Interior cleaning can seem intimidating, but with a few simple tips, you can get that new-car smell back in no time. Start by removing all personal items, and then tidy up any large debris from the seats and floorboards. Take a pass with a vacuum to remove any remaining medium or small debris. Try to get all the dirt, sand, and dust you can with the vacuum. Once most of it is removed, we can get started.
For our next step, we will shampoo the interior. Some interiors may not need this step; It depends on how dirty the interior is and your personal tastes. If you have a shampoo dispersal system or a steam cleaner, now is the time to fire it up. If not, the old-fashioned way – soap and a bucket – will work just as well in most scenarios.
If you’re having trouble removing stains, try one of these methods. For resilient surface-level stains, you can apply a generous helping of an interior plastics cleaner, like Fireball’s Nappa cleaner.
For stains that have soaked into the base fabric layers, you may need a shampooing system or extractor. If you try to wash out deep-fabric stains with nothing but elbow grease, you may end up pushing the stain further down, into the layers of foam beneath the seat’s fabric upholstery. Stains this deep are harder to remove, and will most likely come back to full visibility as soon as the area dries.
Our next step is to apply an interior-specific cleaner to all main plastic and rubber surfaces of the interior. We recommend using our Nappa interior cleaner in an easy spray bottle for this step, which can be used on everything from hard trim elements to soft fabrics.
The Nappa spray is a great cleaner to use on all surfaces, but different areas of the interior will call for different application methods. With most surfaces, you’ll want to apply your cleaner of choice with a towel. With small surface-area details of car interiors like door handles and crevices behind steering wheels, you may want to use a foaming bottle. This will dispense your cleaner in a more controlled form, helpful for avoiding accidental sprays and stray water-spotting.
If you have access to a flexible, form-fitting brush, using it to apply cleaner to the dash will make your process much more efficient. For example, our Nappa brush can bend and curve to match the contours of your dashboard and even the curvature of your steering wheel. Some delicate areas like window rollers and AC controls can even be agitated using a small, soft-bristle brush.
Take a moment to make sure you’ve cleaned all the surfaces in the interior of your car – remember the seat belt buckles, the sun visors, and the hidden side of the gear shift.
After application, carefully wipe dry the surfaces you’ve cleaned. Allow the interior to air out and dry completely before moving on to our final step.
Your interior must be looking pretty good by now! Let’s wrap up your detailing job by applying a protective coating to all of the cleaned surfaces. This will help keep your car’s paneling and upholstery looking fresh for longer, as well as help prevent new dirt or dust from sticking as well.
Ensure that all cleaned surfaces have dried fully, then apply as much coating as your chosen product suggests. Be sure to spread thoroughly and evenly.
Congratulations! You’ve just detailed your vehicle’s interior.
