It’s not easy to keep the car interior clean especially if you have kids in the back seats (and they have snacks). Keeping it clean should be a priority of yours, however, if you are someone who enjoys driving and wants to have a car that reflects pride in their vehicle. Whether you are preparing to head out on a road trip or you are looking to maintain a new vehicle, getting your car’s interior clean is important. Knowing how to clean car seats goes far beyond running a vacuum over the materials and searching online for the best car interior cleaning near me is your best bet. At Zoom Car Wash, we’re happy to share our top tips for cleaning your car interior that will help you achieve your desired result. Let’s dive in.

 

Gather the supplies you need

Before you jump into cleaning your car, you need to have everything at hand to save time. The essentials for fully cleaning out your car include:

  • Vacuum cleaner with nozzle attachments for those tricky corners
  • Microfibre cloths
  • Soft-bristled brushes
  • Upholstery cleaner – alternatively, soap and water
  • Leather cleaner if your seats are leather
  • Glass cleaner
  • Car interior wipes
  • Rubbish bags for collecting debris
  • Toothbrush, or if you have one, a small detailing brush

By making sure that you have everything to hand, you can get straight on with the job at hand instead of worrying about interrupting the process.

 

Remove all items too big for the vacuum cleaner

Now you have everything gathered, start decluttering the car. Kids toys, food debris, wrappers, empty bottles – if it cannot fit inside a vacuum cleaner, it shouldn’t be in the car. Use the rubbish bags you collected earlier to keep everything in one place. 

 

Roll out the vacuum cleaner

Vacuuming is a must if you want to have a clean car interior. It’ll help you to remove debris, dust, dirt and any food crumbs that have been squashed into the floor of your car. Areas that you need to pay attention to include:

  • Seat crevices and the seats themselves – especially along the seams
  • Carpets and floor mats. Remove the mats and take them outside the car. Shake them out and then thoroughly vacuum them before vacuuming the carpet inside the car. Pay attention to the spaces under the seats and the pedals before restoring your car mats into the car. 
  • Car console and dashboard. Your vacuum cleaner should have come with a soft brush attachment and you can use this to get into the corners of your dashboard and air vents.

At Zoom Car Wash, we really do place an emphasis on the importance of thoroughly vacuuming the car. It’ll prevent the spread of any dust and dirt around the car.

 

Clean and condition the seats

Your car seats need more than a vacuum. You want to get into the car, sit down and instantly see and smell how clean the seats are. There are different needs for different materials, so take a look at the options for conditioning your car seats below:

Fabric seats

  • Spot treatments. Spot treatments for stains are important for your car seats. Pre-treating these with a specific upholstery cleaner can help, but so can a mix of soap and water. Use a soft brush to gently scrub at the stains. 
  • Thorough cleaning. Spraying the seats with upholstery cleaner or soap and water mix and then using a microfiber cloth to work the seats over properly will help your seats to come up beautifully. 
  • Rinse and dry. You don’t want to get into a car with wet seats, right? Wipe away the cleaners you’ve used with a damp cloth and don’t leave them soaked. Leave the car windows open to dry them out.

Leather seats

  • Vacuum the seats. Remove any loose crumbs and debris and do this with the soft brush attachment to avoid scratching the leather.
  • Use leather cleaner. Use something dedicated to leather here because you don’t want anything abrasive on the seats. Use a microfiber cloth to clean the seats properly and avoid any harsh chemicals as the leather will be damaged as a result.
  • Condition the seats. A leather conditioner will keep the material soft and supple, and doing this regularly will prevent cracking in the material.

 

Clean the console and dashboard

Often overlooked, we recommend making sure to clean the console and dashboard regularly. Dusting with a microfibre cloth to dust the dashboard and any other hard surfaces keeps them from gathering dirt and debris.

From here, use a cleaner to wipe down all of the surfaces and don’t forget those high-touch areas like buttons and the steering wheel.

Clean the windows

The glass on your car windows, both inside and out, needs a good, thorough clean for a polished look. A glass cleaner will enable you to do this with a streak-free finish.

While we’re talking about the windows, don’t forget other glass surfaces like the interior mirrors, too.

 

Give the car those final touches

Once you have done all of the main cleaning items, you need to give the car the once-over to ensure that you didn’t miss anything. These include:

  • Inspect those extra details. Make sure that you haven’t missed any stains on the dashboard or marks on the carpets. 
  • Replace the newly cleaned floor mats back into the car where they’re supposed to go.
  • Return any personal items and air fresheners.

 

Call in the experts

If you have the time to clean your car properly, you know now how to get it done. However, you don’t have to do it yourself if you don’t want to. Over in Holland Park you’ll find Zoom Car Wash offering top-notch car interior cleaning services you just can’t say no to.

With high-quality products and the most advanced techniques, you’ll ensure that your car looks and feels like new again. Professional cleaning extends the life of your car, and with the help of Zoom Car Wash, you’ll also get additional services such as exterior washing, waxing, and paint protection, making them a one-stop shop for all your car care needs.