For many people, your car is like a second home—it’s with you through long drives to work, family trips, daily chores, and everything else that keeps you busy. Keeping your car clean on the inside makes your rides more pleasant, whether you’re in traffic or on your way to the beach. Experts offer tips on how to clean carpets and seats, remove coffee stains and gum from seats and floors, and get those tricky crumbs out of cup holders.
How to Give Your Car Interior a Routine Clean
If your family often uses the car for daily commutes, weekend trips, or driving to sports activities, it’s a good idea to clean it briefly once a week. This usually takes about 30 minutes, depending on how big your car is.
Tidy the Mess
Check the floor, under the seats, and in seat pockets and cupholders to clear out things that often pile up in cars, like children’s library books, granola bar wrappers, extra pens, and drive-through receipts. “To stay organized, I start at the front driver’s side and move counter-clockwise around the car,” suggests the expert.
Dust and Protect
After clearing out the car, the expert dusts the dashboard and trim with a microfiber cloth. Then, he applies a protectant to these surfaces to keep them looking new and shield them from harmful UV rays.
Vacuum
Use a wet/dry vacuum, a car wash vacuum, or a handheld cordless vacuum to clean dust, dirt, and crumbs from the floors and seats. A crevice tool will help you reach tight spots, seams, and edges.
Clean Glass Surfaces
Your usual glass cleaner and a microfiber cloth will clean your car windows just as well as they do your home’s windows. If your windows are tinted, use a cleaner without ammonia, advises the expert.
How to Deep Clean Your Car Interior
A thorough deep clean of your car’s interior takes a lot more time and effort, says the expert. Most people choose to do this twice a year: once in spring to remove salt and other winter residues, and again in fall to clean up after summer vacations and road trips.
If you don’t want to pay for professional detailing, you can do a thorough clean yourself. Use the same steps as a regular cleaning, but pay extra attention to every small space and corner.
Remove Loose Dirt
“After clearing out the trash and personal items, I suggest using a compressed air blower to remove dirt, sand, pet hair, and road salt from the carpets, mats, seats, and tight spaces,” says the expert. This method loosens debris that regular vacuuming might miss, and you can also use the compressed air to clean air vents and storage pockets. “It’s important to wear safety glasses during this process and when using any cleaning chemicals,” he adds.
Treat Stains
Next, treat any stains on your seats and carpets—like spilled coffee, crushed crackers, or leaked pen ink—with a car stain remover. “Different types of stains—protein, ink, or dye—need different cleaners,” says the expert. “Some stains need up to three minutes to sit with the cleaner to work effectively, so it’s better to treat them early. First, try to remove as much of the mess as possible by blotting or scooping; then use the right cleaner for the type of stain.”
In many cases, you’ll need to shampoo stains before the cleaner dries to prevent them from setting permanently, so adjust your cleaning steps as the product directions suggest. If you notice a spill when it happens, clean it right away—don’t wait until your next deep clean. “The longer a stain stays, the harder it is to remove,” explains the expert. “And if it’s something organic like food, milk, or bodily fluids from car sickness, the smell will worsen over time. For things like melted wax and chewing gum on carpets, freezing them until they’re brittle and then scraping them off can work well.”
Be prepared: Some stains might need a professional to remove them. “If you’re not sure what the stain is, or if you don’t have the right chemicals or tools, I’d always recommend taking your car to a professional detailer,” suggests the expert. “They have all the tools, products, and expertise to handle it and can help keep your car looking new for as long as you own it.”
Clean Hard Surfaces
Next on your deep-cleaning list should be your dashboard, doors, console, and other hard surfaces. Start by dusting with a soft microfiber cloth, then use a cleaning product suitable for your specific material, like vinyl or leather (always test a new product in a hidden area first). “After applying the cleaner, use a soft-bristled brush or a clean towel to scrub the surfaces clean and wipe off any excess,” suggests the expert.
Focus on Small Spaces
Now is also the time to get rid of every crumb from the small spaces inside your car. “Focus on the instrument panel and air vents at this stage,” suggests the expert. “These areas often collect a lot of dust, and if left dirty, they can make the rest of your clean car look grimy. Use a small paintbrush-style brush for this task. Usually, the insides of cupholders and other small compartments can be removed, allowing you to easily take them out and soak them for a thorough cleaning.”
Add a Protectant
Keep your car’s surfaces shiny and new with a surface conditioner. “UV rays can really damage vinyl and leather, so choosing a durable protectant is crucial to avoid this,” the expert advises. “We’ve all seen old cars with faded and cracked dashboards and door panels. You usually spray or wipe the protectant onto the surface and then buff it off, which keeps your interior trim clean, shiny, and protected.”
Shampoo and Rinse
Use a medium-bristle scrub brush and a low-foam, disinfecting shampoo for a deep clean of your carpets and washable upholstery. “After you’ve cleaned the carpet, you need to remove all the dirt and soap residue,” advises the expert. Although professionals typically use a hot water extractor, you can approximate this method at home by spraying the soapy areas with clean water and using a wet/dry vacuum to remove it. “Make sure to extract as much of the liquid as possible to prevent mold or mildew—and the bad smell that comes with it.”
Be gentle with the hardware, especially seatbelts. “Be careful with seatbelt webbing,” warns an automotive expert. “Getting them soapy and wet can damage the seatbelt.” Clean spills from seatbelts while they’re still wet and avoid using too much force on older stains.
Clean the Glass
If you don’t have an ammonia-free glass cleaner, you can make your own by mixing 1 cup of distilled water, 2 tablespoons of distilled white vinegar, and 1 cup of isopropyl alcohol in a spray bottle.
“When cleaning your car windows, using the right cloth is important to avoid streaks or spots,” advises the expert, who recommends a microfiber cloth or lint-free paper towel. “To prevent streaks, make sure to dry the glass completely with whichever cloth you use.”
The expert also suggests cleaning the gap where your window meets the doorframe. “Roll your windows down and clear away all the dirt and oil that accumulates at the top,” he says. “The part of the window that stays inside the rubber door seal gathers a lot of dirt from being opened and closed, and it’s often overlooked during cleaning.”
Change Air Filters
Dirty air filters can spread a bad smell through your car’s air vents. Cleaning the outside of the vents helps control dust, but changing the filters can be tricky.
“It can be hard to change your air filter on your own because each manufacturer has their own way of doing it,” explains the expert. “Ideally, you should have your air filters changed at a shop every 12,000 to 15,000 miles.”