New car smell and a shiny car interior only last so long when you buy a new car. After a while, it’s up to you to keep your car gleaming, but life often gets in the way. Many of us spend several hours a week driving, and a clean car interior can drastically change our experience. If it has been too long since your last deep clean and you’re wondering how to clean the car inside, we are here to help. In today’s blog, we explore the benefits of cleaning your car yourself, the supplies you need to get started, and feature a step by step guide to returning your car to its shiny state.
The Benefits of Doing Your Own Car Interior Cleaning
Deep cleaning your car takes time and effort, so why do it yourself when there are services available for detailing? There are actually a lot of reasons why taking the task on yourself can outweigh using a professional service, including:
Gather Your Supplies: What to Use to Clean a Car Interior
You only need a few supplies to get started deep cleaning your car interior and the good news is once you have gathered them, they are on hand for the future. Some of the most helpful supplies you can use to get your sparkling include:
- A vacuum: Crumbs, sand, and dust build up quickly in all areas of your car. Household vacuums are an option to use for your car, but most are heavy, not cordless, and are too large for hard to reach spots. Investing in a powerful portable vacuum designed specifically for cars is a game changer for professional style car cleaning at home.
- Garbage bags: If it has been a while since your last deep clean, you will likely be surprised at how much garbage you’ve collected. Be sure to have a garbage bag close by to make the process faster.
- Glass cleaner: Clean windows make driving safer and easier, keeping your view is as good as it can be. Glass cleaning spray or wipes quickly remove grease and build up from your windows, inside and out.
- Car interior cleaner: A cleaner specially formulated for the inside of your car can shine your dash, side doors, and clean up spills. Make sure to use a cleaner designed for the type of car interior you have.
- Microfiber or car cleaning cloth: The surfaces of your car interior trap dirt and dust very easily, but dusting with a rag or paper towels just moves the dust around your car. Microfiber and specialized cloths help you pick up dust easily and leave your surfaces shining.
- A scrubbing brush: Some car stains are stubborn and having a brush on hand can help to loosen dirt quickly.
These are some basic supplies to get started with your car interior cleaning. If you want to give it the best clean you can you could also include products such as:
- Specialist seat cleaner
- Air duster cans for cleaning small areas
- QTips for reaching messes in cracks and crevices
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Baking soda for deodorizing sprays
How to Clean the Car Inside: A Step-by-Step Guide
A deep interior car clean can set your car up for the next several months when you do it all at once. If you only have the time or energy for one step at a time, that works too. It isn’t an all or nothing activity. Progress is better than perfection. Our step-by-step guide is here to help you work through your car cleaning efficiently.
- Remove and clean floor mats
A surprising amount of debris and dust in your car can collect under the floor. By removing your mats you can see the build up, and fully clean the carpet underneath. Shake out your mats outside to remove grit and sand. They can be rinsed, washed, and scrubbed with detergent to remove sticky messes or trodden in dirt.
- Remove trash and declutter
The fastest way to make your interior look better is to simply remove the trash. You may be surprised at just how much you find. Getting rid of the garbage before you start cleaning gets all those loose items out of the way and makes the process easier going forward.
- Thoroughly vacuum your car
Your floors, seats, cupholders, and crevices beside your seats all collect dirt, debris and dust. Vacuuming instantly makes your car look cleaner. With a powerful vacuum specifically designed for the intricate areas of a car, you can reach all of those difficult spots and get a professional looking clean at home.
The Baseus A5 Car Vacuum Cleaner is a game changer for convenient car interior cleaning. Battery powered and with no power outlet needed while you vacuum your car, it comes with several attachments for those hard to reach spaces and dusty vents.
- Clean Your Dashboard and Console
After testing your car cleaner on a small area of your interior, clean your dashboard, console, door panels, cupholders, and controls with a microfiber cloth. This removes dust, dirt, and build up before you clean the surface with a car cleaner.
- Clean Your Windows
Cleaning the windows inside and out with a glass cleaner removes dirt, grease, fingerprints, and pollen build up. Even if you regularly rinse your windows at the gas station or use your window washer fluid, you may be surprised at how much dirt builds up on the inside of the windows.
- Focus on Your Seats
Your seats should already look better after the vacuuming earlier in the process, but it is likely they may need more cleaning. You can clean your seats lightly with a damp cloth to remove obvious dirt. Any product you use on your seats must be designed for your seat material. Some seats are made from leather, others from leather-like synthetic material, or upholstery. Give your seats a clean with a product designed for their material and you may find yourself amazed at how much dirt was trapped in them.
- Work on the smell
Your car is probably smelling fresher already. If it still is not as fresh as you would like, or you want to make sure it smells as good as possible, you can take extra steps. Spray your floors and carpets with deodorizing spray for a quick boost of freshness. You can also sprinkle some baking soda on the floor, let it sit for a while, and then vacuum it away to freshen your carpet. Adding an air freshener or cotton balls with added essential oil scents around your car can also give it a smell of newness.
Top Tips to Keep Your Car Clean in the Future
Once your car is gleaming again, you want it to stay clean as long as possible. Regular cleaning will be needed in the future, but you can keep your interior looking great for longer by starting some new habits and adding some helpful accessories, including;
How Often Should You Clean Your Car Interior?
Driving a clean car feels good, but the shiny new sheen doesn’t last forever. By staying on top of your trash and following steps to keep your vehicle clean, you won’t need to fully clean your interior as often, and it will be a faster job when you do. A deep clean every six months can go a long way to maintaining the shine and makes it less work every time you do it.
In Summary
Giving your car a deep clean can boost your mood, help you stay organized, and help to maintain the resale value of your vehicle. After your hard work to return your car to its best, simple maintenance like removing trash and regular vacuuming with a car specific vacuum like Baseus A5 can keep your interior gleaming for longer and make your next deep clean a lot less work.
