoyable time. The lack of junk, dirt, and grime can ensure you relax even on the shortest of rides. If you want to delve deeper into the world of vehicle detailing, Ammo has put together some in-depth guides to ensure you get the job done like a pro!
TIED TOGETHER: What does a car detailing include?