When the inside of your car starts looking like the land of food wrappers, dirt, and miscellaneous papers, odds are you drag a vacuum over and clean the clutter. How detailed is your tidying up, though? Are you really cleaning well, or are you just making it look bearable and going on your merry way?
If you want your car’s interior to look pristine, you’ll probably need to do some detailing work. Detailing involves taking care of the smaller aspects of a car rather than just generally vacuuming or picking up the miscellaneous items. If you don’t really feel like paying someone else to do the detailing for you, here are some DIY tips you might find useful.
All-Purpose Cleaner is Your Friend
There are a lot of different specialized cleaning tools out there, but according to Consumer Reports, there are many household cleaners that can do the job and save you money. Just make sure you match up the right household product, and if you’re not sure, test it on a small area of the car.
All-purpose cleaner is great for cleaning your interior trim. Popular Mechanics recommends using a cleaner like Simple Green diluted at about 10:1. Use this type of cleaner and a clean, damp cloth to get the dirt off the hard surfaces inside of your car.
Cleaning the Nooks and Crannies
DMV.org recommends having Q-tips along with toothbrushes or paintbrushes on hand while you do your detailing work. These common household objects can help you with the smaller cleaning jobs. For example, after you’ve cleaned the plastic and metal parts of the car door, dry them and use a Q-tip or brush to get out the smaller stains you see.
Making Fabric or Leather Spotless
Leather cleaner, saddle soap, or some type of mild leather soap can work for cleaning your leather trim, according to Consumer Reports. Just make sure you get all of the excess soap off the leather once you’re finished. According to 21st.com, purchasing a complete detailing kit will often provide all the products you need.
The same article recommends using a spray-on upholstery cleaner and a soft brush to clean cloth upholstery. Popular Mechanics mentions that avoiding products that leave surfaces feeling glossy or slippery might be a good idea, as well, so passengers won’t be constantly sliding around in their seats.
Conclusion
There are many ways to clean the interior of your car without having to get it professionally done. Think about all of the materials you already have available in your home and decide how they can apply to car care. What other tips do you have when it comes to at-home car detailing?
