Der Detailer-Leitfaden zur Autoinnenreinigung

Alles, was Sie wissen müssen:

Wenn Sie Ihr Auto gerne fahren, wie es die meisten von uns tun, ist es verständlich, dass Sie viel Zeit darin verbringen. Es stimmt zwar, dass die meisten Leute den Innenraum Ihres Autos nicht sehen, aber das macht die Reinigung nicht weniger wichtig. Tatsächlich ist sie ein wichtiger Teil einer umfassenden Detailpflege, der bei der regelmäßigen Wartung oft übersehen wird. Vielleicht liegt es daran, dass es bei der Innenausstattung mehr zu beachten gibt – schließlich konzentriert man sich leicht auf das Äußere.

Aber keine Sorge, da kommen wir ins Spiel. Hier ist eine Kurzanleitung zu den Herausforderungen, denen Sie beim Streben nach der perfekten Innenraumpflege begegnen könnten, zusammen mit den besten Produkten, um Ihrem Innenraum ein frisches Gefühl zu verleihen. Denn manchmal kommt es wirklich auf das Innere an …

Warum ist die Innenraumreinigung so wichtig?

Es ist offensichtlich, dass ein sauberer Innenraum das Autofahren angenehmer macht, aber eine effektive Innenraumreinigung geht über das bloße Aussehen hinaus. Tatsächlich ist eine gründliche Desinfektion genauso wichtig wie die Reinigung, denn bei der Innenraumreinigung geht es nicht nur um Ästhetik, sondern darum, alle versteckten Verunreinigungen zu entfernen, von denen einige viel schädlicher sein können als andere.

Neben dem Schmutz, den Sie an Ihren Schuhen mitbringen, Krümeln, verschütteten Flüssigkeiten oder den Pommes Frites, die im Sitz stecken, sind es die unsichtbaren Verunreinigungen, die die größten Gesundheitsrisiken darstellen können – oder zumindest ausgesprochen unangenehm sind.

Dust, a large proportion of which is made up of dead skin, is equally disgusting. You don't really want to be want to be breathing all that in, do you? Left to build up over time dust will also ingrain itself into many of materials that make up your interior. It can even be abrasive, scratching sensitive parts.

Removing dust during your detail can range from light dusting around trim and switches with an Interior Detailing Brush (or Feather Tip Brush on the more sensitive gloss plastic parts), to agitating a powerful interior cleaner like Total Interior Cleaner into surfaces to deep clean and safely remove the particles. Either way, this most common of contaminants should be removed regularly. Again it's all about keeping up with the maintenance. A quick once over every time you wash your car takes hardly any time, and can significantly cut down on the need for periodic interior deep-cleaning.

And don't forget the other nasties inside you car. Organic waste that's left to fester can cause mould and fungus problems. These will need to be cleaned away to make surfaces less hazardous to your health.

And then there's the glass, your interior windows will often end up coated in a film of coughs, sneezes, cigarette smoke and other sticky residues. It's easy to see why using a powerful solvent-based cleaning agent like Crystal Glass Cleaner to safely remove these is arguably even more important on the inside than it is the exterior.

Add all this to general aesthetics and you can see why interior detailing is something that should never be neglected.

What To Look Out For Inside Your Cabin

Your vehicle Interior is made from many different materials, there's also a whole load of complicated parts to target. Here's a what to look out for when you clean your cabin, and the interior detailing products you can use along the way...

Floor Mats And Carpets

There's no doubt that these see plenty of traffic during day-to-day use. So it's a good thing that your carpets and floor mats are designed to be hard-wearing and resistant to abrasion. Unfortunately, they're likely to be one of the dirtiest parts of your car. Everything you drop, spill, or drag in on your feet will usually end up stomped in. Most carpets and mats are made from deep pile synthetic material so they tend to hold onto grit and grime, too.

When cleaning carpet material the trick is pulling out the dirt from underneath the surface, using a combination of agitation with an Upholstery Brush and a vacuum cleaner. For stains, spills, and general sanitising you'll also need to use Total Interior Cleaner, or a 1:10 dilution of Verso All Purpose Cleaner to break down grime and allow it to be lifted out of the fibres.

It's not practical on every maintenance detail, too. But, if you're deep cleaning the carpets, removing the front seats for better access can help significantly when trying to remove trapped grime and nasty odours.

Leather And Cloth Car Seats

Both fabric and leather car seats see plenty of action. These tend to suffer from ingrained dirt and staining from body oils, sweat and bacteria caused by constant human contact.

The cleaning products you can use may be slightly different on leather and cloth but the cleaning method is essentially the same. It's also true that leather may require a little nourishment after cleaning to recondition the hide and reintroduce essential oils. We always recommend using a product like Hide Leather Conditioner to prevent fading and cracking in the future. This product also creates a barrier layer for added protection. Much like a wax on your paintwork.

During the cleaning process our Hide Leather Cleanser is as effective on leather our surfactant-based Total Interior Cleaner on fabrics. Total can also be used on leather safely, but our Hide Cleaner is specifically designed to be the kindest on hide surfaces. This glycerine-based cleaner has been developed to deep-clean all kinds of leather during the most maintenance regular details. As with all cleaning products, the cleaning mechanism here is designed to break down and lift the grime from the material, encapsulating potentially harmful particles in the solution, allowing them to be safely wiped away.

To learn more about how surface-safe cleaning agents work on both your interior and exterior, check out our article: How Car Cleaning Products Work?

Dashboards And Plastic Consoles

As dashboards are something of an interior showpiece and this means that manufacturers (especially the more high-end brands) tend to use plenty of premium materials in their construction. It's common to see soft touch plastics, delicate "piano black' inserts and leather trim. Other vehicles of course, are a little more utilitarian with harder wearing plastics. All these are far more sensitive than those used in your furnature at home, which means you need to use cleaning products specifically formulated for cars, so as not to mark or strip the finish.

A safe-for-all-surfaces, all-purpose interior cleaner like Total Interior Cleaner is a real must-have in your detailing kit. It can be used for both for spray-on-and-wipe application, or agitated with the suitable interior tools and accessories (such as our Interior Detailing Brush or our Revitascrub Interior Cleaning Pad) to ensure you get the for the deepest cleaning, and fast results safely.

One other concern with dashboards, centre consoles, LCD screens and other interior trim is that many of the plastics and vinyl used create a static charge which attracts dust. We also touch these areas almost constantly causing fingerprints, makeup residues, body oils and a whole lot more.

Removing these types of contaminants is simple and will usually involve wet or dry dusting more intricate areas - such as around switches, inserts and vents with a brush, before wiping away and sanitising with a product like Total.

You Can also keep the dust away for longer with a pro-grade finishing product like Spritz Interior Quick Detailer, this advanced solution is packed with anti-static agents which will help repel dust and light contaminants. Being a quick detailer it can also be used for light cleaning and it leaves behind a natural, factory-look sheen.

Spritz Interior Quick Detailer is also great for adding a little protection. This advanced solution contains special UV inhibitors to protect from the impact of the sun. It's worth considering that dashboards and plastic trim are particularly susceptible to the cracking and fading associated with prolonged exposure to the sun. As much of your interior is always in direct contact with UV radiation through the windows, a little Spritz can be a longterm life saver.

The same can be said for Dressle All Purpose Trim Dressing which also contains special inhibitors to protect plastics from UV radiation. This spray and wipe solution gives more of a rich finished look than the subtle factory-look you get with Spritz but will preserve the life of your parts in the same way.

Plastic And Vinyl Trim

Doorcards, dashboards and other plastic and vinyl trim see a huge amount of contact and that means that often they'll need deep cleaning to bring them back to factory spec. In many cases your doorcards will be some of the most contaminated areas, often suffering from contamination such as target greasy marks, makeup staining and skin oils.

In these cases light agitation of your cleaning agent is key to ensure maximum contact and that the solution is continually refreshed so it can lift and encapsulate the maximum amount of soiling before it's wiped away.

Total Interior Cleaner or 1:10 dilution of Verso All Purpose Cleaner with a suitable brush or RevitaScrub Pad - may be needed here more often than other parts of your interior.

Periodic deep-cleaning during larger details is also a useful way of ensuring your routine maintenance is quicker and easier. Often a quick once over with a spray and a wipe will bring the interior back to life.

Other Rubber And Hard Plastic Trim

The plastic and rubber trim you find around the footwells, along with the kickplates and the pedals, see a huge amount of contact over the life of the car. But they're often forgotten during interior detailing. These areas will often be constructed from the most hardwearing materials, but while this helps to resist abrasions, it won't keep them clean. Often the mud and grime will be ground into surfaces, again simply due to physical contact.

Total or an even more potent dilution of Verso All Purpose Cleaner here, can be useful for chemically removing the most ground in dirt. A quick spritz, followed by a little agitation will break down the grime, even under the surface. You'll then be able to wipe it away safely.

A little Dressle or Spritz, goes a long way here, too. These versatile, water-based formulas are designed to soak right into the plastic pores to bring your rubber and plastic back to life with next to no effort at all. Simply spray on each area directly, or onto a microfibre cloth more targeted use, and then give them a wipe over. That's all you need.

Seatbelts, Steering Wheels And Headliners

One interior part that's almost always forgotten is the seatbelts. As you can imagine these see heavy body contact and that means that they can hold onto contamination and odours when they're retracted. This is why it's crucial to pull them out fully and give them a good spritz and a wipe with your interior cleaner and microfibre Work Cloth. For badly stained and contaminated belts it often pays to spray on a little extra Total, let it soak (clip the belts in) and then agitate with a detailing brush, before wiping and leaving to dry. You'll often see the pros use a steam cleaner on these areas, simply because they can hold onto all sorts of nasty bacteria and body oils.

Modern Alcantara and suede-trimmed steering wheels are similar to your seat belts in regards to the contact they have to endure, and how they hold onto grime. These types of materials can also be cleaned during routine maintenance using Total, but will also benefit from periodic deep cleaning and restoration. For more information on how you can bring yours back to the best condition, see our article: Cleaning A Suede Or Alcantara Steering Wheel.

Like many interior parts, the headlining will usually be trimmed in fabric. But these shouldn't be soaked in cleaning products for stain removal or general cleaning. This is because - under the fabric - they're usually made from cardboard or compressed fibre board which may be damaged by getting too wet. Instead these areas should be lightly cleaned or undergo a spot stain removal technique. Spray your Total onto a brush or microfibre cloth and agitate lightly, before wiping away any grime. The good news is that headlinings tend to stay cleaner than most other interior parts if they're maintained regularly. So often a quick wipe over will be the answer.

Interior Glass And Mirrors

You'll often find all sorts of smudges, smears and fingerprints on your interior glass and mirrors. These need to be removed simply because they're some of the most noticeable defects to leave behind at the end of any detail - and they can really draw the eye and let down the final finish.

You also need to consider tinted windows. Tinting films are usually applied to the inside of the glass, and this means that that the glass cleaner you choose must be safe enough to clean sensitive window tints without melting the adhesives and causing damage to the film itself.

Crystal Glass Cleaner is a mild distilled solvent-based cleaner that's not only safe on all kinds of glass surfaces, but it won't harm sensitive tints either.

What's more, spritz a fine mist directly onto the glass, and wipe away any contaminants with a clean microfibre cloth. (We recommend our Superior Waffle for the safest glass cleaning). This fast-flashing formula is specifically designed to cut through grease, grime, fingerprints and bonded stains for a crystal-clear, streak and smear-free finish.

Boot Shuts And Door Jambs

Finally, we the door jams and boot shuts, areas that are often forgotten during routine maintenance, but can be taken care of extremely quickly and easily.

It's almost inevitable that these 'in-between' areas will pick up scratches and grime because they're in contact with both the inside and the outside. Light abrasions from your shoes and general grime are the main concerns here. But again, these problem can be rectified in seconds.

For general grime, use a little Total Interior Cleaner or a 1:5 dilution of Verso All Purpose Cleaner. In most cases, a spritz and a wipe is all you need, but you can also agitate for the deepest clean on the most awkward areas such as around hinges and trim.

Our flagship cleaner wax - Tripple All-in-One Polish - along with a Microfibre Applicator - is also ideal for deep-cleaning and enhancing the painted parts found in these areas. Find out more about our carnauba-infused all in one car polish in our full guide: Take Your Detailing Your To The Next Level With Tripple Polish.

Cleaning Any Interior Step By Step

Stage 1: Clear Out

First we always clear out any rubbish, along with the car mats for cleaning later. Then we assess the amount of contamination present - in other words, how much cleaning we'll need to do for this particular detail.

If we're planning on a full on deep-clean, it's about now when we'll whip out the seats, along with any easily-removable trim for the best access. Not a job for routine maintenance, but it can be useful for the big details and restorations.

For most details we like to begin on the boot area, followed by the rear of the cabin, and then the front. This means that once each part of our interior is finished, we can move onto the next and we don't need to revisit that area. Here's a rundown of full process we complete on each area, one at a time...

Stage 2: Door Shuts

Cleaning these first helps prevents the grime from being dragged in as you get in and out of the car. In many cases, particularly if an exterior is being performed, we'll clean these areas before we even start the interior. All these will be cleaned up during our car wash. You'll find our full guide: How To Safely Wash A Car useful here.

If it's just an interior valet or detail you're looking to perform though, it's good to start with the shuts, door jambs and the inner doors.

A little Total or a 1:5 dilution of Verso agitated with a detailing brush is ideal on all areas and materials here. Be sure to complete the top of the doors and underneath any plastic trim, too. Any heaver marks we'll polish out using Tripple.

We'll also complete the headlining if needed. In a similar way to washing the exterior of the car, starting at the top and working downwards is almost always the best way to tackle the job. A little Total sprayed directly onto a Microfibre Work Cloth or an Upholstery Brush will clean your headlining effectively and, while we're at it, we'll also pull out the seatbelts and deep-clean those, too.

Stage 3: Cleaning Down Trim

Getting out the vacuum cleaner now for the carpets can often lead to dust and debris being transferred back to these areas as you clean the higher areas. We don't want to vacuum twice, right?

Instead we'll remove all traces of dust and dirt from the dashboard, centre-console and doorcards. A good pro tip is to dust first using a dry detailing brush, especially for the more intricate areas like switches, heater vents and around steering wheels. For the more sensitive finishes like gloss plastics we'll use a Feather Tip Brush as these are specifically designed not to abraid soft scratchable materials.

Then we'll move on to deep cleaning and sanitising surfaces with our Total Interior Cleaner. A quick spray and a wipe is ideal for routine maintenance, but for getting that little bit deeper, we'd always recommend agitating with a brush, and then wiping away any grime lifted out of surfaces with your Work Cloth. This process is safe on all the trim and all materials. Heavily soiled hard plastics can also be deep-cleaned even further using Total and a RevitaScrub interior cleaning pad.

Stage 4: Vacuum Cleaning

For most interior cleaning processes a plastic crevice tool is ideal for getting in there and lifting away both loose and ingrained debris. But a good pro tip is to make sure keep yours in tip-top condition, any chips and sharp edges can end up scratching or ripping the materials used in your interior. A brush attachment can also be useful for drawing grime particles our of carpets and fabrics. You'll need to keep this in the best possible condition, too. Try to avoid loading it up with heavy grit and grime, and never leave it on the floor.

First we'll remove the majority of the loose grime with a single pass - we're extremely thorough and methodical here, completing the carpets and any recesses inside door cards. Then we'll make another pass or two to finish. Again its always a good idea to vacuum interiors from the top down. Start with the seats (being sure to pull apart the bolsters as much as you can to target any hidden debris) and finish off with the carpets. Mats we'll always complete outside the car and pop them back in when the rest of the detail is finished.

Stage 5: Deep-Cleaning Seats And Trim

Car seats are quick and simple to clean with Total Interior Cleaner for fabrics and leather or Hide Leather Cleanser for even more regular leather cleaning. Using an Upholstery Brush for light agitation will help to gently draw out grime from under the surfaces and remove stains. Spray on your cleaning agent, agitate and wipe away the grime with a fresh Work Cloth.

When cleaning leather, remember that shiny leather is dirty leather, we're always looking for a factory matte finish. After cleaning leather seats (along with any other leather parts on doorcards arm rests and dashboards) it's also a good idea to use Hide Leather Conditioner to nourish, reintroduce essential oils and protect the surface until your next round of maintenance.

Stage 6: Deep Cleaning Carpets And Floor Mats

To draw out hidden dirt and heavy particles use Total Interior Cleaner (Or a 1:10-1:5 dilution of Verso APC on heavily soiled carpets) with an Upholstery Brush. The agitation will be enough to lift out the grime, which can then be wiped away with a microfibre Work Cloth or re-vacuumed. For heavily stained areas, a Scrubi Spot Pad is also extremely useful. For the full rundown on floor mats, including how to 'stripe' like a pro, see our article: How To Clean Car Mats Like A Pro.

Stage 7: Dress And Protect

One of our favourite finishing touches is dressing and protecting important areas like dashboads, doorcards, plastic trim, rubber seals and weatherstrips. It's here where you can really push your interior detail to the next level with a minimum of effort.

In fact, you even have a choice of finish when using Spritz and Dressle both are ideal finishing products for a fresh look but most importantly they offer plenty of UV protection and a non-greasy, dry-touch finish. So these not only look great, they protect from future cracking and fading, too.

Stage 8: Glass And Mirrors

Our very last step is the ultimate finishing touch for any detail, and that's cleaning the glass.

Achieving a streak and smear-free finish is a simple using Crystal Glass Cleaner. Either spray directly onto your glass and wipe using a Superior Waffle, or spritz directly onto your cloth and wipe for more targeted application avoiding. For maximum impact don't forget to clean your exterior glass, too.

And that's how you perform the best interior valet or detail in just a few easy steps, using the best interior cleaning products, and the types of contamination you need to know about on the way. Adapt this guide to your next detail and see the difference a little pro knowledge can make.

One last thing, too. Why not finish the job in style with one of our Auto Finesse Air Fresheners? A surefire way to push your results to the next level!

Be sure to check out the Guides Section Of Our Blog for more top detailing how-tos!