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Prepping the Interior:

Get everywhere in between the seats behind the seats and
everywhere else that you get.

Use a solution of mild soap, wipe down all hard surfaces such
as the dashboard and steering wheel.



Instrument gauges, clock, radio,
rear view mirror, ash tray,
steering wheel, & horn assembly:

The ash tray should be spotless, empty it and inspect for rust
or burns.
As the ashtray may be costly to replace and hard to find, rub in
a little silver manifold dressing to mask the burn and blemish
marks.

To neutralize tobacco smoke, buy an aerosol can of
Dakota Non-Smoke.

Holding the can 12 to 14 in. away from fabrics, lightly spray the
headliner (don’t soak it), seats, door panels and carpet.

Then turn the fan to high and switch the system to max. A/C if
you have that option.

Find the intake opening by holding a tissue near the blower motor.
Then spray the mist into the opening.
Leave the windows closed for at least 1 hour.
Your car will smell like baby powder for a while, but that’ll go away.

When cleaning your rear view mirror, don't forget to clean
the backside.
Next clean out the glove box completely.
Check around the ignition lock for paint scratches.
Spray on a Q-Tip your favorite cleaner to remove accumulated dust
from around the instrument gauges.

To clean hard-to-reach places, such as air vents, use long-stemmed
cotton swabs.



Dash, air vents and sun-visors:

Dust the dash, cracks, crevices, console, etc.
Brush out the air vents.
Take an inexpensive artist’s paintbrush and give it a light shot of
furniture polish.
Work the brush into the crevices to collect the dust.
Wipe the brush off with a rag and move on to the next one.

 Remember to flip the sun-visor to clean the other side, and seek out
the discolored or rusty fasteners.
For a fast immediate cover up, just smear in a dab of silver
manifold dressing on the rusty fastener.
If the dash and headliners look dull a bit dull, squirt a mist of clear
tire blackener on your rag and slowly work it in to enhance the
luster shine.

Use vinyl trim dressing on dash boards, doors and console.
If you have leather seats, use only specifically designed leather
cleaners on your leather seats.

Any solvent-based cleaner will speed the aging of leather.
And keep conditioners and cleaners away from leather seat
stitching to prevent shrinkage.



Vinyl and Leather:

Use a leather conditioner on any leather surfaces.

A good interior protectant is especially useful for the many
vinyl and leather portions of the car's interior.
Not only do they provide protection from dirt and grime, as well as
the sun's harmful rays, but they also offer an attractive shine.



Seats and Seat Belts:

Make sure you clean the entire backside of the seats.
Analyze the seat belts, if fair shape wedge them along
side the seat, if they are nice, lock them over the seat.



Doors and Hinges:

Look inside the hinge area. Shine up door sills, and add
some luster to door panels.
Look closely at old rubber around the glass, especially between
the dash and windshield, plus dull weatherstripping.



Windows:

To remove cigarette smoke from windows, use a 50/50 solution
of ammonia and water.

Clean the glass using an auto-specific glass cleaner.
This includes the inside and outside of all windows, windscreens,
lights, and mirrors.

If you have a rear window defroster, use a window cleaner designed for
automotive glass.
Ammonia can break down the heating elements in your rear window,
those thin lines, which are small wires used for defrosting.
When you clean the rear glass, scrub gently, and in the direction of
the defroster grid, not across it.

Once you have cleaned all the glass and windows, get rid of the streaks
by going over them again with a clean, damp (with water only) synthetic
chamois or other clean cloth.

Then take a clean dry terry cloth and polish them dry and you'll be
amazed how nice they look.
This will get rid any remaining streaks.



Carpeting and floor mats:

The most important care that you can give your car’s carpets and
cloth seats is a weekly vacuuming.
This removes the majority of the grit that destroys these fabrics.

Stay away from hard vacuum attachments while cleaning your car.
They are known to cause scuffs and scrapes along with the trim
bordering your carpet.

To remove grease or oil stains on the carpet or seat fabric, apply
cornstarch to the spot.
Let it sit an hour, then vacuum.

If you have other carpet or seat stains, spray carpet cleaner, scrub
and use carpet brush.
Take a clean terry towel and rub over area to soak up cleaner.

For really dirty or stained interiors household carpet and upholstery
shampoos work very well.

Wrap masking tape or duct tape inside out around one hand.
Then massage over the entire carpet area, to ensure picking up the
fuzz balls, hair from unknown origins, and small change.

Decide how dirty your floor mats are.
If vacuuming will not clean them, wet them, and spray on carpet cleaner
and scrub with carpet brush.
Then, rinse until the water runs clear.
Use a wet/dry vacuum to suck up the water.
Then hang mats over a fence or clothes line to dry the rest of the way.

To remove lipstick, blot the spot with white vinegar and rinse with
fresh water.
For coffee, saturate with club soda
and blot with a clean rag.