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[INTRO MUSIC]
Whether you feel like cleaning is a soothing ritual or a task best procrastinated, cleaning
your stuff is part of adulting.
So let’s take a look at a simple but effective checklist for cleaning the interior of your
car.
We should note that this guide is geared towards folks on a budget who own a car that maybe
isn’t in completely pristine condition, and not for folks who won a new car on the
Price is Right.
One day...
Okay, first up, let’s gather our supplies.
Here is a list of household cleaning materials, with a few car-specific cleaners if you want
to go the extra mile.
A bucket, soft cloth, laundry detergent, dish soap, a vacuum, and toothbrushes can go a
long way by themselves.
But, it’s good to remember that dish and laundry soaps are designed to clean dishes
and clothes, and therefore aren’t always the best choice to use on your car.
If you’re unsure how a soap solution is going to affect the material you’re applying
it to, it’s always a good idea to test it out on a small section of the car first.
Step one: clear out all of your stuff.
A car is a room on wheels, so it makes sense that you might have a few things in there
that don’t belong, but have lingered nonetheless.
Grab some trash bags and sort your stuff into ‘stuff that belongs in the car’, ‘stuff
that belongs elsewhere’, and ‘stuff that goes in the trash that is too big to vacuum’.
Here’s lookin’ at you, four-year-old french fry. [violin sting]
Step two: FLOOR MATS
If you have removeable floor mats, remove them!
Then whack them on the ground to get the smaller dusty particles out and vacuum to get rid
of any big particles in the fibers or crevices.
If you have rubber mats you can use a hose or a bucket of water, and some detergent to
wash away any stains or remaining dust with a sponge or cloth.
Then give them a rinse, towel them off, and hang them up to air dry while you go about
the rest of your cleaning spree.
If you have cloth mats you’ll want a stiff bristle brush, a laundry detergent and water
mix, and some degreaser if you have some particularly bad or greasy stains.
First, if you’ve got any obvious nasty spots, spray the degreaser on the cloth side and
let it sit for about 15 minutes or so.
Then take that stiff bristled brush from your detergent-water mix and give the mat a good
brush-down in vertical strokes, and then perpendicular horizontal strokes.
After that, use an absorbent cloth and some elbow grease to absorb as much water and suspended
dirt as you can.
Hang it up to dry while you complete the rest of the car cleaning.
Make sure your mats are sahara dry before putting them back in your car.
The last thing you want from your cleaning session is to wind up with a musty or moldy
floor.
Step three: VACUUM.
Vacuum up all of the loose debris in your car using an attachment without bristles.
This requires getting up close and personal with the crumbs of past snacks, dog hair,
and dirt.
Make sure to get under each seat, and use the crevice tool of your vacuum to get into
every nook and cranny.
Step four: FLOORS
If you have a vinyl or rubber floor just use mild dish soap, water, and a rag.
Easy peasy!
If you have a carpeted floor, cleaning it is a little tricky.
You don’t want to get anything too wet for too long or it will mildew and mold.
If the carpet isn’t too dirty, the safer play is probably to just vacuum.
Better to look at a tiny coffee stain than smell putrid mold, I always say.
But if you have a few stains that are driving you bananas, dilute some laundry detergent
with water and put it in a spray bottle, or use products specifically designed for car
carpeting.
Spritz ‘er a few times, then grab your brush and get busy.
Dab the spot with a damp rag to remove the soap and dirt, but again, don’t let your
carpet get too wet.
Make sure those spots are dry before closing all your doors and windows.
If you’re on a time crunch and you’ve still got wet spots, you can bust out a hair
dryer and extension cord to finish the job quickly.
Bonus points for pointing the hair dryer at yourself and pretending you’re in a shampoo
commercial.
Step five: SEATS
For fabric upholstered seats, fill two buckets with water, one hot and one cold.
Then put a small amount of laundry detergent in the hot water bucket.
Lightly dampen the brush or rag with the water from the hot bucket, then scrub your stain.
Finally, use a cloth or towel dampened with the cold bucket and remove excess soap and
dirt with it.
To get into those seams, try using a toothbrush.
Leather seats are a little trickier.
Clean them with commercial leather cleaner, saddle soap, or a very diluted solution of
liquid dish washing soap.
Lightly dampen a soft cloth with your soap solution and gently wipe the surfaces down.
Be careful not to use too much water or it might stain your leather or seep into the
cushions.
Because leather is literally cow skin, you need a conditioner to keep it from drying
out and cracking.
Apply some leather conditioner to a soft cloth and lightly massage it into the seat.
You want to strike a balance on leather: make sure your car’s seat-skin doesn’t dry
out, but don’t get it super greasy either.
Step six: INTERIOR WINDSHIELD
Cleaning the interior of your windshield requires some interesting and potentially difficult
arm positioning, but trust me, it’ll be worth it.
For a deep clean, first grab a dry, clean, soft cloth and wipe the entire windshield.
Next, put a few towels on the dashboard to prevent any spillage from glass to dash.
Then apply some rubbing alcohol or glass cleaner to a paper towel or clean cloth and get to
wiping.
Another method is to use a crumpled up newspaper with a white vinegar and water mixture.
Rub your windshield down in a circular pattern to eliminate spots, and finish off with some
vertical and horizontal strokes.
Step seven: DUSTING HARD SURFACES
For this step, you can buy some Armor All or some other brand, or use a bucket of hot
water with some mild dishwashing soap, and a rag.
You can use a soft toothbrush, q-tip, or soft paintbrush to get into those hard-to-reach
places like the AC vents, or around various knobs.
Add the soap to the tool you’re using instead of spraying directly on the surface.
This will decrease the likelihood of staining that precious vinyl.
And finally, be careful not to apply vinyl or leather cleaner or any other slippery solution
to your steering wheel or gearstick.
Even the most beautifully polished wheel or stickshift is not worth spending a night -- or
a month -- in the hospital.
And there you have it!
Make sure to bask in the cleanliness of your car’s interior while you can, but don’t
sweat it when the next french fry drops, or your dog jumps in after running around in
the mud.
Life is messy.
If you have any car interior cleaning tips or tricks, let us know in the comments!
We love to hear from you and continue the conversation.
And if you want to learn more about adulting with Hank and me, subscribe to us at youtube.com/learnhowtoadult.
We’re hoping to have an episode for cleaning the exterior of your car in the future, so
keep an eye out, and happy cleaning!
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Dish soap.
Can I never say dish soap in other scripts ever again?
But it’s good to remember that dish s-thppp.
Man, now my eyes hurt.
[laughter]
Okay.
Step—step four floor.
[laughter]
Step four—
Step four.
Floor.
[laughter]
Can I say floors?
Step four.
Floors.
[off-screen] You’re like back there, giggling!
[off-screen] I’m a terrible director.
Everybody just take a deep breath, and hold it.
Better to look at a tiny coffee stain than smell putrid mold, I always say.
Lightly dampen a brush or a rag with the water from the hot bocket.
Hot pocket.