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Most motorists clean the outside of their cars once in a while, whether it's at home the hard way, or visiting a local car wash. Some might even tackle the inside, clearing away the inevitable piles of rubbish and clutter (especially if you have kids) and maybe even dusting off the mats.
But how many of us ever give our car interior a proper clean? Does it ever look as sparkling and fresh as when we first bought it? The answer is that very few people bother, so the inside of our vehicles looks progressively worse as time goes by.
In most cases, time plays a big part; we're all too busy to set aside an hour or two to do the job. And when we do have free time, we'd much rather be doing something else as it seems like a lot of effort.
However, it doesn't have to be a chore. It's relatively simple if you follow the steps methodically, and the results are very rewarding. Want to know how it's done?
We've got the answer right here...
We've put this easy-to-follow guide on how to deep clean a car interior and get the very best results. Before you clean your car, make things easier on yourself by grabbing a couple of trash bags and clearing out all the empty snack wrappers, crisp packets, tickets, fast food containers and assorted debris that's been left there over the months and dumping the lot.
Once this is done, you can start the cleaning process.
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The first step is fairly obvious, but it will give you easier access to the carpet and allow you to clean it more thoroughly.
Vacuum the mats to get rid of loose dust. Beat them well to remove dust that's stuck in the fabric, then scrub them with a soft brush and soapy water, adding extra detergent if the mats are badly stained. Make sure your clean floor mats are completely dry before putting them back in the car.
Use a vacuum with a brush attachment to remove dirt, dust, and debris from all surfaces, including the seats, carpets, dashboard, roof lining, and door panels. Make sure to get into all the hard-to-reach places where dirt and dust tend to accumulate, like the area between the front seats and the air vents. Top tip: empty the vacuum cleaner and wash any filters first to ensure maximum suction.
If your vacuum cleaner struggles to remove debris from nooks and crannies, you can use a can of compressed air to loosen dirt and other debris that can then be hoovered up. A detailing brush is perfect for removing dust on the air vents (although the brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner might be able to do this just as easily).
Top tip: if you have a 'canine taxi', your seats might be covered in pet hair. If you don't have a special pet hair vacuum cleaner, a rubber-dipped glove will easily remove hair from cloth seats!
Use a damp cloth (ideally a microfibre cloth) to wipe down all surfaces, including the dashboard, steering wheel, door panels, door handles and windows. Remember, the cloth should be damp, not wet!
Never use bleach or a harsh all-purpose cleaner as these can damage plastic surfaces. A mild detergent can be used to clean stains and body oils. Be sure to dry all surfaces thoroughly after cleaning.
If your car seats are cloth, use a good quality upholstery cleaner to remove stubborn stains, body oils and dirt. Steam cleaning is also a great way to get your fabric seats looking and smelling great.
For leather car seats, use a high-quality leather cleaner and conditioner (like the Leather Colour Doctor's leather cleaning fluid made by Carbusonic) to keep them looking and feeling their best. Our cleaning fluid has a gentle but powerful foaming action that removes grease stains, oil, dirt and bad smells from leather seats.
Simply wipe this on and work it into a lather using a soft brush, leave it to start acting on the dirt, then wipe away with a soft clean cloth.
Many websites recommend using white vinegar as a stain remover, but this isn't always a great idea; cheaper kinds of vinegar can leave a strong odour, so you'll need to get a good-quality distilled vinegar. Also, you need to get the mix right (with either olive oil or water and dish soap), especially for leather seats as vinegar will dry out the surface and cause it to crack.
Our advice is to use vinegar sparingly and occasionally, and only rarely on leather.
Check out: How To Repair A Leather Car Seat
If your carpets are extremely dirty, you can use a wet-dry vacuum cleaner or a steam cleaner to remove stains and dirt. If you don't have access to either of these, a carpet cleaning solution will work very well.
Dampen the carpet first, but not too much! Next, add a few drops of the carpet cleaning solution (or spray it on) and work it into a lather with a cloth or brush. Focus on heavy stains and add more solution if necessary.
Wipe the carpet down to remove excess moisture, debris and hair, then use a towel to really squeeze out as much as possible. You might want to use a hair dryer to ensure that the carpet is thoroughly dry.
Always test the cleaner in an inconspicuous area first to make sure it doesn't damage the carpet.
To clean windows, wipe the glass very gently with a microfibre cloth first to remove dust. Use a branded glass cleaner and a microfibre cloth to clean the windows inside and out. Spray the cleaner onto the cloth, not directly onto the glass, and rub it onto the surface using circular motions.
If your windows are greasy (often caused by little hands smearing food onto them!) you may need some extra help, in which case a dab of rubbing alcohol will do the trick.
Don't use paper towels on your glass as this tends to spread dust and dirt around, and may well scratch the surface.
If you need to remove sticky residue from window stickers, apply a small amount of WD40 and rub it in well, then wipe away with a clean cloth.
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Open the windows and doors to air out the car and remove any lingering odours. If you can't get rid of a bad smell, try sprinkling baking soda on the area and leave it for about twenty minutes, then vacuum it up.
To improve the smell, add a few drops of essential oil to the baking soda (baking powder and talcum powder also work) and seal it in a jar for 24 hours before you use it. When the powder is hoovered up, the pleasant smell of the essential oil will remain.
You could also invest in an air freshener (check that you like how it smells first, if possible!) for your vehicle, but remember to change this frequently as the aroma soon wears off.
Once the car's interior is finished, put the floor mats back in place and enjoy your clean and refreshed ride!
Here are some additional tips for deep cleaning your car interior:
So-called life hacks on social media are all very well, but many of these are simply clickbait with no real value. While they might seem like good ideas, the people who suggest them often don't care about you or your possessions, they just want you to visit their website. Some cleaning tips might work, but others are very bad advice and should be rejected.
To avoid any mishaps, always aim to use products that are specifically designed for cleaning cars. Using the wrong products can damage your car's interior.
If you're using a wet vacuum or a steam cleaner, be careful not to get too much water on the seats or carpets as this can cause mildew and mould to form. Also, remember that there are delicate electronics in some places that won't mix well with water!
Once you're finished cleaning, be sure to let the car dry completely before driving it. This will help prevent the growth of mould and mildew; damp cars always have an unpleasant musty smell that's hard to shift.
The more often you clean your car's interior, the easier it will be to keep it clean. A quick vacuum and wipe-down once a week can go a long way!
If you're fed up with having to clean your car interior, try making small adjustments to how you do things. For example, you could invest in a dog barrier for the rear of your car so that your pet stays in the boot area rather than spreading hair all over the seats. This is also handy when you've been for a walk on a rainy day and your beloved pooch has discovered a big muddy puddle!
If you can't fit a barrier, try training your dog to stay in the footwell or get some thick covers to drape over the car seats. These can be removed and washed periodically to keep them clean.
Avoid eating in your car, as this spreads crumbs and leaves odours. Greasy fingers will also get wiped on seats and greasy wrappers are often left under seats or on the parcel shelf.
If you're a smoker, avoid lighting up in the car as the smoke becomes trapped in the fabric and leaves a stale odour.
When accidents happen (as they often do), clean up spills as quickly as you can. Leaving things will only make it harder to clean later.
Finally, if your car is in a bad state or there are nasty stains that you just can't shift, it might be time to get it cleaned professionally. While this might seem an unnecessary expense, it might not cost as much as you think, and it will restore your car interior to tip-top condition!
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Although providing high-quality leather care products is our primary aim at the Leather Colour Doctor, we also believe in making life easier in other ways, hence this guide on how to deep clean your car interior.
Our superb range includes leather cleaners, conditioners, dyes, degreasers, fabric dyes and leather protection creams.
Aside from this, we are also proud to offer an affordable professional car detailing and dyeing service for full car interior refurbishment.
So, by all means, use the above guide to get your car interior clean and fresh. But when you need a professional touch and you want your car to look as if it has just rolled off the forecourt, contact the Leather Colour Doctor.
We can provide you with the right products, or we will refurbish your car's interior for you to a high standard. We understand that many car owners love their vehicles and demand perfection, and at the Leather Colour Doctor, that's all part of the service.
