Why its so important:
As a professional detailer of 6 years, with thousands of interior detail jobs under my belt, I learned quite quickly that most folks don't know how to maintain their interiors. They assume its too much work, or they simply don't prioritize it. I can understand that not everyone cares for a shiny, perfect paint finish. However your interior isn't all about cosmetics, its more about cleanliness. And maintaining it correctly is a must.
When it comes to our cars interior, people have a very silly approach to cleaning them. The average person has to clean their homes daily, no one wants a dirty home. You broom, dust, wipe countertops, mop frequently, vacuum etc. Even more is true with our bodies, we wash our hands many times a day, we shower, we moisturize, you get the point. Yet these same people who do this on their own, will go well over a year without a proper clean of their cars interior.... it's gross.
We see it happen almost daily, a customer will come in for their interior detail, I'll ask when the last time the interior was cleaned, and they couldn't tell me. If they can it's usually months ago. Do you have any idea how much bacteria, body oils and odors build up on your steering wheels, armrests, and seats? It's always a lot more than the customer thinks, particularly on black interiors, where the dirt is less visible. It makes no sense. Typically, we don't pay house cleaners every couple months to deep clean our homes, its just not needed, we maintain them. But for our cars? Its normal practice. Subsequently we know that its gross to put body spray on to mask body odor instead of showering. But our cars? People use air fresheners to do just that to their stinky cars all the time, its literally a BILLION DOLLAR industry as of 2020.
Its completely unsanitary, and quite weird, because its not consistent at all with the way we clean the other stuff we use daily. So here's how you can optimally keep your interior clean, I promise its not as time consuming or expensive as you think.
Getting Started
Before you can jump into the easier "Maintenance" phase, its important to start off with a good detail and protection. If your car hasn't been detailed recently, its highly recommended getting started with that, you can hire a professional or follow these steps.
Tools required for DIY
-2 Detailing brushes (One for Dusting, one for cleaning)
-Microfiber towels (The Costco ones are amazing for the cost)
-Your Favorite household all purpose cleaner or specific interior cleaner
-Vacuum Cleaner (Free vacuums at gas stations are your friend if you don't have one)
Step 1: Empty the interior, Completely
Step 2: Blow out the crevices with compressed air, or brush all crevices to loosen dust out
Step 3: Thoroughly Vacuum the interior, move seats as far back and forward as possible to not miss anything.
Step 4: Deep clean all interior surfaces. Use a soft detailing brush to scrub everything clean. Pay special attention to the steering column and center column. Use any household all-purpose cleaner you have on hand or your favorite interior cleaner. VERY IMPORTANT, dilute the product with water at least 5 to 1 and never spray the surface directly, spray your brushes or towels instead.
Step 5: Grab your now dirty towels and drench one with cleaner and the other with water. Use the one with cleaner to wipe down the door jams, follow up with the 2nd towel to leave no cleaner marks or dirt trails. This will prevent buildup in those areas and give a more complete cleanliness to your interior.
Optional- Highly Recommended
Step 6: If needed, or if you haven't had it done in a while, have the interior fabrics shampooed and extracted professionally ONLY. Unfortunately most DIY shampooing fails to properly remove the dirt and stains, but instead spread them in the fabric making it look cleaner. In my opinion, it is not worth your time and effort. Make sure your professional uses a proper carpet extractor that actually pulls the gunk out.
Step 7: Condition your interior Leather, plastics and Vinyl with a quality water-based conditioner of your choice. Spray a powerful Fabric Protectant on ALL dry upholstery. Doing this will protect your surfaces from spills, stains, fading, cracking, and makes future cleaning much easier. It will also make your leathers softer and your interior darker and richer in color to achieve a professional look. Redo this step as required.
Maintenance
Now that your at clean slate, here is the simple, low cost, quick way to keep your car clean. If you can maintain this routine, you should NEVER have to pay for interior detailing, wouldn't that be nice? Keep in mind, this should be done at minimum once a month, it should not take longer than 30 minutes to complete for SUVs!
Make it easy on yourself and wait for a cool morning or afternoon. If you genuinely do not have time to keep up the interior, consider hiring an independent detail shop like us or a mobile detailer to do a "maintenance wash" once a month. Do NOT take it to a hand car wash or dealership for interior cleaning! They will often not do a cleaning phase but instead use a solvent based dressing (greasy, armor all type product) to give a clean look fast. Not to mention they "clean" dozens or hundreds of cars daily, do you think they swap out and use fresh towels and clean tools on your interior?
Step 1: Remove all trash and personal items
Step 2: Dust out all crevices with dust or crumbs
Step 3: Wipe down the interior with disinfectant wipes of your choice, don't use a strong cleaner that will strip your protectants off
Step 4: Use gentle glass cleaner or even water to clean mirrors and screens
Step 5: Finish off with a thorough vacuum
That's it! As you can see the process is quite minimal and the tools required for doing it yourself are cheap. This simple routine process is all it takes to keep your interior mint and sanitary. Only at this point is your vehicle worthy of air fresheners, lol. Thank you for reading, I hope this helps save you time and money! Drive Clean my friends.
Jared Miramontes : Owner/Operator Follow us on FB or IG @DetailCityLV
Detail City Las Vegas
Est. 2017
8/25/2022
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