A Guide to Interior Detailing

This is the third of our #AttentionToDetail blogs and now that we have covered Detailing Preparation and Exterior Detailing, we move on to the interior of the car. We will again break the broad topic of interior detailing down into steps so it is easier to follow and if time isn’t a luxury you can afford, you can pick and choose which steps you have time for and which need to be left for another time. We will be looking at:
Rubbish Removal
Carpets and Mats
Dashboard and Center Console
Seats

Cars can of course be valeted by a company but they don’t always clean and detail the car to the level you want and expect from a professional firm, so for instances like that it is worth having a read about what is required and the techniques used to detail a car to the high standard you want. A lot of it depends on how much time you have free and if you have the know-how. To detail the interior of your car you are going to need the recommended products we mentioned in the preparation blog, as listed again below:

1. Rubbish Removal

This is exactly what it says on the tin. Gut the car of all litter and bits of obvious dirt and rubbish that is lying around. Slide the seats to the maximum forward position to check under them and then slide them to the maximum rearward position to check again. It is such an obvious step to detailing your car but removing any rubbish inside instantly makes it look smarter and much more inviting to sit in.

2. Carpets and Mats

Once all of the obvious rubbish has been removed the next step is cleaning the carpets and mats. It is best to remove the parcel shelf, any floor mats or seat covers you may have first as any dirt on them can fall onto the carpet-or you may just miss the dirt under them all together. The same rule of thumb applies yet again, start from the top and work down. clean the parcel shelf and mats out of the car, using the vacuum cleaner and if they have marks and stains on them, carpet shampoo can be used to clean them further. You may consider getting professional carpet cleaning from a local cleaning company who can also do this job for you.
If they are rubber mats then rinse them thoroughly, once you have shampooed the fabric mats, and rinsed the rubber mats, hang them up so they can dry off. The carpet itself needs to be shampooed to clean it-preferably spray on shampoo as it covers the area more evenly. Get a thick bristle brush and work the sprayed shampoo into the carpet one area at a time. It is best to work in section rather than spraying the whole carpet first as if it is left to long and is given time to soak in, the carpets can develop mildew. So for that reason it is also best to have some kitchen roll as well to soak up any overly damp patches left behind after you have worked the shampoo into the carpet.
If there is a slightly heavier stain on the carpet just spray a little more shampoo or, a specific stain remover, onto that area and work it in again.

3. Dashboard and Center Console

A bottle of compressed air is recommended for this stage as you can blow out any dust and dirt that is in the harder to reach areas, have a vacuum cleaner set up next to it to act as an extractor, so you don’t end up just blowing the dirt around the car and it is removed instead.
To get to all the dirt and dust in the car you should slide the seats the whole way forward when shampooing the carpets and cleaning, and when detailing the centre console you want to do the same with the gear stick. A lot of dirt can build up in the crevases between the shifter and the gear shift gate, so move up and down through the gears to allow yourself access to each gear slot to detail it properly.
For finer areas such as this, a thin tipped brush should be used in order to sweep out any of the dirt, and you can again use the compressed air to clear any gaps.
The center console and the dashboard can be wiped down with a mild all purpose cleaner once you have blown and swept away any obvious dust and dirt. Use a spray on cleaner and wipe it over the interior surfaces. To finish the surfaces you will need an interior dressing, Armor All offer some great products so check them out, you can use them on all of the dashboard and centre console, plastic and door trim and also vinyl seats.
Interior dressing really adds the last shine to your detailing efforts, so take time to make sure you you protect all of the surfaces and apply it evenly. You don’t want any excess or streaky marks left behind so work the dressing into the surfaces, by the end and with continued use your plastics and trim will look refreshed and restored.

4. Seats

Detailing your seats can make a big difference to the interior of your car as they are the first think you really see as you look into the car, and they can very quickly look dull and discoloured if you spill things, drop crumbs from food and just from the bleaching effect from the sun. Different materials require different methods in order to clean and detail them to a high standard.
There isn’t one set uniform method that should be used so, to make it easier, we have looked at the different methods for different seat types. Have a look below for the method that best suits your car seats.