5 Tips for Detailing Your Car

Aug 23, 2018

Is the interior of your car full of candy wrappers from the last weekend at the theme park, cookie crumbs from last week’s road trip, and enough sand to build a private beach on the back seat? We have five foolproof tips for detailing your car that will help you clean it in no time.

Vacuum the Interior Thoroughly

Vacuuming the interior of the vehicle is something car owners do often. So what do we mean by vacuuming thoroughly? First, take all floor mats out of the car. Then vacuum from the top (yes, there’s dirt up there, too) to the bottom without missing a single spot. That includes that little shelf on the back, the seats and under them (make sure you slide them forward to get to those hard spots), the dashboard, and the trunk.

Wash the Floor Mats After Vacuuming Them

In most cases, removing the floor mats, vacuuming them, and putting them back is enough. But after a two-week vacation at the beach, for example, you’re still wondering where all that sand is coming from.

Remove the mats and shake them or whack them on the ground or against a wall to get rid of the major dust particles. Then vacuum on both sides to make sure you removed the smaller grains. Finally, hand wash them and hang them to dry.

Get Spotless Mirrors and Windows

There is no magic trick to cleaning mirrors and windows, but there are a few tools that help you get the job done. All you need is a microfiber cloth and a glass cleaner product, preferably in a spray bottle. Remember to roll down your car windows to clean that top part everyone forgets about.

Brush Air Conditioning Vents

Anything with tiny parts that need cleaning gets pushed way down to the bottom of the priority list. Air conditioning vents are one of those things. But if you have the right tools, you can get it done in the blink of an eye. Using a brush with long bristles to clean the vent should be enough. To make sure you really got rid of all dust particles, use a compressed air can.

Caring for Tough-to-Clean Areas

The door panels, the dashboard, and the front panel are some of the toughest areas to clean in your car. In some vehicles, they are made of different materials, and some of them have a mix of materials in the same area, so using cleaning products is not always the best solution. Cup holders, for example, gather a lot of dust and waste.

To clean these surfaces, start by vacuuming. Then dust with a soft cloth and only use a chemical cleaning product that you’re sure won’t damage the surface. It’s best to use just water or a mix of water and mild soap.

Thoroughly detailing the interior of your car is not as hard as you think, so long as you have the right tools and these tips at hand.

Image via Marco Verch | Licensed by CC BY 2.0