How to Clean the Inside of your Car
Your car is one of the most expensive and useful machines in your possession. Proper cleaning and maintenance is essential for ensuring its long life. The car must also be cleaned thoroughly on the inside in order to avoid health hazards. Following are the steps to providing a thorough cleaning for the interior of your car:
Planning:
Start with creating a careful plan for washing the inside of your car. It will take roughly an hour to clean properly, so plan accordingly. Ensure a steady supply of clean water is at hand. Buy the necessary quantities of soap, detergent, cleaning rags and wipers in preparation for the cleanup.
Check out our article with 10 car cleaning tips for the cleanest car possible.
Put on old clothes that can stand to have dirt on them. Take out all the items from inside the car that do not belong in the car. Clean out the dashboard and check between the seat crevasses for accidentally dropped items.
Execution:
There are various process involved in cleaning your car interior –
1. Vacuuming
Remove all the floor mats, and vacuum the seats as well as the carpets using the proper attachment. Make sure to reach under the seats and around the pedals, as well as the area between the seats and the center console.
While vacuuming the dashboard, use a soft brush attachment so as not to hurt any of the delicate instruments. The same attachment should be used for vacuuming the seats to avoid scratching the surface of the seats. Beat the floor mats together to dislodge dirt particles.
2. Cleaning Fabric
A number of upholstery cleaning agents can be used for washing the fabric of the seats. Turtle wax is a reliable cleaner that does not damage the fabric.
To use it, spray the cleaner on the upholstery in an even manner. Rub the spot which contains dirt vigorously. Once the spot has been removed, clean the fabric with a dry cloth to absorb the dampness. Laundry detergent also works well for cleaning upholstery.
3. Car Leather Cleaning
Specially formulated products must be used to clean sensitive car leather seats and equipment. Before using a product, test it over a smaller area to ensure it meets your needs. Using paper towels for cleaning lather can lead to scratches, so a clean, soft towel should be used for the purpose.
While cleaning the steering wheel and shifter knob leather, make sure the end result does not make the leather slippery, as that can create problems while driving.
4. Clean the Metal Surfaces
Spray some cleaning solution on a soft, clean cloth surface and use it to carefully go over every inch of metal and vinyl surface inside the car. Avoid using paper or plastic towels which can sometimes contain dirt particles that scratch the hard surfaces.
5. Cleaning Windows
Use a wet cloth that contains a sufficient amount of the cleaning solution of your choice. Use a circular pattern while cleaning each window. Once the dirt and oil stains are removed, buff the window using old newspapers or paper towels until you see that all the streaks and stains have been removed. Make sure you fill up with the best windshield washer fluid to keep your windows clean.
5. Air Conditioner
Spray air conditioner treatment solution into the air vents which are placed below the wind shield and let the solution stew inside the vent for a while. Clean the surfaces of the air vent and run a brush between the hollow spaces to reach the dirt stuck on the inside.
Spray some form of air cleaning solution on all the seats to remove human body odor and freshen the atmosphere inside the car. Several kinds of deodorants and perfumes can also be used for the purpose.
6. Removing Hard Dirt Particles
By this point, a lot of dirt and dust particles will have accumulated inside your car from various nooks and crannies. Use a paper towel to scrape out all the hard pieces of dirt and grime, and wipe away the excess cleaner fluid and soap suds pieces still adhering to surfaces. Especially in things like light covers and vents.
7. Air Drying
Open all the doors and place the car in a manner that the interior receives the maximum amount of sun rays to dry the inside of the car thoroughly.
Some Useful Tips:
1. You can clean the wind shield using coca cola in order to get rid of blotches and streaks, where the bubbles from the cola help remove the dirt and grime that doesn’t come off easily. Be sure to wash the cola off afterwards to avoid making the surface sticky.
2. Car windows can also be wiped using baby wipes instead of having to buy special washing fluid.
3. Create a homemade cleaning solution or car wash soap by adding a quarter cup of baking soda to a quarter dish washing liquid. Add a pailful of warm water and stir the contents. Your cleaning solution is ready to use.
Precautions:
1. Be careful while using water for cleaning the interior, since spilling water on the dashboard might cause damage to the electrical instruments and cause them to short circuit.
2. Don’t let the seats soak up too much water, as it can affect their quality and cause long term dampness.
3. Make sure any cleaning solutions you use don’t cause corrosion or peeling of the paint on your car.
4. Make sure to dry the interior of the car thoroughly after washing by putting it in a place where the sun rays can reach the interior.
5. Be careful while using cleaning chemicals, and avoid getting them inside any of your orifices such as ears or nose.
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