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Everything you use on a regular basis needs cleansing. It may be frequent like clothes are washed almost every day. Or with intervals, like you clean your sofas in months. In cities, one regular thing we all must use is the car. Getting the car washed is common in our routine – Experts refer to this as detailing a car. But that’s often limited to the exterior. What about the inside of the car which touches the body? Don’t they get dirty from the shoeing too? What about the sweat, droplets and pet fur?
Obviously, we should clean the interior too – regularly, though less frequently. Otherwise, you shall have many problems, instead of passing quality time in the car. But, do you know how to clean the car interior genuinely? Today, we shall discuss elaborately how to detail a car interior step by step? Scroll down to learn from the experiences of our professionals.
Detailing a car interior is a complex work requiring experience and expertise. Multiple steps include the use of chemicals and numerous equipment. Many find it quite tougher than detailing the exterior. However, Specialized tools and techniques can help to make the job easier for you. In this article, we shall use the auto detailing heated Extractors for most of our purpose.
Detailing a car requires cleaning far beyond the usual vacuum and wash job. It means to pay attention to every minute detail that makes the car healthy and show-worthy. First, collect the necessary equipment listed below.
Equipment : Things You’ll Need
Vacuum Cleaner, Auto Detailing Heat Extractor, Razorblade or scissors, Water-resistant adhesives, Non-slip rubber or vinyl dressing, Cotton Swabs, Mild all-purpose cleaner, Leather or vinyl conditioner (if necessary), Vinyl/Rubber Protectant, Deep-pile terry cloth microfiber towel, Glass Cleaner, Plastic Cleaner, Car Wash Soap, car repair manual, Drying towel or Chamois etc.
Detailing a Car’s Interior Step by Step
Step 1 : Brush through and through
Remove floor mats and all removable items. Pick away the trash that can by hand – discarded packets, polybags, trash papers, etc.Then,
Start Brushing from the Top
Many start with the floors. But that releases dirt accumulated on the dash, seats and door panels back onto your freshly cleaned carpet. Professionals start at the top and work their way down to the floor when detailing cars. As dust accumulated at the bottom rarely falls up.
Slide Seats Back and Forth
Manytimes you’ll be surprised by what you find behind the seats. It may be a lost cell phone, favorite pens and pencils you lost months ago, etc. So there can be filths as well. Bend the seats to their extreme positions to expose everything that is barred. Many back seats nowadays come moveable. Check to see if they have a release. If the rear seat bottoms pull up, back or forward.
You’ve got to move it
For interior detailing, you must not miss areas neglected in regular clean-ups. Move everything around inside to get access to all those areas. The rear section of an SUV may have compartments under the floor. While the door pockets can be revealed as the treasure box of filths. Also in the crease area on the seat-back, you may find a good amount of debris too. Check all these areas one by one to be cleaned as necessary.
When all these are moved, brush them all thoroughly – the seats, the dash, the headliner, all of them. Don’t forget to remove the mats and brush beneath. Use a brush attachment for the dash and door panels. Finally, Wipe off the seat-tracks with a paper towel and discard them afterwards.
Brush the Air vents
To ensure dust free air, you must clean car air vent grilles with detailing brushes. These louvers are real magnets for dust. You may use the anti-dust sprays to get a proper cleanup, as a vacuum suction may not do it in detail. However, if you won’t use those liquids afterward, you should use a super-absorbent microfiber cloth, which picks dirt intricately. Alternatively, you can use an inexpensive artist’s paintbrush for cleansing. Paintbrushes are useful to penetrate into the crevices to wipe the dust. Finally some vinyl dressing might be sprayed onto the vent grilles to give the decor a fresher degree.
Step 2 : Vacuum
It is best to vacuum from the floor. After you have brushed deeply to pull off the dirts, they get collected on the floor. So, start to vacuum the floor, then proceed one by one to the mats, trunk, upholstery, rear parcel shelves (if you have one) and the dash. As you did when brushing again you have to slide the seats all the way forward and backward to thoroughly vacuum underneath.
Suck Up the Dust As You Go
When you vacuum the headliner, dash, console,door panels, you may come across some cracks. You have to sweep the dust out of them with a detailing brush and instantly catch all crud with the vacuum.
Step 3 : Deep Clean the Carpet and Upholstery
The carpet or upholstery can be cleaned by applying a foam cleanser and rubbing onto it with a damp cloth or sponge. But foam-cleansing is never as much efficient as cleaning with a heat-extractor.
Using a hot water extractor is the most effective way to deep clean carpeting, after you “dry scrub” the carpet, which loosens dirt from the fibres deeply.
A hot water extractor is a machine to clean carpets and alike fabrics. This machine work gets the deep dirt settled in the fibres. It flows on the carpet a solution of hot water and a cleaner solution and then sucks the grime into its reservoir. A machine like this is worth buying. You shall cover up the cost within a few washes. Rental centers also lend hot water extractors in cheap rent, but it is always better to own it by yourself.
Carpet and Velour Colorant (optional)
If your carpets have faded, you may think to restore the shine. Apply colourant to the carpet and simultaneously brush with a nylon bristle. This would keep the carpet fibres separated. Let dry. Then brush again and vacuum. If you have worn them enough, you may think to replace the Carpets with newer ones.
Step 4 : Repair Leather and Fabric Holes
Cut the spot out with a razor blade or scissors to repair carpet holes, burns or small irremovable stains. Replace with a piece you’ve cut from underneath the fabric. Use a water-resistant adhesive to keep it in position.
Fix Tears in Leather Seats
A leather or vinyl repair kit may be inexpensive and fast, but mostly comes without perfection. The tear can be seen still and it’s hard to get a perfect color match. However, this fix will limit the tear and it obviously looks better than a gap or hole.
N.B : MANY WOULD PREFER HAVING UNREMARKABLE HOLES RATHER THAN STITCHES THAT CAN BE NOTICED OFTEN.
Step 5 : Wipe the Interior smoothly
A mild all-purpose cleaner is a good option to wipe the interior surfaces. Afterwards, use an interior dressing to give the final finish.
Use a Microfiber Mitt instead of the Sponge
Sponges capture dirt and grit in their large pores. The dust can be wrung out, but the grit may stay inside the pores. Once it is embedded, the sponge harms the smooth surfaces as sandpaper. It is therefore state-of-the-art to use a microfiber car wash mitt. Microfiber mitts don’t hold grits when you rinse, and give an overall better cleaning to your car.
Stubborn marks
Some marks do not come off with even the hardest cleaner applied with the most aggressive brush. In such cases, isopropyl alcohol may be used. With proper use, it effectively removes shoe scuffs and marks alike. Another option to remove surface marks is the popular foam pad cleaner or the melamine block.
Step 6 : Seat Leather Conditioning
You may need to condition your leather seats every six months. After you’ve cleaned the leather, apply conditioning fluid on them so that the leather remains both visually appealing and doesn’t dry out and begin to crack.
Step 7 : Replace seat covers
Sit covers are an ideal choice to prevent permanent damage to seat leathers. Use fiber covers with the same colour to give the seats a soothing look.
Conclusion : Take Care to Clean Nooks and Crannies
Detailing means dealing with all the trim lines and recesses that a quick cleaning job cannot deal with. It may be tiresome, but the freshness you would get in return would rejuvenate you ev erytime you sit in your car for a drive.
Many of us spend thousands per year after the finest polish of the car’s exterior; Mostly it is for the sake of vanity. Interior detailing not only adds to that vanity, rather, but it also ensures your healthy travel in the car. Beside removing germs and stains, it enhances the car’s elegance – it smells and feels almost like newly bought. So, remember to make a routine for detailing the interior, and do not forget our step by step guide on how to detail a car interior – almost like a pro.