Buhata
Login Start for Free

Home › Life Terms

Chores, cleaning and home care

Car interior detailing

A thorough cleaning of a car's cabin: vacuuming, cleaning seats, dashboard, screens and the surfaces hands touch, each with a cleaner that won't damage it.

What It Means

Car interior detailing is a deep clean of everything inside the cabin: floors and mats, seats, the dashboard, screens, and the handles and buttons people touch every trip. What separates it from a quick tidy is matching each surface to a cleaner it can take. Consumer Reports' guidance comes down to gentle products used sparingly, mostly soap and water, and keeping harsh chemicals away from upholstery and screens.

Try It: Tick Off a Full Interior Clean

Tick each step as you finish it. The steps follow Consumer Reports' advice.

Steps done0
Of6

Keep bleach, hydrogen peroxide and ammonia cleaners out of the car entirely.

How It Sounds at Home

  • "The back seat is a crumb situation."
  • "I'm giving the car a proper clean this weekend."
  • "Don't spray that on the screen."

The Breakdown

How to do it, following Consumer Reports

  1. Clear out trash, loose items and the floor mats so you can reach everything.
  2. Vacuum the carpet and cloth seats. Use the upholstery attachment, whose short bristles loosen dirt from fabric, and the crevice tool under and between the seats and into the corners.
  3. Spot clean cloth seats without soaking them. A damp cushion can grow moldMoldA fungus that grows indoors wherever moisture lingers. EPA says fix the water problem, then scrub it off hard surfaces with detergent and water. See more and leave the car smelling musty.
  4. Clean leather and vinyl with a soft cloth and a small amount of dish soap and water. Consumer Reports says saddle soap works best on leather. Follow with a conditioner made for car leather so it doesn't dry out.
  5. Wipe the dashboard with water and a mild cleaner made for cars. Skip sprays that leave a wet or glossy look, which can throw glare onto the windshield.
  6. Wipe the surfaces hands touch: steering wheel, door handles and armrests, shift lever, turn signal and wiper stalks, grab handles, seat adjusters, buttons and touchscreens. Soap and water is safe; don't scrub hard.

Try it today. Short on time, do steps 2 and 6 only: a vacuum and a wipe of everything people touch.

Good to Know

Consumer Reports warns against bleachChlorine bleachHousehold bleach made with sodium hypochlorite that whitens, removes stains and disinfects, but can fade colors and damage some fibers. See more, hydrogen peroxide and ammonia-based cleaners inside a car. They can damage upholstery and strip the anti-glare and anti-fingerprint coatings on screens. Your owner's manual may also list what the carmaker approves for its seats and screens, and that's worth reading before you try a new product. Use one cleaner at a time and never mix products.

FAQ

What should I use to clean a car's touchscreen?

Consumer Reports says soap and water is safe, applied gently. Avoid ammonia-based cleaners, bleach and hydrogen peroxide, which can damage the screen's anti-glare and anti-fingerprint coatings.

Can I shampoo cloth car seats?

Clean them without soaking. Consumer Reports notes that cushions left damp can develop mold and a musty smell.

Why not use a shiny dashboard spray?

A glossy finish can reflect onto the windshield and create glare. Consumer Reports recommends water and a mild automotive cleaner instead.

Do It in Buhata

Tasks with a repeat

Add "Clean the car interior" as a task in Buhata with a repeat that fits how much you drive, and tick it off when the six steps are done.

Open Buhata

Related Terms and Categories

  • Upholstery cleaning

    Keeping a sofa or chair's fabric or leather clean with regular vacuuming and spot cleaning matched to the cleaning code on its tag.

  • Cleaning checklist

    A written list of household cleaning jobs, often split into daily and weekly tasks, that you tick off so nothing gets missed.

  • Cleaning caddy

    A portable tote that holds your everyday cleaning supplies, so you can carry them from room to room and store them safely in one place.

Chores, cleaning and home care

Sources

Consumer Reports, "How to Clean Your Car's Interior"; Consumer Reports, "How to Keep Your Car Really Clean"; Consumer Reports, "Detailing Your Car's Interior"

Last updated .