Cleaning the interior of your car does increase your car’s value if you are selling it. Extend the life of your vinyl or leather components such as the dashboard and seats. Website www.yourmechanic.com gives tips to improve your satisfaction with your vehicle
Interior detailing can be as simple as vacuuming the carpets and floor mats, and ranges into full detailing including carpet shampooing, vinyl cleaning and dressing, and leather conditioning.
If you want to save money, you can clean your vehicle on your own. Depending on how in-depth you want to clean your vehicle, it can range from less than an hour to four or more hours of your time. The end result will be the satisfaction of a job well done, a clean vehicle, and more money in your pocket.
Take everything out of your car regardless of how much of a deep clean you would like to perform. Throw out any garbage and store any seasonal items like a snow brush or scraper in the trunk or in your garage if they are not needed.
Vacuum up loose dirt
Remove your floor mats if equipped. Carefully lift out your mats whether they are rubber or carpet floor mats. Vacuum the floors. Use an upholstery attachment without bristles on the vacuum hose and turn the vacuum cleaner on.
Once the bulk of the dirt has been vacuumed up, go over the carpet again with the same attachment, agitating the carpet with the vacuum attachment in short back and forth strokes. This loosens dirt and dust that is deeper in the carpet and sucks it out.
Scrubbing with soapy brush
Use soap and water for vinyl or rubber. If you have vinyl or rubber floors on your truck or car, you can clean them easily with a bucket of soap and water and a rag or brush. Liberally apply soapy water to the rubber floor with a rag.
Cleaning vinyl and plastic
Wipe down plastic and vinyl areas. Using a clean cloth or rag, wipe down all the plastic and vinyl surfaces to remove dust and dirt buildup.
Always spray your cleaner onto your cloth first. Spraying directly onto vinyl surfaces will inadvertently mist your cleaner onto your window glass, making them more difficult to clean later on.
Use the palm of your hand in the cloth to get the greatest surface area at a time, reducing the length of time it will take to clean your car.
Cleaning leather
If your vehicle is equipped with leather seats, it is incredibly important to clean and condition them. Leather conditioner should be applied every six months to keep it supple and moisturized, preventing cracking and tears from occurring.
Spray leather cleaner onto a clean rag. Wipe all the leather seating surfaces with the cleaner, making sure to get the sides and the crevices as well as you can.
Cleaning the windows
Leave the job of cleaning your windows until last. That way any cleaner or conditioner that settles on your windows during the cleaning process will be wiped off at the end, leaving your windows crystal clear and clean.
SOURCE: WWW.YOURMECHANIC.COM
