How to Maintain The Perfect Car Interior

Apr 21, 2020

Paying attention to your car's interior is essential, just like regular maintenance.

The significance of the interior and exterior parts of your car have the same weight. It both affects the overall aspect of your vehicle.

Car facts: An average person consumes four years and so of their lifespan inside their automobile.

Knowing this, paying attention to your car's interior is essential, just like regular maintenance. Several causes of stress and confusion for car owners are dirt and dust inside the A/C system and heaps of disorderliness.

The untidy interior has a negative impact on one's well-being. Fortunately, there are easy cleaning tips and products to maintain your car’s interior clean. This article from Philcarnews.com listed just that.

 Cleaning Tips For Your Car’s Interior

Cleaning your car's interior will surely take an ample amount of your time, especially when it becomes way too dirty. A clutter-free interior brings a refreshing impression. Doing so will make you motivated to consider cleaning the inside of your vehicle a daily routine. Provided are some of the cleaning techniques everyone should know for a tidier car.

Vacuum First

Vacuum cleaners are essential when cleaning your car's interior. Small dirt particles and other clutter such as small stones, grains, and sand can hide on or under the carpet of your vehicle. They can be found in places where it is hard to clean like below the matting and the like. Using a vacuum cleaner will reduce the time spent on cleaning.

 A conventional vacuum cleaner or a hand-held one will do the cleaning.

Vacuuming the car interior

Vacuum cleaners are essential when cleaning your car's interior

 Wash The Floor Mats Too

After removing the small particles off your interior, eliminating those grimes is necessary as well. Those grime can be found on your car’s floor mats and can be removed by washing it through a power washer. Make sure to return the mats after it is dry to prevent the forming of mold caused by the moisture.

>>> Related: Easy Ways to Customize Your Car Interior

Washing the car mat

Grime can be found on your car’s floor mats and can be removed by washing it 

Clean All The Seats

There are two kinds of seat upholstery - the cloth and leather ones. These two have different approaches when it comes to cleaning. For the fabric-upholstered one, it can be quickly and effectively cleaned by a carpet steamer.

The leather upholstery requires more effort and certain specialized products. The leather one tends to crack and fade, to prevent it from those, applying leather cleaning oil is a must. It helps in restoring the quality of your car’s leather seats caused by the damage due to sun exposure and removing the build-up of dirt.

Cleaning the car seat

Clean the car seats according to the type of upholstery

Clean The Hard Surfaces

Use a piece of cloth and a proper surface cleaner to wipe clean your radio buttons, console, steering wheel, and even your armrests. An ordinary home surface cleaner can be used for wood or plastic paneling.

For areas that are easily accessed, just spray the cleaner onto a dry piece of cloth and wipe it down. For hard to reach spots such as your car’s A/C vents, a slightly moist toothbrush can be used to reach inside and scrub.

Cleaning the dashboard

Use a piece of cloth and a proper surface cleaner to wipe clean the hard surfaces of the car

Remove Stains As Soon As Possible

Remove stains as early as you possibly can. These stains are the arch-nemesis of your car's interior that can be simply defeated if carefully removed. The cleaning approach to such stains depends upon the kind and type of the material at hand and stain, respectively.

>>> Related: How to Remove Bad Odors from Your Car's Interior

Car seat stains

Remove stains as early as you possibly can

Leather upholstery for seats as well as linings is highly recommended for car owners because this kind of seat covers are not high maintenance. When it comes to the cloth-lined interior, carpets, and seat covers, these are the steps you can do:

For Coffee

This is an inevitable stain. First, dilute the affected part immediately with the use of cold water and smudge using a clean cloth, old newspaper, or paper towels to remove it. If there are some remains, you can soak that area with a glass cleaner (this is not a joke) and let it be for five minutes; let it dry afterward.

For Grease

To remove grease stains, simply damp a clean piece of cloth to paint thinner. The remaining grease can be removed by rubbing and covering it until absorbed with salt. Finally, a vacuum cleaner is used.

Note: Use the type of paint thinner suitable for your carpet and upholstery's color, test it on areas that can't be seen, such as below the seats.

For Ink

There are instances where your car might be stained with ink. Hairsprays are used on the damaged area. You can use salt too because the ink will be absorbed by it.

For Gums

Inside the ziplock, put some ice cubes and lay it where the gum is for it to freeze. Once it becomes hard, you can remove it with a dull knife. For the stain left, you can wash it using water and soap afterward.

>>> Related: How to keep your Car Clean Inside and Out

For Vomits

You should clean it right away with the mixture of water and baking soda diluted with the acidity of the vomit, rinse the affected area, and let it dry.

For Blood

Bloodstains can be removed by making a paste from cold water and cornstarch to cover it. Let the paste dry and brush then vacuum the remaining stain away.

Hint: Using hot water for bloodstains will cement it. This technique can be used to remove different bodily fluids that may stain your seat covers and carpets.

Take Care With The Headliners & Visors 

Headliners are those that cover the roof of your car's interior and are considered as a protective material. Visors are those that are used to cover the eyes from direct sunlight. But both tend to be destroyed and ripped because of action-filled activities and the car's age that may manifest.

To avoid immense impairment, make sure to check if there is any tear on both parts. Small rips are easily repaired; however, if it is ignored, it can turn into huge problems, like the replacement of the entire component.

Putting Trash Bins Inside Your Car

It's not precisely a necessity; however, it can aid in maintaining your car's cleanliness inside. Putting your small wastes such as used food containers, candy wrappers and even used tissues can save you some time in cleaning.

All things considered, how you take good care of your car’s interior is a reflection of your own personality. A well-maintained vehicle will not only preserve its high resale value, but will also gain you the respect of anyone you will take a ride with - may it be your family, special someone, or friends.  

Source: Hanna Miel Sanchez

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