How you maintain your car is often a reflection of yourself. Clean cars convey an image of self-respect and that you take pride in your ride. In addition to observing regular service intervals that tend to basics like oil and filter changes, in-depth exterior and interior cleaning and detailing remove dirt, debris, rust and remnants of spills and stains. Left lurking for longer periods, these can accelerate paintwork and interior trim damage, and invite bacteria, mould and fungi.
Interior detailing goes far beyond the odd wipe or vacuum and delves deeper into every nook and cranny in the car cabin. With specially formulated car exterior and interior care products, the aim is to restore the car to showroom condition. These products not only eliminate the results of spilled drinks or leftover food but also tackle unpleasant odours and bacterial growth to improve driver and passenger health.
Carefully selected car interior detailing products additionally deal with dents, scratches and abrasions in plastic, metal and wood trim parts, and tears and cracks in seat cloth or leather. And the use of protectants and conditioners keeps surfaces spotless, while also slowing general wear and tear.
What’s in a Car Interior Detailing Kit?
If you’re starting the habit of detailing, packaged kits with all the essentials make more sense. These typically include:
- All-purpose interior cleaner – a versatile detailing product that deals with most grime, dirt and stains on different car interior materials and surfaces, including plastic, vinyl, seat cloth and leather.
- Microfibre towels – effective in cleaning and dusting by trapping smaller and ingrained particles. The soft fibres are also gentile on sensitive or delicate interior surfaces, preventing scratches and swirl marks with fewer passes.
- Mitts, sponges and detailing brushes – mitts and sponges are good alternatives to microfiber towels. Similarly, brushes deal with stubborn stains and are more effective in hard-to-reach areas such as air vents and seat rails.
- Glass cleaners – while general-purpose cleaning solutions are all-rounders, grime, dust, smudges, fingerprints and other remnants on the windows and mirrors are best dealt with by separate glass cleaners.
These kits should get most car interiors closer to showroom looks. Other basics include a home or commercial-grade vacuum (with wet and dry functionality), carpet and fabric conditioners, and formulated balms, conditioners, and sealants to deal with moderate leather damage.
Products used in finishing touches include air fresheners and deodorisers, and wood and plastic protectants to protect trim parts from cracks and UV damage.
How to Detail the Car Interior
Before you begin, choose a dry enclosed area away from direct sunlight. This ensures all interior automotive surfaces are cool and that higher temperatures don’t affect the consistency of cleaning chemicals. Gather all interior care products and remove visible debris and unnecessary items. Check the door bins, seat pockets, cup holders and other internal storage areas.
Removing the seats is preferred, but not necessary. Follow up by vacuuming large and loose dirt and debris, tending to all nooks, crannies and crevices, including around the seat rails with matching vacuum attachments.
Once this is done, continue with the following steps:
- Clean and remove the floor mats – vacuum out larger debris in the floor mats, apply the general-purpose cleaner, then rinse the mats, give them a good shake to loosen up ingrained dirt and hang them to dry.
- Clean hard plastics – dust out debris from the dashboard, door panels, centre console, cup holders, and other plastic trim pieces with all-purpose cleaning solutions, or use mild plastic cleaners. Remove ingrained dirt with brushes and swabs in areas like the air vents. Let spray-bottle cleaning solutions sit for a few minutes, then wipe down with a clean microfibre cloth.
- Use a protectant – dash and door protectant comes as a formulated dressing that reduces fading and cracks and protects against UV rays. It also leaves a lasting satin sheen that repels water, dust and dirt without leaving streaks or smudges.
- Clean and protect leather surfaces – leather cleaners have detergents, surfactants and conditioning agents that get deep into the pores and remove ingrained dirt and grime without damaging the material. To prevent drying, hardening and cracking and restore the natural look, also apply balms and serums. For leather in light colours, consider sealants to prevent colour transfer. Leather detailing products are generally sold separately or as leather detailing and repair kits.
- Tend to stubborn stains – carpet stains can be hard to remove, especially with generic fabric cleaners. Choose concentrated carpet cleaners to work deep within the fibres and break down contaminants. Use hair and fibre removal brushes to collect pet hair, and hydrophobic fabric sealant to prevent pooling. After spot-cleaning stains, remove odours with general-purpose cleaning solutions. Use the same technique for ingrained stains in the seat fabric.
- Clean windows and mirrors – roll the windows up, open the doors and use glass cleaner for the windows and windshield. Wipe in and up and down motion with a clean microfibre cloth. Stronger cleaning solutions break down oil and grime faster but can leave a residue. To prevent streaks, use a glass sealant.
- Deodorise – remove strong, stale and musty smells with automotive air fresheners and deodorisers. Not all vehicle cleaning solutions contain odour-eliminating agents. To ensure clean air, consider changing the cabin filter and using an air-conditioning sanitiser.
The final touches are thorough vacuuming to pick up skipped spots and replacing seats (if removed) and floor mats.
Why Detail Your Car?
Interior detailing removes common health and hygiene issues caused by lingering mould, bacterial growth and fungi. These are thoroughly eliminated with chemical solutions that are also gentle on delicate surfaces. Besides a cleaner cabin, reduced dust and improved visibility, different cabin car products restore common materials like plastics, vinyl, leather and wood, and prevent advanced wear.
Formulated cleaning products and accompanying tools are cheap to buy, either separately or as a kit, widely available and produce results comparable with professional detailing services. The advantage of doing this on your own, and in your own time (besides the cost and time savings) is cleaning and detailing that meets personalised standards and expectations.
