7 Key Reasons Why You Need Interior Car Detailing

Definition

Car interior detailing, as the name implies, is a cleaning of the inner parts of a vehicle including leather, plastics, vinyl, carbon fiber plastics, and natural fibers.

To clean the inside of the car’s cabinet, different methods such as vacuuming and steam-cleaning are used. It includes the door jambs, every section of the center console, and around the buttons and controls.

This process may use gas duster to clean hard-to-reach areas and then a cleaning solution around the vehicle to have it look like new again.

The interior car detailing prices can vary, based on several factors, including the condition of the car, the vehicle’s size, the time spent cleaning the car, and even the detailer’s experience level.

The full interior service includes vacuuming, shampooing the seats/carpets/mats, and cleaning/ conditioning the leather for $100 to $200, depending on service.

Purpose

Professional detailing regularly protects the interior of the car and keeps it looking newer for longer. Cleaning inside surfaces isn’t enough. To really preserve the ‘”as new'” appearance, a car interior detailing is imperative.

A professional mobile detailer makes the interior looks as it has arrived from the manufacture. Plus, taking expert care of your vehicle’s inside will keep its resale or trade-in value high.

Depending on the detailer service, there’re different ways to do interior car detailing. However, the standard process includes the following steps:

• Vacuuming – The first step of interior detailing car involves vacuuming seats, headliners, rear cargo space, shelf, and trunk. For the areas that can’t be reached using a vacuum, an air compressor can be used;
• Brushing and steam cleaning – It’s used to clean mats and carpets. Detailed scrubbing is performed on the mats to remove any stains and blemishes accumulated over time. To be more efficient, a steam cleaner is convenient for that purpose. Still, carpets should be left to dry completely to “escape” mold;
• Glass cleaning – A glass cleaner is used to clean the glass. With the cleaner glass stays sparkling and ensures the driver’s view remains clean;
• Leather cleaning – A leather soap, leather cleaner, and saddle soap are used to clean all the leather parts. A damp cloth is used for removing the excess soap from the soapy areas. If the leather is dry, a conditioner customized for leather can be applied to make cleaning more efficient;
• Re-vacuuming and wiping – Re-vacuuming is important as vacuuming. Any dirt left in the interior will be removed by re-vacuuming.
• Wiping – Dashboards and windows should be wiped with a clean cloth applying a cleaning detergent;
• Perfuming – At the end of the process, perfuming is done in order to leave the vehicle with a good scent.

Benefits

Without proper maintenance, seats, consoles, and other features can wear down almost as quickly as other vital parts of the vehicle, decreasing the overall vehicle or boat value.

Therefore, let’s explore these 7 benefits of keeping the car’s interior clean:

1. Prevent excess wear and tear – When you neglect to clean the inside of the vehicle, inner surfaces could develop excess wear and tear. Dust, dirt, and spilled particles can wear away at upholstery and other interior surfaces. In order to keep the inner space of the car in good shape for as long as possible, you need to clean it regularly.
2. Avoid health issues – Whenever you get behind the wheel of the vehicle, you enter in a closed environment. If your car is filled with dirt and dust, these substances could make poor air quality. Detailing the interior will help you avoid allergies and other issues that can be associated with low indoor air quality.
3. Increase driving safety – If the windows, windshield, and side mirrors are covered with debris, they’ll affect your ability to see your surroundings during driving. Therefore, cleaning the exterior of these surfaces is critical for visibility, and overall driver’s safety.
4. Stain removal and prevention – There’re many different surfaces in the car, and they’re comprised of all kinds of materials. Leather, vinyl, fabrics, carpeting, and plastics of various types make the inside of your vehicle looks nice. Having interior detailed regularly will address all those unsightly stains, big and small, and also prevent them from occurring with the application of the proper cleaning and maintenance products for each of the surfaces in the car.
5. Retain vehicle’s value – In case you sell your car in the future, it’s a good idea to set up regular detailing appointments. By detailing your vehicle, you’ll preserve the value of your vehicle. A car that is in proper cosmetic condition will be more appealing to buyers.
6. Protect upholstery – If you don’t have window tinting, sun damage can be a problem since the ultraviolet rays are intense, especially in the summer. It means more intense rays are coming into the vehicle, and it can damage the interior fabrics and finishes over time. Even in the winter months, it’s paramount to keep the interior clean regularly since even with rubber mats, salt and water erosion can still make a mess.
7. Eliminate odor– Detailers tackle smells by extracting dirt and grime and then applying an odor eliminator to help target bothersome scents and get rid of them. Air freshener is a temporary fix to mask odors, not remove them as an odor eliminator would.

How to Detail a Car Interior

Just as important as keeping exterior clean, having a clean interior is a vital part of preventive maintenance. A dirty cabin doesn’t only look and smell bad. It can also make or contribute to operational issues.

Here’re three steps on how to clean car interior right in your driveway, but if you want your vehicles’ interior to stand out, think about hiring a professional auto detailer.

1. Vacuuming

First, you’ll need a vacuum with an extension hose and several attachments. Work from the top down, so the substances that are spilled and fall throughout cleaning can be taken later when you vacuum the carpet and seats. Utilize the vacuum’s upholstery nozzle on the seats, headliner, and other upholstered areas.

Employ the floor brush when vacuuming the carpet. Move the seats forward or backward to grasp surfaces under the seat. Pull out removable seats to approach hard-to-reach areas.

2. Cleaning

Any car parts store has a variety of cleaners for different types of surfaces, including carpet, upholstery, leather, and plastic. Don’t forget to use the right product for the proper cleaning task.

An excellent way to clean any carpet is with a steam cleaner, but buying or renting one could be expensive. If a steam cleaner isn’t available, you can utilize a general spray-on carpet cleaner. Apply the compound into the carpet with a stiff brush.

Use saddle soap, leather cleaner, or another mild leather soap on a damp cloth and rub it gingerly onto all leather surfaces. Take off the excess soap with a clean, slightly damp cloth.

3. Conditioning and re-vacuuming

After cleaning, the leather may be treated with a specifically formulated conditioner. It’s especially valuable for dried-out leather. If you would like to use a product to your vehicle’s vinyl or plastic, try to find a non-greasy product. Many commercial conditioners have silicone oils that can stain clothing.

A re-vacuuming removes dirt dislodged during the cleaning car interior. If you still have odors, use an odor-removal product designed to “remove” smells out of fabrics.

5 Best Tips from Mobile Detailer

Keeping the inside of the car clean any time of the year can be a challenge. During the summer, beach sand or dripping ice cream cones can make it nearly impossible to keep your interior pristine.

The following tips will help with car detailing interior and maintenance.

Thoroughly vacuuming

Employing the same vacuum like the one you clean the floors of your home with won’t be enough when it comes to your vehicle. You’ll need a stronger piece of equipment with a hose and various attachments for those hard-to-reach places. Regularly cleaning soft surfaces will prevent debris from becoming embedded in your mats.

Clean seats carefully

When cleaning the seats, you should know that different kinds of seats need various cleaning techniques.

For example, vinyl or leather seats can be cleaned with specific leather or vinyl cleaners. Then it’s good to hit them with a leather brush. Then, the cleaner can be wiped off with a microfiber cloth. Also, you can condition the leather seats after shampooing to prevent cracking.

Use air-compressor

Using air compressor purge all loose dirt by starting with the inside of the rear window, then the rear floors pushing all dirt to the front of the vehicle. It’s a good idea to gently utilize the air compressor around the vents and the top of the dashboard. Care should be taken not to dislodge or break any air vents.

Apply interior cleaner

You should keep a quality cleaner handy to clean up spills or other debris. Several manufacturers, Turtle Wax, Tuff Stuff, Chemical Guys sell multi-purpose cleaners for both vinyl and leather and even some plastics.

Over time, the inside of the windows can become hazy, especially from the gasses leather and plastic materials naturally emit. Apply a chamois with water or a non-streaking glass cleaner, just remember to use a soft microfiber towel for the windows.

Change the air filters

If you finished inside car detailing, but an odor stays, it might be time to change your air filters. Dirty filters will transfer an unpleasant smell through air vents. While outer surfaces of air vents can be wiped down with a microfiber towel to keep dust at bay, changing the filters can be tricky.

It can be challenging to change air filter yourself since every manufacturer does them a bit differently. Perfectly, you should have your air filters replaced every 10,000 to 15,000 miles.

How Often Should You Detail Your Vehicle?

Unless you drive a significant amount, an interior detailing every three to six months should be enough. The first time you do the auto interior detail, expect it to take longer, especially if it hasn’t been cleaned in a while.

However, if you continue to detail a car at regular intervals, it will maintain that “new vehicle” appearance and feel for many years. It could bring hundreds or even thousands of extra dollars when you trade-in or sell a car.