Car Interior Cleaning guide

The Ultimate Guide to Car Interior Cleaning

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. 

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:

  • Prohibitive cost: Most high-quality detailing services are very expensive. You don’t need to wait until you can afford professional service to enjoy a clean and fresh car interior. You can do it yourself whenever you wish. 
  • Time: Professionals claim to save us time by cleaning our car, but we often spend that time sitting patiently in a waiting room. That is not really saving you any time. 
  • Cleaning can be therapeutic: It's not just the state of our environment that makes us feel better, the act of cleaning itself can help to boost our mood. The repetitive motions of cleaning can be relaxing and seeing improvement happen in front of us can be very motivating. 
  • 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. 
    powerful portable vacuum
    • 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
    • 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. 

    1. 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. 

    1. 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. 

    1. 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. 

    Thoroughly vacuum your car
    1. 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. 

    1. 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. 

    1. 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. 

    1. 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;

  • Clean trash as you go: Keeping a small trash can or grocery bag to collect garbage in the car can stop the migration of junk all over your car. Starting a habit of emptying your car trash when you stop for gas or get home at night stops garbage building up and needing to be decluttered. 
  • Complete regular, quick vacuuming: Not every interior car cleaning needs to be an in-depth scrubbing. Regularly vacuuming your car with a specialized vacuum cleaner can make a huge difference to the look of your interior. 
  • Line your cup holders: Cup holders in your car are some of the most difficult spots to clean during your deep cleaning process. Sugary spills, dust, and crumbs build up quickly. Lining your cup holders with silicone baking cups or plastic liners protects the holders from everyday messes and are easy to remove for washing. 
  • Get organized: Pens, toys, snacks, and papers can all get lost and create mess in your car, especially in the back seats. Investing in some over-seat organizers helps to give every item a home and prevents unfortunate ink stains and sticky messes. 
  • 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. 

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