We all like to have a clean interior on our cars. Certainly it can’t be as clean as this show car, but it usually can be a lot better than what it is. Over time, cars take on an odor that’s kind of a combination of french fries and sweat socks, and things get kind of grimy-looking. How do you go about making it smell better and look better? 

Well, you start with the carpeting using a carpet and upholstery cleaner. That’ll get rid of a lot of the odor because that’s where the odor resides. Plus, the carpeting, well, it’ll look a lot better, and the whole car will look better. From there you’re going to move up slightly. You’re going to move up to the vinyl along the inside. And if you have to have vinyl seats or plastic on the dash, you’re going to use an appropriate cleaner. It might be a general purpose cleaner, or it might be something specific that your owner’s manual recommends. ‘Course you’re going to want glass cleaner to clean the glass.

But here’s something you may not be aware of: the details, how do we get all of the details done? Well, that involves Q-tips, small brushes, things like these foam brushes, to get down into areas that are difficult to reach. That detailing is what makes all the difference. If you have a leather interior, that means special treatment. You want the proper leather cleaner and the proper leather conditioner. Don’t use a general purpose product on leather because it can actually shorten its life.

Then comes the dash. Note, one of the things that a lot of people use on dash is the high-gloss product, the protectants. Well, you should never use those on the dash, the steering wheel, the pedals, on the dash, they’re too shiny, on the steering wheel, they’re slippery, on the pedals, they’re slippery. . .they have their place, but that’s not where they should be used. Here’s a product from Perma-tech, this is a foam that, it’s a mousse that comes out in a controlled manner so that it doesn’t get all over the windshield and the trim and everything like that. It does a very good job and doesn’t make a mess. So something you might want to consider.

Something else, most modern cars have some form of touch-screen or some screen that needs to be cleaned. And it may be plastic, and it’s easily damaged. Here we have screen clean from Perma-tech that’ll clean that screen without discoloring it, scratching it, or in any way damaging it. It’s an afternoon’s work, but a car that smells good and looks good actually feels a lot better to drive. And if you have a question or comment, drop me a line, right here at MotorWeek.