Americans spend an average of 17,600 minutes driving every year. That’s plenty of time for your car to get dirty.

Do you want a clean interior? If so, keep reading to learn more about auto interior detailing and what you can do to make your car clean and comfortable for your drive.

Start at the Top

When you get ready to start, always work from the top and work your way down. If you start vacuuming the carpet first, you will get dirt on your clean carpets as you clean the seats, door panels, and dash. This is why professional car detailers always start at the top.

Remove Mats and Trash

Start removing all the trash from your car. Then remove your mats to get ready.

You can clean your mats so they have time to dry. Use a stiff brush and some car wash soap to scrub the mats, or you can use a steam cleaner. When you are done, hang your mats to dry.

You can also use a wet-dry vacuum to get out as much water as you can. This accelerates the drying process.

Start Dusting

Use a microfiber duster on your interior and start at the top. Clean the dash, your center console, and then the door panels. Don’t forget the interior panels, headliner, seats, windows, and rear deck. 

If you have an air compressor, you can use it to blow the dust from small crevices. You can also use a sweeper with a detailing brush, so you catch all the dirt as it falls.

Clean the Hard Surfaces

Now, its’ time to get the hard surfaces in your car, like the dash, console, and other plastic pieces. You can use a car cleaner and protector to clean and protect these surfaces. Make sure you use a cleaner designed for your car.

Spray the cleaners on your cloth and then use the cloth to clean the surface. This prevents any drips or overspray.

Clean the Soft Surfaces

You will need an upholstery cleaner. This can be strayed directly on your cloth as well. You will use this for your door panels synthetic headliners, and any other porous surface.

Make sure you let the cleaner sit for a few minutes to soak into the fabric. Then use a stiff brush to remove the grime and dirt.

What About Leather?

You need to be careful with leather seats because they can dry and crack if you use the wrong chemicals and soaps. You can clean leather and not use harsh chemicals—look for leather cleaners that are more gentle. Use a soft brush instead of a stiff brush to remove stains. 

Vacuum Time

Move your front seats back and forth to reach all areas. Look for some brush attachments in the auto detailing supplies section to get those hard-to-reach areas. These brushes will help you reach every corner of the carpet and trim pieces.

You can use carpet shampoo if needed. Use a cleaner and a stiff brush to remove the dirt.

Glass Is Last

Your car’s glass is one of the most sensitive areas to clean. Use a non-ammonia glass cleaner and microfiber cloth.

Clean all exposed glass including side windows, windshield, rear-view mirror, and back window. Wet one cloth with the glass cleaner, and then use a second dry cloth to buff out the streaks.

Auto Interior Detailing Complete

After all that hard work, you have completed your auto interior detailing. Make sure you always start from the top and work your way down.

Interested in finding someone to do the job for you? Get a quote today for auto detailing prices and get the clean car you deserve.