To protect your car’s resale value and keep it running for as many miles as possible, you take great care of it. Unfortunately, professional car detailing and cleaning can cost hundreds of dollars, which is why you want to tackle restoring your car’s interior yourself. You want to save money, but you still want it to look like a professional handled the task.
Perhaps you’ve carved out a few hours this weekend to make your car look and feel like new. As you gather all the necessary materials and tools, remember these car cleaning and detailing tips to maximize your results.
Cleaning Equipment and Materials
Before you start, check that you have the right materials and equipment. Use a vacuum cleaner with handheld attachments and an extension hose. If you have access to a steam cleaning machine, use it for a chemical-free clean. No matter which appliance you use, don a headlamp to see underneath seats and reveal all the hidden dirt and grime.
Professional car detailers use several rags and towels, such as fine cloth rags for polishing and terry cloth towels for extra scrubbing power. Besides adding these rags and towels to your list, consider investing in a microfiber cloth for a gorgeous, scratch-free shine on interior car surfaces. Make sure to rinse all residual chemicals from your cloth pieces.
Brushes help lift dust from difficult-to-reach areas like air vents. Use different brush sizes to clean different surfaces easily. Also, check that the brush you use is right for your cleaner, as some car cleaning products require a specific applicator, such as a stiff-bristled brush. Once you’re done, use headlamps to double-check that you brushed away the residue.
Seats
The most efficient way to clean your car’s seats depends on the material. Use leather-cleaning products to get rid of embedded crud that makes seats look dingy. Read the cleaner’s directions carefully, as you’ll likely have to apply or spray the product onto the seat material. If you use a towel to apply the cleaner, flip it often, so you always use the clean side.
You may already have vinyl seat cleaning products like glass cleaner. After determining which cleaners work on vinyl, spray the product on your seats before wiping them with a rag. Be careful not to get chemicals on interior materials, as excess droplets may damage them.
Multipurpose upholstery cleaner works great on cloth seats, but you may need a spot remover or something more powerful for dogged stains. If you detect an odor wafting from cloth seats, spray them with a household odor-eliminating spray. Whichever cleaner you rely on, use it sparingly, as spraying too much could saturate your seats and leave them damp and musty.
Floor Mats and Carpets
Time cleaning your car’s mats and carpets according to how much TLC the dash and seats need. After all, you don’t want to prioritize your floors only to clean them all over again after making a mess cleaning the rest of the interior.
Shake all the dirt from your floor mats, doing so well away from your car so loose debris doesn’t find its way back into your vehicle. Shine a light on the mat’s grooves to see if you find dirt in them. Depending on how stubborn the grime is, you may need to use a stiff brush. Follow that up with vacuuming your mats and blasting them with water from the garden hose.
Vacuum the carpets using nozzles and brush attachments to get into all the cracks and crevices. For stains, use a cleaning product and a medium-stiff brush to restore your carpets. Be careful to not saturate the carpets with chemicals, as you don’t want mold and mildew to lay siege to your car’s interior.
Cleaning and detailing your car occasionally keeps it looking brand-new. Rather than spend money bringing out the best in your car, spend some time tackling the task yourself.
