How to clean car interior

Car interior cleaning serves several purposes. Maybe:

• Increase the value of your car if you sell it

• Extend the life of vinyl or leather components such as dashboard and seats.

• Increase your satisfaction with your car

Car washing services are expensive. Interior detailing can be as simple as vacuuming carpets and floor mats, and can include full detailing, including shampooing carpets, cleaning and finishing vinyl, and conditioning leather.

If you want to save money, you can clean your car yourself. Depending on how thoroughly you want to clean your car, this can take anywhere from less than an hour to four or more hours of your time. The end result will be the satisfaction of a job well done, a clean car and more money in your pocket.

• Functions: Remove everything from the machine, no matter how deep you want to clean. Throw away all trash and store all seasonal items, such as a snow broom or scraper, in the trunk or garage when not needed.

Part 1 of 4: Vacuum the dust

Necessary materials

• crevice nozzle
• Extension cable (if needed for vacuum)
• Upholstery nozzle without bristles
• Vacuum cleaner (recommended: ShopVac wet/dry vacuum cleaner)

Step 1: Remove floor mats, if applicable.. Carefully lift up the mats, whether they are rubber or carpet mats.

• Once they are outside of your car, kick off loose dirt and gravel. Hit them lightly with a broom or against a wall.

Step 2: Vacuum the floors. Use the bristle-free upholstery attachment on the vacuum hose and turn on the vacuum cleaner.

• Vacuum all carpeted surfaces, picking up loose dirt and gravel first.

• Once most of the dirt has been collected by the vacuum cleaner, go over the carpet again with the same nozzle, shaking the carpet in short back and forth motions.

• This loosens the dirt and dust that is deeper in the carpet and sucks it out.

• Pay special attention to the area around the pedals on the front driver's side.

• Pull the end of the vacuum cleaner as far as possible under the seats to collect dirt and dust accumulated there.

• Vacuum your rugs thoroughly. Go over them with a vacuum cleaner several times, as dirt and dust will penetrate deep into the fibers.

Step 3: Vacuum the Seats. Remove any dirt or dust from the seats with the upholstery tool.

• Vacuum the entire surface of the seat. The vacuum cleaner will collect some dust from fabric covers and pillows.

• A warning: Be careful when vacuuming under the seats. There are wiring harnesses and sensors that can be damaged if the vacuum catches on them and breaks the wires.

Step 4: Vacuum the edges. After all carpets have been vacuumed, attach the crevice tool to the vacuum hose and vacuum all edges.

• Get into all the tight spots that the upholstery nozzle can't reach, including carpets, seat surfaces and cracks.

Step 5: Use Soap and Water on Vinyl or Rubber. If you have vinyl or rubber floors in your truck or car, you can easily clean them with a bucket of soap and water and a rag or brush.

• Use a rag to apply plenty of soapy water to the rubber floor.

• Scrub the floor with a hard-bristled brush to remove dirt from the textured vinyl.

• Either use a wet/dry vacuum cleaner to collect excess water, or wipe dry with a clean cloth.

• It may take two or three washes to get a clean vinyl floor, depending on how dirty it is.

Part 2 of 4: Vinyl and Plastic Cleaning

Necessary materials

• Several clean rags or microfiber cloths
• Vinyl cleaner (recommended: Blue Magic Vinyl and Leather Cleaner)

Vinyl and plastic parts collect dust and make your car look old and unkempt. In addition to mopping floors, cleaning vinyl goes a long way in restoring a car.

Step 1 Wipe down plastic and vinyl surfaces.. Using a clean cloth or rag, wipe down all plastic and vinyl surfaces to remove any accumulated dust and dirt.

• If an area is particularly dirty or soiled, leave it all the way to prevent concentrated dirt from spreading to other areas.

Step 2: Apply vinyl cleaner to the cloth. Spray vinyl cleaner onto a clean rag or microfiber cloth.

• Functions: Always spray the cleaner onto the cloth first. If sprayed directly onto vinyl surfaces, the cleaner will inadvertently come into contact with the window pane, making subsequent cleaning difficult.

Step 3: Wipe down the vinyl surfaces. Apply vinyl cleaner to surfaces to be cleaned.

• Use your palm in the cloth to get the most surface area in one go, reducing the time it takes to clean your car.

• Wipe down the dashboard, steering column shrouds, glove box, center console and door panels.

• A warning: Do not apply vinyl cleaner or steering wheel bandage. This may cause the steering wheel to become slippery and you may lose control of the vehicle while driving.

Step 4: Remove excess cleaner with a rag.. Use a microfiber cloth to wipe the cleaner off the vinyl parts.

• If part of the cloth becomes too dirty, use another clean piece of cloth. If the whole cloth is dirty, use a new one.

• Wipe until you get a smooth, streak-free finish.

Part 3 of 4: Skin cleaning

Necessary materials

• Leather cleaner (recommended: Blue Magic Vinyl and Leather Cleaner)
• Skin Conditioner (Recommended: Skin Conditioner with Honey for Skin)
• Microfiber cloths or rags

If your car is equipped with leather seats, it is very important to clean and maintain them. Leather conditioner should be applied every six months to keep leather supple and hydrated, preventing cracking and tearing.

Step 1: Spray leather cleaner onto a clean rag.. Wipe all the leather surfaces of the seats with the cleaner, taking care to clean the sides and crevices as best as possible.

• Let the cleaner dry completely before applying the conditioner.

Step 2: Use leather conditioner. Apply leather conditioner to leather seats.

• Apply a small amount of conditioner to a clean cloth or rag and wipe the entire leather surface.

• Apply light pressure in a circular motion to apply the conditioner to the skin.

• Allow two hours for absorption and drying.

Step 3: Wipe off any leftover leather conditioner with a cloth.. Wipe off excess leather conditioner with a clean, dry rag or cloth.

Part 4 of 4: Washing windows.

Save window cleaning for last. This way, any cleaner or conditioner that settles on your windows during the cleaning process will be removed at the end, leaving your windows crystal clear.

You can use disposable paper towels to clean windows, although they leave behind particles and tear easily. A microfiber cloth is best for streak-free window cleaning.

Necessary materials

• Clean microfiber cloth
• Glass cleaner (Stoner's Invisible Glass Premium Glass Cleaner recommended)

Step 1: Apply glass cleaner to the cloth. Spray a generous amount of glass cleaner onto a clean cloth.

• Spraying directly onto the inside of a window will stain clean vinyl surfaces.

Step 2: Start cleaning windows. Apply glass cleaner to the window, first up and down and then from side to side.

• Turn the rag over to the dry side and continue wiping the window until there are no streaks.

• If streaks are evident, repeat steps one and two again.

• If the streaks are still present, use a new cloth and repeat the procedure.

Step 3: Clean the top edges of the side windows.. For side windows, clean the inside of the window, then lower the window four to six inches.

• Spray window cleaner onto a cloth and wipe the top edge of the glass. This is the edge that goes into the window channel when the window is fully closed, making it uncleanable if the window is up.

Wash all windows in the same way.

After you've finished cleaning your car, put the floor mats back inside as well as any other stuff you need inside your car.