How to Clean the Interior Of Your Car

March 15, 2022 by Mulberry Maids

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As the top maid service in Windsor, we not only like to share our knowledge and tips to effectively clean your home, but also want to share our expertise on cleaning other things like the interior of your car or truck. Depending on how often you clean your vehicle, the time required to deep clean it will vary, but like everything cleaning related, the more consistent you clean, the easier it will be. 

Now that we are getting out of the winter months, it is a great time to get your car clean for spring. Winter has a tendency to track in extra grime, moisture and debris to your car, making it even more dirty. 

Keep reading on to learn more about getting your car looking like new again in no time!

Where should I start?

While cleaning a car does not require too many special tools, a solid vacuum will be required. Whether it is a strong handheld vacuum, or a household vacuum with a removable wand and crevice tool, a good vacuum will be key for cleaning the interior of your car. If you don’t have access to a suitable vacuum, many car washes have low cost, or even free vacuums to use. These are usually quite powerful, and are a great resource to take advantage of when cleaning your car’s interior. 

Unlike when cleaning a home, where you will typically vacuum last, it may make sense to vacuum your car first. This will depend on the state of the car, but will often be helpful. 

In addition to a vacuum, you will also need the following for a full interior vehicle cleaning:

• All purpose spray that is safe for your interior
  • For most interiors, a store bought all purpose will be fine, or you can make a simple vinegar, water, and essential oil solution
  • You can also make a soapy water solution with mild dish soap
• Window cleaning solution and cotton rags
• Microfiber cloths
• Trash bag

Other optional equipment may include:

• Upholstery cleaner for dirty and stained upholstery
• Disinfectant spray or wipes
• Scrub brush or toothbrush
• Sponge
• Bucket of soapy water

Once you have all of your equipment organized and ready to go, you can start by going through your vehicle and grabbing any trash or clutter that is present in the car. It is surprising how much builds up in a car! Don’t forget to look under the seats and in any compartment throughout the vehicle. 

When that is taken care of, if your car or truck is really dirty inside, it is best to start out by vacuuming it. Take out the rugs and mats, and set them to the side. Use a handheld vacuum or wand attachment with a crevice type of tool, and vacuum the whole interior. Make sure to look at the edges and areas that collect lots of debris, such as where cushions meet. Additionally, try to vacuum and clean out cup holders and shelves where lots of dust collects. 

If you decide to vacuum first, it is a good idea to do one more quick vacuum once the rest of the cleaning is done. 

Cleaning the interior

Whether you decide to vacuum first or not, the next step is to use your wet cleaning solutions to tackle the inside. Regardless of the solution that you choose to use, grab a microfiber cloth and your spray bottle, and start to clean all the surfaces of the interior. Make sure to look at the details, and in corners, edges, and crevices. If things are really dirty, such as in a work truck, you may need to grab a soapy bucket of water and a brush to do more scrubbing. This will be the case for areas that wet and muddy shoes have left lots of debris and stains. 

For the little areas and crevices, you can use a small scrub brush or old toothbrush to get in where your rag can not. 

Once you have finished cleaning those surfaces, you can use a disinfecting spray or wipe to sanitize high touch areas. This would include handles and the steering wheel, as well as seat belts and any other area that needs it in your vehicle. 

Interior windows and mirrors should also be cleaned. Use a window cleaning solution and a cotton rag for the most effective streak free cleaning. If you are not planning to wash the exterior of the vehicle, you can also do the exterior windows and mirrors quickly. 

The interior can be finished up with a cleaning of the seats. Depending on the material and initial state of the vehicle, this could be a quick wipe down to a full scrubbing. If the seats are stained and dirty, make sure that you have vacuumed them thoroughly before tackling them with your cleaning solution. You can use an upholstery cleaner if needed. Make sure to wipe the seats well, and look out for stains. Depending on the material, stains may be tackled with a stain removal product, vinegar and baking soda, or a special cleaner for expensive surfaces such as leather. 

Don’t forget the rugs and mats!

The last piece of the puzzle will be to clean your rugs and mats. The best way to get started with this is to shake them out (once they are outside of your vehicle). This will help to get all the loose debris and dirt off the rug, making it easier to further clean. If you have rubber mats, then you can do the same. 

In addition to free or low cost car vacuums, many car washes have car rug washing stations. If this is the case, first do a thorough vacuuming of the mat after shaking it out, then use the washing station or machine. If you don’t have access to one of these, then you can use a scrub brush to wash the rug fully. It is best to use a bucket of soapy water, so you can dip your brush in it for more scrubbing power. 

Regardless of your process for cleaning the rug, you will want to make sure that it dries fully before putting it back in your car. 

For rubber mats, you will want to follow a similar process. After shaking it out, run your vacuum along it to remove any other dirt and debris. Follow this up with a manual cleaning and scrubbing of the mat. You can use a scrub brush or cloth depending on how clean or how much scrubbing is needed. For a rubber mat, you can use any solution that you want to clean it, and a general all purpose or warm soapy water mixture will work well. 

Additionally, if you have access to a hose, using it will give some solid power to help break up excess stuck on grime or dirt. You can hose it off and then scrub, or just hose it off after scrubbing. Make sure that the mat is fully dry before putting it back into your car or truck. 

The top maid service in Windsor 7 days per week!

Mulberry Maids is now proud to provide cleaning service offerings on all days of the week! As the premier company in Windsor, we have the training and expertise to get your home looking like new again. 

Instead of worrying about your long list of chores, let us check one of the list, so you and your significant other can share a date night out at the Chimney Park Restaurant followed by an evening stroll around the lake. 

Give us a call, text or email today, or check out our online booking form for effortless scheduling! With open and transparent pricing, you have nothing to lose!