Cleaning Tips To Have Your Car’s Interior Looking Like New

Supplies

Before you hop in to clean up your car’s interior, you’ll need to stock up on the tools and materials necessary to restore it to its fresh-off-the-lot condition. A duster is handy for picking up loose dust off the dashboard, but you’ll also need more hands-on equipment like microfiber cloths, scrub brushes with stiff bristles, sponges, a crevice cleaner for hard-to-reach places, and even a vacuum. Keep a bucket and spray bottle handy as well, along with an ammonia-free window cleaner. You’ll also need disinfecting wipes and separate cleaners for carpet and any leather surfaces your car might have.

Getting Started

The first step in cleaning your car is clearing out any junk that has accumulated over all your commutes, road trips, and carpools. While some items just need to be relocated to the trunk, glove box, or your home, other findings much just be trash. Once the clutter is out of the way, take out the floor mats, give them a good shake away from your car, then vacuum them to lift up any set-in dirt. If the mats are carpeted, they could use a carpet cleaner scrubbing, and starting on the mats early allows them time to sit out and dry while you clean the rest of your interior.

Dash & Console

Next, dust off the dashboard and console, then use a cloth to clean up any tight contours, crevices, and the narrow slots of the air vents. It’s recommended to use a microfiber material here since it won’t leave scratches or push the dust back into the air. After that, disinfect the surfaces with wipes, and be sure to avoid any product with bleach, as they could harm your interior furnishings. Also make sure not to use any ammonia-based products on your display screen, as the chemical could degrade or damage the screen. A microfiber cloth with a dab of distilled water should be all you need to clean the screen.

Doors & Windows

You can clean your door panels the same way you clean other hard surfaces like the dashboard. When it’s time to clean your windshield, use a product specifically formulated to clean glass, and have a couple of microfiber cloths handy. You can use one cloth to apply the cleaner to the windows, and the second cloth to wipe it away.

Seating

When you move on to the seats, start by vacuuming the crevices and corners to pick up any hidden particles and debris. Next, you can clean the seats using whichever product is meant for your car’s upholstery. If your vehicle has leather seating, you can also apply a leather conditioner to keep that material at its finest.

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