Everything You Need to Know About Interior Detailing – We Explain!

Muhammad Awais

15 Mar 2017

Cleanliness of your car’s interior is as important a car’s exterior. Since the exterior of a car is most prominent, the majority of car owners prefer to focus more on it which I might add is the linear approach to doing things. Forgetting the fact that interior maintenance is essential for both, hygiene and looks. Car interior accessories increases driving comfort, giving you an internal ease, while putting a good impression on the passengers. Think of it this way – not taking care of your car’ interior is just like wearing new clothes but not taking regular baths to rinse yourselves off all germs and dead skin cells.

In my last article, I wrote on ‘Glass Coating’ of vehicles. My keen focus is to cover almost all topics related to Detailing. So today I chose to write on ‘Detailing of a Car’s Interior.’ I have always been doing my car’s detailing myself. So, everything that I’ve mentioned below is a culmination of my research, habits, and tricks. Believe it or not, frequent trips to a detailing shop can end up costing you a lot if you are not careful. The answer to saving money is to do it yourself.

There are some basic tips which you must make your habit.

Make it a Habit:

Try to park your car in a dust free area, which considering the fact of on-going road works and unkempt infrastructure is a moot point. Nonetheless, it’s a good practice and if you have access to such place then go ahead and utilize it.
Whenever sitting back into your car, dust off your feet.
Make your habit to clean floor mats whenever you see them dirty.

Additionally, I usually clean my car’s interior on every second wash. ‘A stitch in time saves nine,’ never delay interior cleaning.
Following is a list of items/products that I use for this process.

Items Required:

A Clean cloth (This cloth shouldn’t be used else)
Liquid Wax for Interior (I use Formula1 for plastic)All-purpose Cleaning Foam (I use 7CF Fabric Cleaner)
All-purpose Cleaning Foam (I use 7CF Fabric Cleaner)Used toothbrush
Used toothbrush
Any branded Liquid Glass cleaner

Why Should you consider using seat covers?

Apart from slowing down the wear & tear, a lot of cars have fabric seats and carpets on the floor, which I am sure you know by now, get very dirty because of their build structure. Using good quality seat covers and get leather flooring in your car, can become quite easy. Because of the smooth surface, dust particles do not get stuck in seats, rather they stay afloat and thus are quite easy to clean.

The sequence of Activity:

Removing of Mats
Taking out other gadgets from car i.e. ashtrays, plastic cups, sun shades, etc
Cleaning of floor
Vacuuming
Dashboard cleaning
Speedometer Cleaning
AC Grills cleaning
Polishing

Removing Floor Mats – Take out plastic mats carefully. It’s good to first fold them and then take it out of the car. In this way, dust on mats won’t spill on the floor.
Other Gadgets – Take out ash trays or cups, any other extra accessory like a plastic cup or sun shades out of your car. This step will allow you the access to some hidden areas in your car.
Floor Cleaning – If your car has leather flooring then just use a wet cloth to clean the floor with it. Focus under the seats and around the corners. Side walls corners are usually full of dust.
The Use of a Vaccum Cleaner – If your car is not having leather flooring and leather seat covers then cleaning it with a wet cloth is not enough. Start vacuum machine and clean floor with it. Vacuum devices have changeable nozzles with it. Install brush nozzle and clean floor with it.
Dashboard Cleaning – Use a separate cloth for dashboard cleaning, preferably Microfiber cloth is best for it. Make it wet and clean the dashboard with it. Use dashboard cover carpet to keep it clean.
Speedometer Cleaning – Clean the area around the information cluster with a mild, wet cloth. The cloth must be dust free and try to use a microfiber cloth for this purpose, so that glass doesn’t get scratches on it.
AC Grill Cleaning – Use a mild, wet cloth for cleaning AC grills. Usually, grills get dirty and dusty. Employee the use of coth’s corner and make a tip, insert it in the grill and clean it.
Polishing – As mentioned earlier, I use Formula 1 Liquid polish to clean interior plastics after every three months. This activity helps in retaining some semblance of shine on plastic trims. Other spray polishes’ add artificial and extra shining look to plastic trims, so I prefer to stay away from them. Whatever your choice may be, be careful before buying any Product. Pour some drops of Liquid polish over the dashboard and evenly spread it with a clean, dry cloth. Do this activity by targeting small areas, go small and go intricate, no need to overdo it.

I prefer this activity to be done in sunlight because in this way dashboard reflections help you to determine even shine on its surface.

Please don’t use this Polish on Speedometer Glass or Windscreen. This polish is only for Plastic trims.

General Detailing:
To get rid of unnecessary stains use an all purpose fabric cleaner on the affected area, let that foam stay for some time then rub it with a soft brush and a light hand. Finally, remove it with a soft cloth.

Some Extra Tips:

Try to run AC on circulation mode (fresh air mode). Outside smell i.e. dust, smoke enters in your car and can become a reason for a constant musky smell.
Although almost every car has built in cigarette lighter for smoking, but avoid smoking in your car, cigarette’s smoke produces a bad smell in the long term which can’t go away quickly.
Put a decent Air Freshener in your car and spray it when needed.

If you have any questions, recommendations or suggestions, please feel free to reach out by commenting. My intention is to share my knowledge with you all and gain extra knowledge from you. If you want me to cover any other topic, please do let me know, I will try to write on it.