Just like our homes, our cars often need a deep clean from time to time. Regular car wash visits might work for the outside of your vehicle, but the inside tends to get cluttered and messy during daily commutes and weekend trips. Follow our step-by-step guide to clean the interior of your car in no time.

Part 1 of 1: How to clean the inside of your car

Materials Needed

Automotive stain cleaners such as

Turtle Wax

Glass cleaner

Leather cleaner such as

TriNova

Microfiber cloths

Sponge brush

Trash bags

Vacuum

Step 1: Remove the trash and clutter. The first step on the path to a cleaner car interior is removing all of the trash and clutter that has accumulated over time.

Most people are guilty of collected receipts, change, gym shoes, and tons of other items during your daily commute or longer road trips.

Start by throwing away any trash. Be sure to look under the seats and in the door compartments. Next, identify clutter and group it in a common place.

Collect spare change and find a safe place to keep it in case you need to feed a parking meter or pay a toll.

Take jackets or clothing items back inside your house if they aren’t needed in the car.

Put away sporting equipment, extra bags, and work documents.

Keeping your vehicle free of clutter will help encourage you to tidy up daily instead of once in a great while.

Step 2: Go after dust bunnies. There’s a high probability that your car’s dashboard and vents are full of dust. Dust gathers on the surfaces of our car just like it does in our house.

You can use a microfiber cloth or a duster to remove any buildup. Use a small sponge brush to clean the vent sections and freshen up your airflow.

Step 3: Tackle window smudges. If you travel with pets or human passengers, then you probably have plenty of window smudges and smears.

Use a simple glass cleaner and a microfiber cloth to clean the inside of your windows.

Take extra care if you plan on cleaning the inside of your windshield, as you don’t want to leave any streaks that could impair your vision.

Step 4: Vacuum the floorboards. If you have a suitable vacuum cleaner at home, then you can likely take care of this step in your garage.

If not, or if you have a lot of debris, then you can head to a local car wash with powerful coin-operated vacuums. Move your seats forward and back to make sure that you get the floorboards as clean as possible.

Step 5: Clean the seats (leather or cloth). From coffee spills to dirty paws, the seats in your car can get dirty quickly. For cloth seats, clean any stains using an automotive stain cleaner.

For leather seats, you want to use a product that is formulated specifically for leather such as TriNova. Simply follow the instructions on the bottle to clean your seats, rid them of stains, and keep them in great condition.

Keeping your car interior clean is part of responsible car ownership. A clean car ages better and has a higher resale value. Protect your car by being diligent about its care and by having excellent insurance.

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