So many car owners believe cleaning their car interior is a challenging task that requires special cleaning skills and tools. You can actually clean your car’s interior like a pro and improve the air quality using some household items. 

Why visit a costly professional detailing service when you can gather a few tools and cleaning supplies to get the job done yourself? 

If you have pets and kids, you know how hard it could be to keep the car’s interior neat and clean. In this post, we’re going to provide you with a comprehensive guide on how to clean your car's interior with great ease and speed. All it takes is patience, time, and household items. 

How To Clean Your Car Interior Like a Pro: 9 Easy Steps 

Follow these steps to thoroughly clean your car’s interior: 

Clear Out the Trash

Start the cleaning process by gathering all the trash and debris that has accumulated inside your car. Before you wash or wipe the dashboard or anything else, get rid of all the unwanted items. If you’re cleaning your car’s interior after a long time, you’re likely to find plenty of trash that needs to be disposed of. Spend a few minutes clearing the trash from cup holders, floorboards, door pockets, and seat pockets. 

Remove Floor Mats and Wash Them 

The dirtiest part of your car’s interior is the floor mats. Remove them from your car to wash them. Give them a good vacuuming before you clean them. Before you use any cleaning product, determine the material of your mats. Are they made of rubber, vinyl, or silicone? 

Rubber floor mats are commonly used in colder climates where it snows or rains often. They’re good at withstanding moisture and protecting cars’ interiors as they dry quickly. However, they do collect dirt over time. 

Follow these steps to clean rubber car floor mats: 

• Wash them with the pressurized water hose to wash any dirt or crumbs. No need to wash the side that touches the car floor. 
• Use some soapy water to get rid of the grime easily. 
• Rinse the soapy water off with the water hose. 
• Make sure mats are fully dry before you put them back. 

What if you have carpeted or clothing car floor mats? These mats demand more attention and care because it’s not easy to wash them as they’re more prone to stains and smell. Here is what you need to do to clean them: 

• Remove the cloth mats from the car and vacuum them to remove dirt and grime. 
• Prepare a cleaning solution using two tablespoons of washing powder and some regular shampoo. 
• Rub the mixture into the mat with a brush. 
• Rinse the soap off with the help of clean water. 
• Vacuum mats again to speed up the drying process. Don’t put wet mats into the car to avoid the bad smell. 

Clean the Dashboard 

Dashboards, if not cleaned regularly, present a faded look with fingerprints and dust. While you can find plenty of dashboard cleaning products in the market, it’s advisable to use a natural cleaning solution to protect the surface against harsh chemicals. 

Use a soft piece of cloth or a duster to get rid of the accumulated dust. A cotton swab will help you reach points around knobs and vents. After removing the dust and debris, grab a microfiber cloth and wipe the dashboard down with a homemade cleaning solution. 

Add some mild soap to the water to prepare a perfect cleaner. Make sure to check the manufacturer’s manual to find out what kind of cleaning products you can or can’t use. A good wipe down will remove the remaining dust, oil, and debris. To clean the vents, use a small toothbrush with soft bristles. 

Clean Interior Mirror and Windows 

The inside of your car’s windshields, mirrors, and windows are as worthy of a thorough cleaning as the outside. Here are four simple steps to clean them: 

• Use a reversible, dry cleaning cloth to wipe the interior windows working from top to bottom. Microfiber cloths are ideal as they don’t leave annoying particles on the glass. 

• Spray a few drops of a recommended car window cleaner onto a new microfiber cloth. Don’t spray too much or directly on glasses. If you want to use a homemade cleaner, take ¼ tablespoon of liquid dishwashing soap, ¼ cup of distilled white vinegar, and 2 cups of water. Mix these ingredients well in a spray bottle. Your natural window cleaner is ready. 

• Now clean the windshield using the cleaner-dampened cloth in a circulation motion. You can use an extendable windshield cleaning tool to reach the lower corners of the windshield. 

• Wipe the glass dry with a clean, dry microfiber cloth. 

• Repeat the process if you’re not happy with the results. 

Clean High Touchpoints 

Look at the points in your car that you touched the most: gearstick, steering wheel, buttons on the dash, center console touchscreen, cup holders, etc. These areas are more susceptible to contamination, so you must clean them. 

Here is a simple solution: take a soft cloth or cleaning wipes and your homemade cleaner. Spray some cleaner of your microfiber cloth and wipe those areas down. Don’t use paper towels or napkins as they could scratch plastic surfaces. 

If you prefer to use a commercial cleaning product, spray it on your cloth instead of spraying directly on these touchpoints. Do not use cleaning products on your pedals or steering wheel. 

Clean Seats 

Your car’s seats should be clean and odor-free. Sometimes we’re sweaty and sit on car seats. Sweat, dust, and other particles mix up and create a bad smell inside the car. If you want your car to smell good, make sure to clean its seats regularly. 

You can clean your car’s seats whether they are made of leather, cloth, or vinyl. All you gotta do is perform these easy steps: 

• Vacuum car seats with a really soft brush head. 

• For leather seats, use a leather cleaning wipe to wipe them down. You can add a few drops of mild soap to a soft cloth and then wipe your leather seats down. 

• Rinse with another soft cloth until you clear all the soapy moisture. 

• Dry your seats with a dry cloth. 

• You can repeat the same process if your car has vinyl seats. However, in this case, use your homemade cleaner instead of leather cleaning wipes. 

• Upholstery seats are probably hard to clean because they’re more likely to develop stains. Food, drinks, and other liquid can leave some pretty scary stains. So what you need to do is vacuum the seats and spray some interior shampoo. Then take a damp sponge to scrub the seats. Add more cleaner and rinse the sponge. After giving your seat a good scrub, wipe over the seats and rinse it out in a bucket with a cloth. 

• Make sure to clean the entire seat or you may end up having a patchy finish. 

Clean the Center Console 

If you can remove the cup holder, remove it before cleaning it. Get some warm water and a few drops of liquid dishwashing soap. Take a sponge and scrub it clean using the cleaner. In the end, wipe it down with a soft cloth. Dry and reassemble your console. 

To clean the gearstick and other parts, use a soft microfiber cloth. You can use a pair of tweezers to remove particles from less accessible parts. A disinfecting wipe would be enough to remove all the germs and oil from your steering wheel. Dry every part with a clean microfiber cloth to finish. 

Clean the Rest 

There are more interior parts that you should be cleaning. For example, seat belts, metal fasteners, molded clasps, and interior carpets. For seat belts, you can use an upholstery cleaner or your homemade cleaning solution to remove stains and grime. Wipe down the rest of the parts. 

For interior carpets and floors, use a vacuum to suck away all the dust and debris. If the carpet is stained, try a commercial carpet cleaner. Don’t forget to clean whatever is inside the trunk. 

Get Rid of the Odor With Azuna’s Small Room Treatment 

Your car’s interior looks great now, but what about that unpleasant odor coming from your car’s interior? We’ve got a pretty amazing solution for this problem. 

To get rid of all the odor, bacteria, and mold, try Azuna’s Natural Scent, an antimicrobial odor eliminator, and air purifier. You don’t have to use baking soda or any other DIY item to get rid of the odor. This product would be sufficient to fix odor-related problems. 

Wondering how it works? It simply neutralizes air against bacteria, mold, fungus, and mildew. You can choose from four different scents. Feel free to add our odor eliminators to your car cleaning kit. 

Over to You 

It’s fun to clean your car’s interior and exterior, especially if you're looking to do something productive on a Sunday. Why not clean your car and make it look sparkling and smell amazing. Use this guide to make your car cleaning mission successful. 

Don’t forget to check out our collection of natural odor eliminators!

Sources:

How to Clean a Car Interior | The Spruce 

Tips for Cleaning Your Car Seats Like a Pro | The Family Handyman 

8 Best Homemade Cleaners - How to Make DIY All-Purpose Cleaners | Good Housekeeping