5 easy ways to clean and maintain your car interior

Declutter

As easy as it seems, removing unwanted things from your car renders your space clean and safe. Start by removing things from the floor and then look inside the glove box, mid compartment and other sleeves and pockets in general. Check for larger things like empty water bottles, juice boxes, old rags, shopping bags, toys and any other sort of assessment that might come in the way while you might be driving.

Vacuum

This is an important step to keep your car free from unwanted dust and grime. Start by taking out the floor mats and vacuum the floor. Make sure to vacuum under the seats to ensure no dust or grime remains on the car floor. Shake the floor mats as much as possible to remove dust and grime and afterwards, vacuum the floor mats. Do not forget to vacuum the front seats, back seats and possibly the trunk as well in the process.

Cleaning smaller things

Most times ignored, detailing smaller places like your centre console buttons, knobs and AC vents give your interior a better ambience. Start cleaning by using rubbing alcohol and an old toothbrush, scrub around your knobs and buttons, the sides of your AC vents, the steering wheel buttons all the other interacting means around the dash.

Dashboard and windscreen

Cleaning the dashboard is quite easy. Take a microfiber cloth and some alcohol or dash cleaner and spray it on the cloth. Avoid spraying on the dashboard directly as that might leave dirt spot marks. To have a streak-free windscreen, it is very important to clean the glass from inside the car. Start by spraying some glass cleaner on a microfiber towel and just as before, not directly on the windshield. If you cannot reach the tighter spots on the windscreen, use the backhand method (face yourself towards the seat and wipe using the back of your hand.) to ensure more grip and control while cleaning.

Photos: Ahbaar Milky

Seats

If your car has fabric seats, start by spraying some fabric cleaner on the seats and wipe with a microfiber towel. Fabric cleaner not only will clean the seats but, it will make sure that they smell good too. For leather seats, the usage of a good leather conditioner is essential to prevent unwanted wrinkles and cracks on the seats. Apply by taking a gunk of conditioner on a microfiber towel, wipe it around evenly and let it cure for a couple of minutes.

Bonus tip

If your car smells damp after driving it in rain, the easiest way to fix that is to take the floor mats out and clean it with hot water and soap. Let it dry completely before getting the mats inside. If the smell is still present in the car, get the vehicle checked for any leak which might be directing water inside the car.