How to detail your interior

 So you want to know how to detail your interior? Let us help you get back that showroom shine. All tips, tricks and trade secrets from professional detailers and Autoglym’s product advisers.

5 tips to cleaning your Interior using Autoglym Products

We at Xtreme Auto Accessories have put together the ultimate car cleaning guide using our Autoglym products, don’t worry if you’re not experienced with washing your vehicle you will be after you’ve completed this clean!

1. Remove all Rubbish

Remove the car of all litter, 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

Carpets and mats are arguably going to be the most punishment in terms of grit and grime of all your interior surfaces. They are designed to be hard-wearing, and can be treated similarly to your other fabrics in terms of cleaning. Using the vacuum cleaner give your mats & carpets a good hoover removing all dirt, and if they have marks and stains on them carpet shampoo can be used to clean them further. Autoglyms Interior shampoo will quickly remove built-up dirt and grime leaving a fresh clean fragrance. Apply the product to your carpets & mats in a sweeping motion, rub in with a foam sponge and dry with cloth.

If there is a slightly heavier stain on the carpet try a Bioactive cleaner for the removal of fabric stains like autoglym strain remover a onto that area and work it in again

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.

3. Dashboard and Center Console

Recommend using a vacuum with a soft brush end to extract any dust, a lot of dirt can build up in the crevasses 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. The center console and the dashboard can be wiped down with a mild all-purpose cleaner like autoglym interior shampoo, spray on cleaner and wipe it over the interior surfaces. Interior dressing really adds the last shine to your detailing efforts, so take time to make sure 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.

 Fabric seats are easier to clean than leather seats as they can done in the same way as the carpets.

Make sure all of the upholstery inside the car is thoroughly vacuumed and then shampooed to remove stains and dirt using car interior shampoo, scrub into the fabric using a sponge, finish by using a damp microfiber cloth to wipe them down,  

Another method is to use a ‘wet-vac’ (Water Extraction Carpet Cleaner) this will give you neater lines in the material and may be more powerful than if you clean and detail by hand. It depends on how much time you have and if you are prepared to go over the seats a number of times to get the best results.

If the car has leather-work, this is often conditioned and scrubbed to remove dirt that is deeply ingrained. Leather seats require more time and attention in order to be detailed well. It is more hard wearing, yet comfortable material. To ensure it remains healthy and supply it must be care for regularly. Autoglym Leather Care protects and cleans whilst giving a luxurious leather scent that nourishes and protects leaving a natural matt finish. Make sure you use a microfibre cloth to wipe it dry afterwards.

5. Remove Odours

For the final step why not finish your interior off with removing any unwanted odours using Autoglyms high performance odour Eliminator which doesn’t just mask any unpleasant odours but with its active ingredients it actually neutralises bad smells, leaving a fresh scent behind. Or for a powerful long-lasting fragrance you can apply Hyper fresh ‘golden sunset’ or ‘crushed berry’ by Autoglym which will last longer than any regular air fresheners.