Cleaning your cars interior isn’t as difficult as you would think and is something you can easily do yourself. Having a clean interior can also be one of the most rewarding parts of detailing. You’re probably going to spend a lot more time driving your car then just looking at it. So make the experience enjoyable! By taking care of all the small details you can make it look like it just came off the showroom floor.

Make sure you have everything you need before you start cleaning. We’ve compiled a basic list of items you would typically need to clean the interior of your car to the left.

You should always clean the inside of the car before cleaning the outside. This is to prevent the dirt and debris that you clean out from sticking to your car’s clean exterior. To remove most of the dust and dirt, take out all your car’s floor mats and vacuum the floor. Also vacuum as much of the surfaces as you can, including the dashboard, vents and cubbyholes.

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If your floor mats are vinyl or plastic you can toss them in your washer for a good cleaning or you can use carpet cleaner if you are not. Be sure not to miss the shelf beneath the rear window in your car interior cleaning, where a lot of dust and grime tends to gravitate.

Use upholstery cleaner on the floor’s carpets and allow it to dry completely; you don’t want mildew in your car! If you can’t use car upholstery cleaner because your seats are vinyl, find the appropriate cleaner for that material. If it is leather, take care to use only the cleaner intended for it. Test a small, inconspicuous area first to be sure it won’t discolor. This will prevent mistakes and keep your car looking pristine.

The dashboard is the area that will take up most of your time and present the biggest challenge. Your best friends here are cotton swabs and a can of compressed air. The air will blow out the dust while the swabs moistened with cleaning solution will remove dirt and grime that clings to vents and other surfaces. Make sure to clean the top of the dashboard with a solution that is appropriate to its surface; a non-glossy finish should not be cleaned with a product that boasts about its shine. Once again if you’re not sure, test a small area first.

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Clean your gauges carefully! A glass cleaner used on a plastic surface can make it cloudy, which is not a good thing when you need to see how fast your going. Take off all the knobs and use cotton swabs to clean the bevels beneath as well as the knobs themselves.

Finally, clean the insides of the windows. If you have applied after market film to tint them, do not use any ammonia or vinegar products as those will degrade the film. Rather, you can rinse the surfaces with seltzer water then dry them and wipe them with newspaper. Sounds weird, but it works.

Looking for a complete kit to detail your own car? Check out Meguiar’s Complete Car Care Kit