Regularly washing your car keeps the outside looking great, but how often do you clean out your car’s interior?
From the footwells and car seats to small detailed areas you might overlook, keep your home-from-home in top condition with this handy guide to cleaning inside your car…
- Clean up your act
From snack wrappers to discarded jackets, it’s easy for your car to become a dumping ground – especially if you drive regularly for work.
The first step to a clean car? Remove junk and rubbish. Try to avoid leaving coffee cups or food debris in your car as this can cause bad odours.
It’s also best to avoid keeping clothes or personal items in your car, as these can be tempting to thieves who may assume there are valuables in your pockets.
- Do a weekly wipe-over
There’s no need for a deep clean every time you use your car but giving the interior a weekly wipe can keep your car looking, feeling and smelling fresh with minimum effort.For a simple weekly routine; wipe down interior glass and your rear-view mirror with streak-free glass cleaner and a microfibre cloth, quickly wipe over door ledges and compartments with a damp cloth and shake out floor mats.
- Embrace a monthly deep clean
Approximately once a month, get out the vacuum. Top of your list? Car seats and crevices, door mats and footwells, door compartments and the boot.Before you get started, shake out car mats to remove gravel, grit and large debris before vacuuming. Push front seats forward to give yourself maximum room to clean the back seats.
- Make the most of all your vacuum cleaner’s attachments
Try using an Upholstery Tool or Pet Tool for a fluff-free finish on fabric furnishings and carpet floor mats. Use a crevice tool to clean hard-to-reach areas such as in-between car seats, down the side of seatbelt plugs and into door compartments.
- The devil’s in the detail
It’s called ‘detailing’ your car for a reason – car dashboards are full of small crevices, from buttons, dials and radio controls to air conditioning vents. Use a cotton bud or very small vacuum cleaner detailing tool to remove dust from air vents to help keep allergy-aggravating dust from being spread around the car.
- Finish with a shine
If you wish to apply protective products, now is the time. Different materials require different protection.
Leather upholstery cleaner not only removes everyday dirt and oils but also conditions and protects, restoring the leather to a soft, even finish. You can purchase vinyl UV protection products which help to reduce fading and damage from the sun’s rays on your dashboard, steering wheel and controls. You can even use a rubber seal protectant to keep the seals on your door, sunroof and boot in good condition.
