Spring Cleaning 101 for Car Interiors

Washing the car on a nice sunny day can be a lovely job with an immediate reward when you see it shining and gleaming in the sunlight afterwards.

Cleaning the interior of a car isn’t always as joyful. How many of us have spent hours contorting ourselves into uncomfortable angles trying to vacuum up a stubborn bit of fluff that’s just out of reach?

Panic not, we’re here to help.

Do I need to clean my car interior?

It’s important to have a clean car interior, especially with a lease car that needs to be in good condition when you eventually give it back.

Plus, keeping on top of the cleanliness will be a much easier job than trying to scrub away years of accumulated dust and grime and you’ll find that cleaning inside your car can be quick and easy.

Here are some interior car cleaning tips to inspire you to plan in a spring clean for your motor:

Wash your floor mats

They’re there to protect your car from the worst excesses of whatever your shoes bring in, from mud to gravel to water to - and it’s happened to all of us once - dog mess.

So they need special care and attention to keep them looking good. If you have rubber car mats, take them out of the car and blast away the excess dirt with a hose or pressure washer and then scrub with soapy water.

With carpet floor mats, the best way to keep them clean and fresh is with a carpet cleaner and you can buy special products for cars that come with in-built brushes that will help make the job quicker and easier. Once your floor mats are sparkling, it’s time to tackle those leather seats.

Make vacuuming easier by brushing first

A good tip for making this process stress free is to brush the carpets first with a stiff brush to loosen anything that’s become embedded, making it easier to vacuum it afterwards.

When it comes to doing the vacuuming, it’s tempting to just use your regular home vacuum rather than buying something special for the car, but this can be a false economy because while it saves you money it can cost you time and effort to try and make it fit for the job.

So treat yourself and your car to a special car vac.

Blitz those hard to reach areas

While cleaning the interior of a car, it’s important to think about the areas that are worst affected, like cup holders for example.

These can be tricky to clean if they aren’t removable, but if you have a cotton swab and dip it in a cleaning solution you should be able to get into those hard-to-reach areas and make them shine.

Improvising can be the name of the game for some of the hidden and tricky-to-clean areas of the car, especially the various crevices. For these, try wrapping a microfibre cloth around a paint stirrer and you should find that you can make a real impact.

Try our clean car interior hacks and you’ll really notice the difference!