Owning your own car means making sure you keep it clean, both on the outside and on the inside. Unfortunately, not all local car wash services offer full detailing. You’re lucky if you have a car wash like Scrub-a-Dub which can offer to clean the inside. But if you’re not that lucky, you’re on your own.

The good news is that there are some effective cleaning tips that can make the job a lot easier for you, and give you better results. Check out these car interior cleaning before you start, to help make sure you’re doing it right.

1.Start by Taking the Trash Out by Hand

It’s best if you actually did this every day, so that the trash doesn’t accumulate on the inside of the car. But you should check out the car interior carefully, and remove any obvious trash by hand. That way, you won’t have to use the vacuum cleaner for those things. The vacuum won’t work for bottles and soda cans, anyway.

Do this carefully, and don’t just stick to a quick glance. Look at the floor, in the seat cracks, and under the seats. Heck, you might even find vermin under the seats!

2.Take Out the Floor Mats

That means all of them. Start by shaking off as much of the dirt from them as you can. Then later, use some hot water and soap to scrub them clean. Let them totally air dry first before you put them back in the car (after you’re done cleaning the interior).

3.Vacuuming

We’re going to assume you have a good vacuum cleaner with you. Then use it everywhere. Vacuum the floor, under the seats, the front and back seats. Don’t forget the trunk as well. Include the areas along the side door panels, and even the floor space under the car pedals.

Basically, if you can get the vacuum nozzle to a space, put that nozzle there and vacuum.

4.Using Cleaning Wipes

After the vacuuming, you generally still have some stubborn grime to contend with that the vacuum couldn’t deal with. That’s where the cleaning wipes come in. While a soft cloth is also okay, these cleaning wipes are generally much more effective.

Start by focusing on the various dirt and grime that has stuck to the surfaces first. Once that’s done, you can then use this to clean off areas like the dashboard and the steering wheel. If you’re using a cleaning solution, make sure that it’s safe to use on cars. Don’t forget the areas between the front seats as well.

5.Use a Paint Stirrer

These are wooden sticks that can really help. Just wrap one end with a microfiber cloth, and use it to clean hard-to-reach areas. These sticks are quite useful around the center console and between the seats.

6.Don’t Overlook the Cup Holders

You may not notice this, but the bottom of your car holders can get pretty icky. You may have some spilled stuff down there, maybe some food crumbs, and plenty of sticky grime.

If you’re lucky, you can remove the whole cupholder out, so you can clean it a lot more easily. But if you’re not that lucky, then you’ll need a soft cloth or maybe some cleaning wipes to clean here as well. If there are areas that are bit more difficult to reach with the cleaning wipes, use cotton swabs with some safe cleaning solution.

7.Seat and Carpet Stains

You’ll probably have to deal with this issue, and that’s almost inevitable if you have kids. You’ll need a somewhat stronger stain cleaner, but you should test it first in a discreet area to make sure it doesn’t damage or change the color of the fabric.

You can also try a nice homemade stain-cleaning solution in a spray bottle. Mix 1 cup of vinegar with 2 cups of water, and add a tablespoon of dish soap. Use a wet cloth to wipe it clean.

8.Clean the Inside of the Windows

You can buy a specific window cleaner solution, or make your own. Try mixing 2 tablespoons of vinegar into a cup of rubbing alcohol with 2 cups of water. Use a microfiber cloth or even just a paper towel to wipe it off.

9.Use a Car Freshener

A car freshener is like a cologne. You use a cologne after taking a shower, and you finish things off with a car freshener after detailing the car interior. It smells really nice, and it’s like a nice-smelling reward for a job well done. If you can make the interior look like new, you might as well get that new-car smell, too!