Vacuuming and wiping down surfaces are a given, but how does one clean the interior effectively and efficiently? In this blog, we are going to discuss all the tips and tricks as well as techniques of cleaning a car interior leaving it as clean as its the first day.
Expert tip: Make sure to roll down the windows to ensure they do not get any products on them that could potentially damage them.
If you are going to take a long time and keep the doors open for the entire process, we recommend that you unscrew and disconnect the negative battery cable. This makes sure that the battery isn’t drained from the car doors being open for long periods of time.
To effectively clean the entire interior we also suggest that you remove the front seats by removing the seat screws. In order to do this, we want to make sure that your negative battery cable has been disconnected for at least 20 minutes. This guarantees that there will be no issues with the airbags kept inside the seats. Repeat the same process with the back seats by popping out the bottom part of the seat.
By removing the seats you can access the carpets below them to clean them as well as remove any lost objects and gain access to the center control to properly clean that additionally.
Carpets
What you will need to clean the carpets:
- A good vacuum
- A stiff-bristled brush
- A few microfiber towels
- A carpet cleaner (product)
The first step to cleaning the carpets is to remove all floor mats. The following steps show us the right procedure for cleaning car carpets:
- Vacuum
- Spot clean
- Shampoo
- Vacuum
The key to a proper interior car clean is a good vacuum. Make sure that you have a powerful vacuum that is capable of sucking out both water and dirt.
The first step is to remove all dirt and debris with the vacuum. This step, however, does not remove all of the dirt. In this case, you need to grab a stiff-bristled brush and use the brush to loosen up the dirt whilst removing it with the vacuum.
- Spot treatment
If there is anything specifically stuck to the carpet, such as food, this can be treated by getting a spray bottle and filling it up with dish soap and hot water. By using a toothbrush and this mixture you can remove things that couldn´t be removed via a vacuum.
- Shampoo
To shampoo the carpets you will need:
-A carpet cleaner
-A brush
-An absorbent towel
Begin by spraying the section you are cleaning with the carpet cleaner. We recommend that you purchase a carpet cleaner that removes stains in addition to odors. Use the brush, brushing in different directions, to agitate the carpet cleaner deep into the carpet to clean all the carpet fibers. Grab the absorbent towel to absorb the dirt and cleaner then vacuum the loose dirt as well as the carpet cleaner. The last step is to wipe over the carpet one last time with the absorbent towel.
Floor mats
What you will need:
-Pressure hose
-Hard bristle brush
-Vacuum
-Carpet cleaner
Dirt removal:
Grab a hard bristle brush and scrub against the floor mats to remove dirt. Then bang out the floor mat to remove any dirt that is hidden deep inside the floor mat. Vacuum the leftover dirt.
Follow up with using a pressure washer or hose to effectively and deeply clean the floor mats.
Shampooing the floor mats:
Lather up the floor mats in carpet cleaner and let them sit for a minute. Then grab a hard bristle brush, wipe it in different directions making sure that you are efficiently scrubbing and removing all the dirt with the carpet cleaner.
The last step for cleaning the car floor mats is to use a vacuum that can remove both water and dirt to remove the excess water and dirt. Let them dry out in the open air.
Extra tip: to help the floor mats dry quicker hang them up with individual coat hangers.
Extra, extra tip: use an auto fabric & carpet water shield protectant to protect the floor mats and make them water repellant.
Lastly, clean the car seats with a vacuum. We advise that you protect these seats, whether they are made of leather or fabric. For this, we recommend perfect interior protection that is the Onyx Interior Coating protection. It is formulated with a Hybrid solvent base so it can be applied to both leather and fabric. It provides the ultimate protection against stains, dirt, contaminants, water, and oil. Not only is it easy to apply, but it also produces a superhydrophobic and smooth surface that is protected for up to 12 months.
To clean the car trunk and car interior headliner like an expert check out this blog article
