Cleaning the Inside of Your Car

You probably concern yourself more with cleaning the exterior of your car instead of the interior. More people see the outside of your vehicle, right? But keeping the interior of your vehicle not only tidy but clean is equally important. You’ll benefit from a clean windshield and dust-free dashboard: you’ll see better and avoid inopportune sneezing. Your passengers will also feel more at ease when they don’t have to push aside food wrappers and old receipts to sit comfortably. You’ll also increase your car’s value whenever you one day trade it in toward a new vehicle. Here’s what you need to know.

Equipment

While you can clean your car with everyday household cleaning supplies, there are some specific products and pieces of equipment that you’ll need.

  • Vacuum cleaner (preferably a shop vacuum with a flexible hose)
  • Cleaner for seats and/or dash, doors, and more (you can use any of these products or regular all-purpose cleaner)
  • Windex

Procedure

Start by cleaning the dash, doors, windows, and seats. Work your way from the roof of the car down so that any dirt, dust, or other undesirables that you miss end up on the floor of the vehicle. Make sure to vacuum off the seats before you wipe them down with anything. If you have cloth seats, you only need to vacuum them.

Once you have everything wiped down, go after the windows. Spray the Windex onto your window-cleaning tool so that you don’t get drips or spray on your clean doors and dash. Old newspaper works well for cleaning windows because it won’t leave streaks or particles like paper towels.

After everything is wiped down, you can then remove the mats on the floor of your car. Shake them out away from your vehicle, and vacuum each mat. Take some time to inspect the mats. If they have holes or are damaged, consider replacing them. Then sweep out the rest of the vehicle’s carpet. Make sure to clean underneath the seats and up against any plastic parts because dirt, small stones, and other debris get trapped in both places. Once you have swept your carpet, return the mats to the floor of your vehicle, and you’re done.

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