How To Detail a Vehicle’s Interior

Open up the vehicle and remove any and all personal items that would get in the way of cleaning, including floor mats, if your vehicle has them.

If you want to make it easier to clean under your front seats and give yourself a little more room to work, you can remove those seats from the vehicle. In our Camry, we have two bolts securing them in the back and two bolts in the front, as well as three wiring harnesses underneath.

Regardless of which cleaners and cleaning techniques you choose to use, you need to test each of them in an area that’s less noticeable to make sure no discoloration occurs before proceeding. Always follow the instructions for your specific cleaning supplies.

If you have pets or need to work hair out of the carpet or upholstery, use a pet hair remover by agitating the surface with short, brisk strokes until the hair can be collected and removed.

If you have an air compressor, you can use it to loosen dirt from carpets and seats before vacuuming if desired.

Now vacuum the floors, seats, corners and crevices, using attachments to access harder-to-reach areas.

Once everything in the interior is thoroughly vacuumed, use your dash duster to wipe down the hard surfaces: dashboard, console, door panels, and any other hard plastic surfaces.

Use detailing brushes to gently remove light dust and particulate from delicate areas like the instrument cluster, infotainment screens or piano black trim.

Once loose dust and dirt have been removed, spray on your interior surface cleaner and use microfiber towels to clean those surfaces further, paying closer attention to areas where there’s stubborn dirt or grime.

For GPS, LCDs, clear plastics, navigation screens and electronics, mist the interior cleaner directly onto a microfiber towel to avoid overspray, and buff away streaks or blot surfaces dry with a separate clean microfiber towel.

You can also use your detailing brushes with the interior cleaner if needed to release stubborn dirt and debris from textured plastic, leather or hard-to-reach areas.

Use detailing swabs to clean extremely hard-to-reach spots and super tight areas or crevices.

If your seats are vinyl or leather, spray your cleaner directly onto the surface of the seat, and use microfiber towels to wipe them clean. Never use harsh chemicals if your seats are leather. If your seats are cloth, spray your cleaner directly onto the fabric, and use a microfiber towel or brush to scrub out dirt and grime.

Once your seats are clean, shake your can of carpet cleaner well and spray it evenly onto the carpet. Rub the foam into the carpet fibers with a carpet brush until the foam disappears. Once each section of carpet is clean, wipe it down with a clean microfiber towel.

If you have stains that are extra tough or want to save time, try interior carpet drill brushes: a set of medium-duty nylon brushes that attach directly to your drill. You can use these on any interior carpets or rubber floor mats.

Check your headliner to see if it needs to be cleaned as well. Lastly, if you have floor mats, you can clean them using the same procedure as your carpets.

Once all the carpets and upholstery have been cleaned, wait for them to dry and then vacuum them one last time.

Use an automotive glass cleaner to clean the windows and rearview mirror.

Put your floor mats back and reinstall your front seats if you removed them to detail underneath.

Use interior dressing or protectant to condition vinyl, leather and hard surfaces.

For the clean-car smell, considering using an air freshener or ozone treatment.

Replace any personal items you may have removed for detailing.