This guest blog comes from Jessica Miller, Marketing Manager of Top Influencer Marketing Agency.
Your car is one of your most valued possessions. The inside parts are exposed to the biggest risk of damage, with stains left behind by food, drinks and other substances. There are simple ways to clean it that will result in a fresh interior that looks brand new and provides more pleasure when driving.
By following the steps below, you can do this easily and quickly:
Step #1
Open all of the windows on your car, and turn off any air conditioning or heating system. This is because some of the chemicals you will be using for this process may not mix well with them.
Step #2
Isolate the area that needs to be cleaned. For example, if it’s your seats that need cleaning then move anything that might get in the way of cleaning (your floor mats) over to another seat before beginning. If it’s your steering wheel that needs cleaning then move anything like coins, change, or sunglasses into a cup holder or somewhere else out of reach until after step 4 is complete. In addition, put down an old towel or clothing item about where you’re going to be working so that the chemicals don’t get on your car seats or floor mats.
Step #3
For leather seats, wipe the cleaner onto your cloth first before applying to ensure there isn’t any dirt leftover in between the cracks to avoid scratching; then again afterward with another clean section of your towel in order to buff away simply any excess dust left over by the cleansing process (hairs which may still be stuck). For fabric seats, wipe directly onto the fabric.
Step #4
Clean the dashboard with a very soft cloth, being careful not to scratch it or leave any residue behind. Be sure not to use harsh chemicals on this part of your car as they may damage the paint underneath and cause corrosion. Use a regular household glass cleaner if necessary for this step.
Step #5
Take out your floor mats from inside your car, and give them a good, thorough wash with some liquid soap in a bucket of warm water. In order to clean each mat, you might need multiple buckets, depending on how many there are; make sure that if you do have more than one bucket full of soapy water, you completely rinse out all soap before going onto the next step.
Step #6
After they have been washed and rinsed, hang your floor mats outside on a clothesline or over something in order to dry. Alternatively, you can leave them in the sun for a day in order to speed up the drying process by absorbing some of the heat from the sun’s rays.
Step #7
Automobile top influencers suggest spraying all of your car seats with a hose outside until they are completely wet, and then taking each one inside and wiping them down thoroughly with a damp cloth (not sopping). Be sure to wring out excess moisture and sit back down on them taking care not to get anything behind them wet. If you do happen to get anything else wet during the process don’t worry because this will be taken care of afterward.
Step #8
Take all of your car’s carpets and hoses out of the car, spread them over an area outside where you can clean each one separately without any worry about getting debris or dirt into something that shouldn’t have it. If you don’t want to take the carpets out, then at least wipe down each individual hose using a hose with soap in it to avoid any unforeseen accidents inside where they’re not meant to be cleaned. Also, make sure to rinse each section off after cleaning it thoroughly according to whatever instructions are on the spray bottle used for application; if there aren’t any instructions for this particular type of spray (which isn’t very common) check other bottles in your cleaning kit for any other types of information.
Step #9
After the exterior has been cleaned, hose your car down with soap and water outside to remove any dirt or debris from the finish so that it won’t be ground into the paint while you’re driving. Then dry each section off afterward by hand, gauging what needs to be dried first, depending on how wet everything still is, because some sections may not have a lot of water on them, while others may have a considerable amount.
Once only a little bit of dampness remains, then you should use an electric leaf blower to blow away what’s leftover in between cracks and within nooks & crannies before moving onto step 11 below. Before using this particular technique, be sure there aren’t any loose or dangling pieces on your car that could be caught and broken off by the wind of the leaf blower, such as bumper stickers, exterior mirrors, antennae, or anything else that might not be attached securely.
Step #10
If you’re going to wax your car afterward then do it now before continuing onto step 12 below. Also, make sure to cover your floor mats if they aren’t made out of a material that won’t get ruined when wet. If they are a leather or fabric material then use a dry rag to wipe them down in order to remove any dirt from the surface before proceeding onwards.
Jeannie Assimos is a veteran writer/editor with nearly two decades of experience. She began her career at Entertainment Tonight, followed by a VP of content position at online dating OG eHarmony. As the Head of Content at Way.com, she enjoys more road trips than ever as she checks out the latest Tesla models, and her dog Jonny Cash is always along for the ride.
