Interior Car Detailing – A Guide For Car Owners

Have you ever got into a car and the interior took your breath away? Do you wish to have a thorough interior car detailing done? 

If your answer is “YES”, then this guide is for you. 

There’s a magical feeling that comes with a perfect interior look of any car. Having every bit looking clean and inviting makes the car even more appealing to drive around.

Is interior car detailing important?

For those who pay attention to only the exterior look, you should reconsider your choice because the interior is just as important too.

To get that perfect look and feel of your car both the exterior and interior need to be spotless. Most car owners focus on the exterior and the interior car detailing is often neglected.

This could be due to different reasons. Among these could be because of the pronounced visibility of the exterior look of the car compared to the interior.

People tend to see more of the exterior than the interior while the car owner drives around. Also, there is a need for some level of “technical-know-how “ to carry out a thorough interior car detailing to give the interior a perfect look. 

Interior car detailing is a way of giving the interior of your car that perfect and ideal look, just like when you first bought it. 

This process can help to restore the factory look of your car if it has lost its beauty. It can also help you maintain the factory look of your car and keep its value high for a longer time.

This process can also help to remove any stubborn stain or mark and eliminate any lingering bad odor inside the car. It also has a lot of other benefits which will be later highlighted so stick around. 

The process of interior car detailing involves some basic steps such as vacuuming, steam cleaning, etc.which will be thoroughly explained below. 

It also involves the use of some materials like degreaser, microfiber towel, microfiber applicator pads, protectant, etc. which are readily available and affordable.

If you are wondering “what does a full car detailing consist of?” then you should keep reading.

Before we dive in, let’s take a look at the things you need to get started.

Car Detailing Tools

If you don’t have the right tools, then you won’t be able to get the job done.

What supplies do you need for car detailing?

Here’s a list of items needed to effectively carry out interior car detailing.

• Towel
• Sponge
• Leather cloth
• Car wash equipment
• Car wax
• Sealant
• Car polish
• Shampoos
• Brush
• Car vacuum cleaner
• Detailing water hose
• Pad washer
• Detailing air blower

Now that you have all that required we’ll move to the processes involved to get your car back in shape.

Step By Step Process For Interior Car Detailing

Here’s what you need to do if you want to restore the interior of your car:

1. Decluttering 

All unwanted items and garbage are removed from the interior of the car. This is the first step and it is very important because it helps to ensure that the interior compartment of the car is as free as possible without any hindrance to work-flow. 

2. Cleaning of Floor Mats 

The floor mats are either made of a rubber or fabric material. Both (rubber and fabric) materials have different approaches to their cleaning process. 

• To clean the rubber floor mat, first, you have to rinse them with water then apply a degreaser or an all-purpose cleaner on the mat. 
• Next, brush it with a carpet brush and rinse it with water. 
• If the floor mats are made of fabrics, the first step is to vacuum the mat. 
• Then apply a carpet cleaner on the mat, scrub using a carpet brush then rinse appropriately and blot or wipe away the excess using a clean mat microfiber towel.

3. Vacuum The Interior Thoroughly

This requires vacuuming the seats and the area surrounding the seats. Ensure to move the seats backward and forward so you can access all the hidden nooks and crannies of the seats and its surroundings. 

It is also important to get into the folds of the seats while vacuuming.

4. Cleaning Of The Air Vents 

This step involves dusting the air-vents and its surroundings. To achieve this with a perfect result, a soft small detailing brush should be used. This will alongside the vacuum pick all the dirt during the cleaning process. 

The dusting process is done from top to bottom, not inverse so that the dirt can fall on the floor. After the whole dusting process, wipe the area with a clean microfiber towel.

5. Steam Clean The Door Jambs And Sills

Using a steam cleaner, clean the interior door jambs and sills then wipe with a clean microfiber towel. In the absence of a steam cleaner, a clean microfiber towel is used with a degreasing or all-purpose cleaner. 

6. Cleaning Of The Headliner 

Clean the headliner if there was any stain. Apply an all-purpose cleaner or fabric/upholstery cleaner lightly but directly on the tip of a soft brush. 

Brush the affected area after which you blot/wipe away using a clean, dry microfiber towel. If you do not find any stain on the headliner, then proceed to the next step.

7. Cleaning The Seats And Steering Wheel 

Using a (Leather/Upholstery) brush and cleaner, brush the seats from top to bottom, then clean with a microfiber towel. Also, brush the steering wheel then wipe with a clean microfiber towel.

8. Protect The Leather Seats

Some cars have leather seats, therefore, you will need to protect the leather seats against the sun’s UV-rays. This can be done by using a leather protectant such as a leather conditioner or ceramic infused coating solution. 

Apply the solution or product on a microfiber applicator pad and gently rub it on the leather’s surface. The leather protectant also protects the leather seats against staining, makes them easy to clean, and enhances the smoothness of the leather.

9. Cleaning of The Plastic And Related Plastic Materials

Using an all-purpose cleaner or any interior cleaner of your choice, clean the interior plastic and related plastic materials (such as vinyl, trims) of the car. Apply the cleaner on a microfiber towel or microfiber applicator pad, then scrub gently to clean. 

10. Protect The Interior Plastic

You also need to protect the plastics (including the vinyl and trim) of the car against the sun’s UV-rays, fading, cracking, and aging. To achieve this, apply a water-based plastic protectant (such as trim dressing spray or a water-based silicon oxide coating). Spray it on a microfiber applicator pad, then apply it on the interior trims, plastics, vinyl, and rubber of the car.

11. Protect The Fabric

Just like every other protectant, the fabric protectant also helps to protect against the damaging UV-rays. It is water-resistant and helps to eliminate spills. This can be applied directly to the upholsteries, carpets, and floor mats.

12. Deodorize The Interior Of The Car

This is simply applying air-freshener to the interior of the car. To achieve a perfect and long-lasting fragrance, ensure to turn the air-conditioner of the car to full blast and then set it in the air-recirculation mood. 

After this, spray the air-freshener in the footwells and around the air-vents/air inductions or air-intakes. This way, the air-freshener will get into the air-conditioner system. 

Therefore, every time the air conditioning is turned on, you will get a blast of fresh fragrance.

13. Cleaning Of The Interior Glass

This is the final step that involves having a sparkling clean interior glass which includes the windshield, windows, and mirrors.

Using an all-purpose cleaner and a clean soft towel, wipe the interior part of the glass for any contamination, grease, or oily residue. For more stubborn stains, the addition of isopropyl and alcohol mixture can help to remove oil and greasy residue faster.

The steps above are easy, detailed, and is meant to serve as a guide for every car owner to help restore /maintain the interior look of their cars. Getting the right interior car detailing tools makes it quite achievable without hassles.

It is important to note that interior car detailing is not a “one-time thing”. In order to get that brand new look, it is necessary to make it a regular process. The process of interior car detailing is recommended to be carried out 2/3 times in a year and this depends on car usage as well. 

If you are a DIY enthusiast, then you can shop for your car detailing products that are readily available to get it done. 

However, if you are searching for interior car detailing services to help you then you might want to compare the car detailing prices of two or three before you go with any one of them.

According to Cars Direct, it costs about $50-350 to get your car detailing done.

Also, they should have a proven track record from past customers to win your heart.

Benefits of Interior Car Detailing

The benefits of interior car detailing cannot be overemphasized, there are a lot of advantages in proper and regular interior car detailing. 

Some of the advantages have been discussed earlier but below is the highlight of some benefits:

• It helps with clearer visibility as it helps to achieve a clear interior glass (the windshield glass, mirrors, and the windows). Cleaning the exterior glass will not give perfect visibility, therefore interior glass cleaning is very important as well. With clear visibility, this helps to increase driving safety and give a crystal clear view. 
• It helps to slow down excess wear and tear of the vehicle’s interior surface caused by the accumulation of dirt, dust, and spilled substances over the period of time.
• It gives the interior a nice fragrance despite the enclosure. A nice fragrance will help enhance good air quality, prevent allergies associated with poor air/bad odor, and give a soothing comfort to the occupants.
• It can help to remove stubborn stains and marks that will not leave with just light cleaning. 
• Car detailing helps to retain and maintain the “brand new interior look” of the car
• Interior car detailing can also help to restore the interior look of your car and make it more valuable.

These are just a few of the benefits of proper and regular interior car detailing. Exterior car cleaning is likewise important but not usually neglected like the interior car detailing. 

Every car owner should establish an interior car detailing routine for that magical interior look. In addition, you can add it to your car maintenance checklist to keep your car in top shape at all times.

Once you get your car detailing kit ready you can easily put back the sparkle in your car.