JPs GT How to detail your interior

Welcome to JP's General Tech on How to detail your interior.

Refer to my Detailing 101 thread for more information on basic detailing tools and items.

The easiest way to keep your car's interior clean is largely based on your daily habits. Obviously a car that sees more use, or more passengers will generally need more frequent cleaning. The more daily care you put into maintaining a clean car, the less of a chore cleaning will be. Do you toss your work clothes in the back seat and boots on the floor? My OCD about car cleanliness has me constantly finding solutions to problems such as having a plastic bin to place my dirty work boots into and driving home in regular footwear. Sometimes circumstances dictate what your car will look like. A trip to the beach, parking on gravel, tracking in salt (for those who live in the rust belt). Inevitably your car's inside will need to be cleaned and protected periodically regardless of your efforts.

I will be documenting the work on my 2006 Mazdaspeed 6. Although this car is well maintained and receives regular detailing, I hope to display a through detail maintenance roadmap.


Process - This is a rundown of the path I follow to do a regular interior detail. I will expand on each below.
Carpet & Mats
Vinyl/Plastic Cleaning & Protection
Leather Cleaning & Rejuvenation
Windows

Carpet & Mats - Start with removing any garbage from the car. Also remove loose items and set aside, empty the cup holders & storage shelves and take out your floor mats. Vacuum the car to remove dirt and debris using the brush attachment and vigorously scrub the carpet. Reach beside the seats and in tight spaces with a crevice tool. Vacuum cup holders and map pockets, being careful not to scratch any plastic.
When vacuuming inside the car be mindful of the hose that lays across the plastic door threshold. Any grit and dirt from the hose touching the ground could also scratch plastics. Never pass the hose across the interior to vacuum the other side, move the vacuum around to the other side of the car.

Vacuuming will remove dirt and debris, but next the carpet needs a little help to loosen up a little more dirt and to help rejuvenate the fibers. Spray 2-3 mists of a quality All Purpose Cleaner (APC) and using a utility brush, scrub left to right and front to back.
Apply APC sparingly, we are not looking to shampoo the carpet, just to help loosen dust and oils embedded in the carpet. Over application can lead to residual APC in the carpet which can be reactivated by water on your shoes on a rainy day or while washing your car, then will gently clean the soles of your shoes using your carpets.

Use a toothbrush to reach tight spaces where the utility brush cant. Next spray 5-6 mists of water from a spray bottle and again using a utility brush, scrub left to right and front to back. With a toothbrush scrub along the edge of plastic trim to loosen up fine particles from under the edge of the plastic, especially along the door threshold.

Follow up with a final vacuum of the carpet to remove any loosened particles. Using a microfiber (MF) towel, absorb any remaining diluted solution from the carpet.


Complete the same procedure on your factory carpeted floormats. If you have wear spots from your heels on the drivers mat, scrub well with the utility brush to loosen up and rejuvenate the carpet pile.

Vinyl/Plastic Cleaning & Protection - There are a couple of paths to follow here depending on how much detailing that needs to be accomplished. For seriously soiled interior plastics, such as spills, dirt, thick layer dust, you would be best to start with a bucket of warm soapy water and cleaning rags. Complete the following roadmap wiping the large areas with warm soapy water then follow up with an APC wipe down as follows. If you don't require a deep detailing, start directly with an APC, a MF towel and some detailing hand tools. Move the front seats to the full back position.

Start by applying a few sprays of cleaner to a MF towel. Do not apply cleaner directly to the surfaces you are trying to clean, instead hold the MF towel outside the car and spray. Begin with cleaning the dash on the passenger side as usually you have more room to clean a larger area. I will clean a car with my feet outside the vehicle, if you require to sit fully inside the car place something on the carpet you just cleaned. While wiping down, regularly refold your MF towel, respray and continue. Open compartments to clean around and inside. Use brushes and q-tips to clean vents and small spaces.

Work down the center of the dash to the console, cleaning around the shift boot and into the cup holder. A toothbrush comes in handy to clean seams and clean coffee from around the cup holders. Clean the console beside the seats, don't forget the seat belt buckle and where the seat back and base meet. Also clean the trim around the seat base and seat tracks.

Clean the door much like the dash areas. Once the flat areas are cleaned, concentrate on the holes and slots cleaning deep recesses. Use the toothbrush to clean into tight crevasses and seams.

To get around the electrical switches, the toothbrush is a great tool. Be sure to spray the toothbrush sparingly, and not the switch. Cleaning chemicals in a switch can lead to switch failure. If you have what I call "Cone Kickers" or people who like to push the door open with their dirty shoes...First disown them...Then use the toothbrush to gently scrub in the mesh of the speaker.

Don't forget to wipe the rim around the window. Finally clean the door pillar plastic and threshold. Repeat these processes for all the doors as you work the interior of the car in those areas.

Moving to the drivers side, clean around the area much like the passenger side. Wipe down the cluster area, use cleaning tools to get between switches and into vents. Pass your MF towel between panels like the wheel & column and airbag/horn to remove dust buildup. Do not use APC on the leather steering wheel wrap, there are dedicated leather cleaners covered later. Work down the side of the console by the seat and clean the armrest and storage bins.

Follow through with cleaning in the rear seat area after moving the front seats forward. From here you should be able to reach around the rear of the console and also clean the trim covering the seat tracks. Don't forget the amplifier and rack under the passenger seat.

Once the plastic and vinyl are completely clean, It is important to ensure everything is protected against UV rays and drying due to off gassing of the plastics.

If you didn't use a product like Chemical Guys Inner Clean above which has UV inhibitors and protectants, or if you would like more shine, consider a dedicated interior protectant or finisher. I like to use cheap disposable foam squares to apply finishers inside the car. I saturate the foam over a garbage can, then enter the car and begin wiping down all the textured plastics. Open glove box and storage bins to wipe protectant and create a full uniform coating throughout the whole interior.

Caution applying protectants and finishers on windows or glossy plastics as it will usually just streak and smear and is difficult to clean off completely. Also, do not get any protectant on white plastics such as the upper pillars. Sometimes the residue can stain the white plastic or cause dirt to collect on the white plastic.
If you have applied a finisher product and it is too shiny, simply buff the shine down with a MF towel. Once buffed it will have the appearance much like brand new. On vehicles that have not received regular cleaning and protection, continued applications can many times rejuvenate and renew the plastics.

Leather Cleaning & Rejuvenation - I call it Cleaning and Rejuvenation because every time you clean your leather, you are rejuvenating it. Leather can not survive without proper care, it can not be neglected. If not properly cared for, leather will crack and split, seams will fail, the surface will degrade and stain easier. These problems are not repairable and you are saddled with replacement or recovering. Always clean your leather before hydrating and protecting by using a dedicated leather cleaner.

Clean all your leather according to instructions first and allow the cleaner some time to soak in and open the pores before moving on to applying conditioners. On most cars usually only the seating surfaces are leather, the sides and backs are most commonly vinyl. Use the cleaner and the brush to work small areas at a time, overlapping your work areas. Remove the cleaner with a MF towel. If your towel comes up dirty, repeat cleaning the area. You might be surprised at how much grime and sweat can get trapped in the soft surface of a leather seat.

Once you have allowed some time to pass, start the process of conditioning the leather. Using a quality conditioner product, spray a clean MF towel and wipe over the leather surfaces. Apply a slightly generous but consistent amount over the whole surface gently rubbing and working it into seams and sewn edges. Turn over your MF towel and keep working back over previous coverage to continually massage the conditioner in.

Don't forget to clean and condition your steering wheel. Allow adequate time to pass before using the car, conditioner that has not been absorbed by the leather can easily be absorbed by your clothing.
Windows - Windows can be pretty simple to accomplish. I will add when you clean the inside window, follow up with cleaning the outside as well. That way you can insure you have a truly clean view. If you have tinted windows, a product without ammonia is required to clean the tint film without damaging it. I always use a small spray bottle with a few drops of Johnson's Baby Shampoo. Be diligent to remove any smears from cleaners and protectants used previously in the process. When cleaning the rear window with electric defroster option, wipe left to right with the lines reducing the potential damage to defroster overlay. After using a paper towel to wipe the glass, following up with a MF towel can buff off any residual rogue streaks. There are glass cleaning cloths available, do not use them on mirrors, especially the auto dimming style. Baby shampoo on a MF towel is my best suggestion. Also wipe the cluster window.

Lastly, don't forget about the pedals, they need love too. If required, a quick vacuum to remove any marks in the footwells while detailing tidies things up before you reinstall your floor mats. Vacuuming the trunk area and a quick wipe with a cleaner and protectant on plastics can keep the trunk looking just as spiff as your interior. Now when you arrive at a cruise night, you can leave your windows down and show off your skills!!


Thank you,
JP