A Guide to Detailing Your Car Interior Like a Professional

If you’re looking to learn how to professionally detail the interior of your car, it means you’re already familiar with the many benefits of detailing your car, as well as the difference between a simple car wash and a thorough car detail. It’s great that you’re looking for ways to give your baby a royal treatment.

Detailing your ride from top to bottom, even if only on the interior, is a complicated and demanding process that is best left to interior auto detailing experts in San Diego if you want to ensure maximum results. However, that doesn’t mean you should not know how professionals detail car interiors and try your hand at it. Here’s what you can do to try to detail your ride like pros do.

How to detail your car interior like a pro?

If you want your ride’s interior detailed professionally, why not leave it to the pros? Joking aside, it is possible for you to give your car’s interior a cleaning treatment that resembles the one it would get from a professional detailer. Here’s how you can attempt to clean the interior of your car like a professional.

Supplies & equipment

Professional car detailers use specialized equipment and supplies when cleaning your car. However, that kind of equipment tends to be expensive, so you can make do with the items you probably have lying around the home, or at least you do most of them. Here’s what you’ll need to clean the interior of your car:

• Empty boxes or garbage bags
• A vacuum cleaner with several attachments
• An old toothbrush or a foam brush
• Microfiber cloths
• A bucketful of warm, clean water
• Rubbing alcohol
• Window cleaner
• Scrub brush
• A squeegee
• Specialized cleaning products for car vinyl, leather, and carpets

Clean the trash

Before you begin to clean the interior of your car thoroughly, you have to get rid of all the trash that might be inside of it first. That means taking all the garbage, putting it in the bags, and throwing it away. Only once your car has been decluttered can you clean it properly.

Cleaning soft surfaces

Once you’ve emptied the trash from your car, it’s time to start the cleaning process. Always tackle the soft surfaces first, as they can content hidden patches of dirt. You can clean the soft surfaces in your car in the following order:

1. Removing pet hair: If you own pets, you should always first remove all pet hair from the soft surfaces in your car. First, take a damp squeegee and run it across soft surfaces to eliminate most of the pet hair before proceeding to vacuum.
2. Cleaning from top to bottom: Use the upholstery attachment for your vacuum cleaner and vacuum the ceiling, the car seats, the area underneath the car seats, the mats, and the floor at the very end.
3. Paying attention to the gaps: Use the crevice attachment for your vacuum cleaner, as well as a toothbrush or a foam brush if necessary, and meticulously clean all the gaps and crevices, as they tend to hide the most dirt. 

Cleaning hard surfaces

1. Removing dust: Use the brush attachment for your vacuum cleaner and use it to vacuum the center console, the dashboard, all the cup holders, as well as other hard surfaces that can collect dust.
2. Washing surfaces: Take the bucket, fill it with clean, warm water, and add a bit of specialized soap for interior car cleaning. Then, do the following:
   1. Take a microfiber cloth, dip it into the mixture, and clean the non-glass surfaces, including door handles, center console, steering wheel, and the dashboard.
   2. Frequently wring and rinse the cloth to minimize smearing.
   3. If the microfiber cloth you’re using gets dirty, switch to a clean one.
3. Cleaning floor stains: Vacuuming is sufficient for cleaning light soil from your car floor. However, spills and stains require soapy water and a cleaning cloth. Do the following while being mindful not to saturate the carpet too much and risk mildew and mold:
   1. Use a specialized carpet cleaner and a scrub brush to get rid of tough stains.
   2. Use a clean towel to blot dry your car floor and soak up as much water as you can.
4. Cleaning upholstery stains: Use a microfiber cloth and rubbing alcohol or s[ecialized upholstery cleaner to dab stains on your car’s cloth upholstery. Use a damp cloth to rinse the upholstery and remove any residual smell before blotting the area dry. For leather upholstery, always use specialized cleaning solutions that also condition the leather.
5. Cleaning the mats: Remove the mats, take a garden hose and some soapy water, and vigorously scrub the carpet mats. Dry them in the clean air or in a sunny spot, and do not return them to the car before they’re completely dry.
6. Cleaning the windows: Use a completely clean and dry microfiber cloth and glass cleaner to eliminate all haze and fingerprints from the windows.
7. Applying the shine: Finally, if you’d like the surfaces on the interior of your car to be shiny, apply a specialized product that will get your car’s interior sparkling.

This comprehensive process will ensure you get your car as clean as possible with minimum specialized equipment and supplies. However, nothing beats having the interior of your car detailed by professionals, so always consider that option as well.

Where do I book the best interior auto detailing in San Diego?

Interior car detailing is a demanding process that requires dedication, precision, and attention to detail. Only the most dedicated car detailers are able to do your car justice, and you want to hire the best professionals in the business. That is why you should book an interior car detailing with La Jolla Mobile Car Detail. 

We are the leading interior and exterior car detailing experts in all of San Diego. It doesn’t matter if you’re near Pacific Beach or in another neighborhood. We will promptly dispatch a car detailing pro to give your ride a thorough interior clean. Reach out to us today!