Mastering Your Car’s Interior Cleaning

Warm water, a sponge and a good brand of car shampoo are normally enough to get the exterior of your car clean, but you can’t exactly throw a bucket of water over your dash, or use the sponge to clean up your interior carpets or upholstery. You might balk at the idea of spending more money to clean the inside of your car after working so hard on the outside, but here we have some money-saving DIY interior car cleaning tips.

 

1. De-smoke the interior

Do you or another member of the family ever smoke in the car? There’s a really simple trick you can use to rid your entire car of the sticking acrid smell that lingers. All you need is a can of something like Dakota Non-Smoke. Give a light spray (but not too much) to the headliners, seats, door panels and carpet. Afterward turn the fan to max and switch to recirculate (a/c on max will do the job too). Next spray the mist into the intake opening, then leave the doors and windows closed for an hour and the smell will be gone.

2. De-sticker the windows

Lord only knows why our kids sometimes clutter up the windows with silly stickers. You may not notice at first, and by then some could have been stuck on too long and will leave a mess. Fear not, you can easily get rid of them with some degreaser and a plastic scraper. Lay a towel in the area beneath the stickers, dab on the degreaser, then scrape the suckers off.

3. A screwdriver for nooks and crannies

Have you ever found an ideal solution for cleaning into those tiny lines and edges that a regular cloth just won’t reach? Well here’s a step you may never have tried. Take a screwdriver (without sharp edges), wrap a bit of cloth around it and then spray some all-purpose cleaner on there. Move it gently along the trim lines and pick up the stubborn hidden gunk. You’ll be amazed at the difference this kind of deep clean can make.

4. Simple carpet wash

We’re often at a loss with what to do about our carpets. Here’s a simple and affordable solution to get great results on the car’s carpets. First, spray Plastic & Leather Prep on the carpet, then scrub lightly with a nylon bristle brush, and finally just let it dry. Once it’s done, you can vacuum away and see the carpet’s proper color return.

5. Move the seats

Now. this final piece of advice may seem obvious, but it’s amazing how many people overlook it. When you’re cleaning the inside of your car, move the seats forward! You may think that nothing could get all the way down there, but we’re telling you know --- you’re wrong. Move those seats forward and behold the mess!

A great detailing doesn’t have to be a costly affair. You may get some satisfaction out of trying these methods to help keep your car’s interior in good order.