9 expert tips to clean your car's interior like a pro

Discover the exact steps to clean your car's interior effectively. Our comprehensive guide provides expert tips and step-by-step instructions to keep your car's interior spotless and fresh

Have you ever smelled old, spilled latte baked into the floor mat of a car?  So if you often find yourself apologizing that your car is such a mess when giving a lift to a friend and you’re not quite sure how to clean a car interior properly, help is here. Here is the best way to clean the inside of your car, including the order in which to work to get the best results quickly.

1. Open all doors
Let all the doors open. Open the hatchback or trunk door if the vehicle has one. As you clean, opening the doors will let fresh air into the car and help drive out stale smells. You will have full access to every section of the automobile that needs to be cleaned if you open the doors.

2. Take everything all out
Take out the trash and put it in a trash bag. Next, remove everything that should be outside the house, such as clothing, accessories, and items that must be carried inside. Take out and set aside any belongings that should be in the car, such as an emergency kit or extra food bags, while you clean.

Step 3: Take out the carpets, mats
Take out and place aside the car's floor mats. Spot treat any stains on carpeted mats using a carpet and upholstery cleaner. To make the most of your time, let the cleaner work its way into the stains while you work on the interior of the car. When you're done, go back and rinse the stain remover and hoover the mats.

Step 4: Clean dashboard, side panels and more
To get rid of dust, debris, hair, and other soils, clean the dash, centre console, side panels, and vents with a dry microfiber cloth. Should the rigid plastic surfaces require more thorough cleaning, moisten the microfiber cloth using water, an all-purpose cleaner, or a car interior detailing spray; this ought to eliminate accumulation, filth, and spill residue. Bleach and ammonia-containing cleaning products should be avoided since they are too strong for interior automobile surfaces.

Step 5: Vacuum seats
Thoroughly vacuum the seats using a handheld vacuum or a full-size vacuum with the brush and/or crevice attachments attached. While vacuuming, pay attention to any spills, stickiness, or accumulation on leather seats, as well as any stains on fabric seats that require attention.

Step 6: Treat the stains on the seats
Use a carpet and upholstery cleaner to get rid of minor spots on fabric seats. According to the directions on the package, apply the cleaning to the seats. Once the cleaner has worked for the allotted amount of time—typically five to ten minutes—go over the area with a moist microfiber cloth and apply light pressure while maintaining soft pressure to lift the stain and eliminate any leftover cleaning residue. Utilise a carpet and upholstery cleaning machine if your cloth seats require a thorough washing or a deep clean.

Step 7: Vacuum the floor
Vacuum the car's floor to get rid of hair, crumbs, grime and other substances after you've cleaned the seats. Examine the floors briefly before starting the hoover. Remove any tiny objects, such as loose change or charges, that you might have overlooked.

Step 8: Polish the glass
To polish the glass and get rid of any fingerprints or stains, use a fresh microfiber cloth. If you move pets or young kids about a lot and they leave smudges and streaks on the windows, mist the microfiber cloth with glass cleaner and use it to wipe the glass more completely.

Step 9: Keep all items
Return any items you removed from the car that belong there, like emergency kits, chargers and spare grocery totes. Dispose of the trash bag. Then bring anything that you removed from the car inside and return it to its proper home.