Clean the Inside of Your Car: Detailing Secrets for a Professional Result

Wintertime can make it difficult to keep your vehicle clean. Sometimes, the temperatures are too cold for a wash and other times the temps are just warm for a wash, but also warm enough to melt the snow to a slushy mud that splashes the underside and lower panels. But you can keep the interior of your car—seats, dash, panels, carpet, etc.— in tip-top shape, and here’s how… You don’t need to go to the car stores to get the supplies you’ll need; some types of cleaners and wipe rags sold for vehicle maintenance work terrific, but they’re not entirely necessary. A simple detail kit can include: a clean cloth or towel, window cleaner—household window cleaners work fine as long as ammonia is not an added ingredient (Never use an ammonia-based cleaner on a window with tinted glass)—a dash or vinyl cleaner such as Armor All (a leather-specific cleaner if your vehicle has leather seats), and a carpet or upholstery shampoo—if needed. To begin, clean out everything from the vehicle. Throw away any trash, and then vacuum up all the dirt and debris. While you vacuum be conscious of both the plastic vacuum nozzle and the tube, because they can scratch some of the surfaces—the soft plastic lids of raised center consoles are especially prone to scratching, and a single session with a vacuum could do serious harm. When the carpet is completely clear of loose dirt and debris, hit any troublesome spots with carpet shampoo—again, the household varieties are usually fine, although you can purchase and use a vehicle-specific shampoo. When you clean the windows, you can use the old standard paper towel, but you might want to purchase the daily newspaper, because when newspaper is balled up and used as a wipe rag, it will help to clean the window to a streak-free shine. You can use household items such as Q-tips to clean out narrow spaces, and even an old toothbrush to brush out the narrow but deep valleys between carpet and paneling—push the vacuum into these spaces and you’re likely to scratch the panels. Hopefully a few of those tips will help you keep your car looking and smelling fresh throughout the winter months. And for any regular maintenance, remember the expert mechanics at Willard’s Garage.