Do-it-yourself dry cleaning of the car interior

In addition to the usual washing of the outside of the car, each driver had to clean the inside of the car with his own hands. In order to put the salon in order, you need to use a range of techniques, tools, accessories. How to dry-clean the car interior with your own hands will be discussed in the article.

Do-it-yourself dry cleaning of a car interior should be understood as cleaning the interior surfaces with the help of professional products. You should not use household chemicals, which will not help in this situation. On the contrary, it can be harmful.

If you carry out cleaning of a car by specialists, then such a pleasure costs a lot of money. Self-cleaning will be much cheaper, but longer in time. You will have to spend only on professional funds. In addition, only you are the owner of your car, and it will not need to be left in an unfamiliar place.

Among the disadvantages of home dry cleaning, we note the following: poor-quality processing or completely damaged upholstery, panel, ceiling. The disadvantage is a large amount of time and effort spent. But everyone chooses the methods of dry cleaning based on finances, efforts, time.

For such painstaking work, you will have to prepare in advance, perhaps visit more than one car store. But the effort is worth it. Before starting work, the motorist must have the following tools and materials.

• Car steam generator or spray bottle.Having such devices, it is easy to ensure an even distribution of liquid chemicals over the entire area, to carry out a deeper cleaning. Moreover, this is a certain way of saving. Nowadays, a tornador is often used - the device works under pressure. A strong jet of air is able to get into all difficult places.
• The foam extractor is used to clean polyester seats. It acts as a vacuum cleaner and foam sprayer. But all these devices will pay off if the owner always carries out his own dry cleaning. Indeed, for one time, acquiring such purchases will be ruinous business.
• Lots of microfiber rags. It is better to use rags of light colors, because during its interaction with the solution, shedding may occur, and the upholstery will be painted in different colors.
• Foam sponge: it is convenient for it to apply foam.
• Several brushes of different hardness. The choice depends on what kind of car seat upholstery.
• Polishing napkins.
• Home vacuum cleaner. It is he who has great power, will process all hard-to-reach places.
• Several attachments to the compressor and to the drill.
• Personal protective equipment. Gloves are required, it is advisable to use a respirator: it will protect the nose from the effects of many different odors of chemical origin.
• A bucket for water.
• Protective chemistry.
• Professional chemistry.

The rating of funds from Russian drivers is as follows:

• Profoam;
• Autosol;
• ASTROhim;
• Gunkdetap;
• Hi-Gear.

The best option will be considered if the stains are immediately removed from the surface. Then you won't have to fight hard. But it is not always possible to do this. Old stains are deeply ingrained into the fibers of the fabric and are difficult to remove.

The main stages of dry cleaning of a car dealership at home include the following.

1. Preparatory stage.
2. Ceiling cleaning.
3. Cleaning of seats, seat belts.
4. Door and glass cleaning.
5. Front Panel.
6. Cleaning of floors, rugs.
7. Polishing.

Before self-cleaning, you need to properly prepare the car. First you need to remove unnecessary things from the cabin, remove rugs, covers. In this case, it is better to turn off the ignition switch in the car, make sure that all electrical appliances are turned off. For for the steel horse to dry faster, it is necessary that the harvesting takes place on a sunny day. If this is a garage space, then it must be well ventilated. After the preparation is done, you can proceed to the details.

Detergent is immediately applied to the entire ceiling surface: it makes no sense to spray chemistry pointwise. When choosing auto chemistry, you need to pay attention to the products that form a foamy structure. After application, the product must be left for a few minutes. Rubbing it in is not recommended. After the time has elapsed, the leftovers can be easily removed with a rag. It is quite easy to do this: the dirt is removed with light movements, the rags are periodically rinsed.

The second stage, the most difficult one, is dry cleaning of car seats. You should not immediately pick up chemistry, you must first get rid of the debris that accumulates between the armrest and the seat. To do this, you can use a small brush, paint brush, or toothbrush. A household vacuum cleaner will be of great help. Most often, car devices have low power. The difficulty lies in the fact that different upholstery needs to be cleaned using different means. You can choose them according to the attached instructions.

• You can use a foam stain remover to clean the velor. As with a ceiling, the liquid is applied to the area to be treated, a certain amount of time is waited, and then all residues are removed. In the presence of old stains, it is additionally necessary to apply the product, then remove everything with a brush.
• For processing leather, special means are needed, where the composition includes impregnations that extend the life of the products. Use of brushes, abrasive substances for leather seats is prohibited. Sparing products will be needed for leather or leatherette.

We suggest using special stain removers.

• Wine stains can be removed with a solution of water and vinegar (one teaspoon per liter of water).
• Streaks from tea and coffee will help wash 10% ammonia.
• Ethanol will help remove lipstick and ballpoint marks.
• Greasy traces can be easily removed with dishwashing detergents.
• Any gum that has stuck to the tissue can be removed with a piece of ice.

Door cards are cleaned in the same way as chairs: the choice of funds should be carried out based on the upholstery material. If you have electric car windows, you need to apply the product yourself: with a sponge or rag. In this way, you can save the mechanisms.

For the front panel, you need to select chemicals that are suitable for cleaning plastic. Any will do: liquid, paste, foam. This uses an aerosol or sponge. Before starting work, it is recommended to insulate electrical elements with construction tape. After cleaning the surface, it is acceptable to apply the final polish with microfiber.

You can use cleaning wipes, cotton swabs, or a toothbrush to clean parts such as the air vents. This process is long, but the result will please you for sure.

Before starting work, so that there is no interlacing of the belts, they must be pulled out as much as possible, and then clamped with the door. Sometimes it is enough to simply vacuum the seat belts. If after that the surface of the belt is replete with spots, then you will have to apply all the same measures as for the upholstery of the seats.

In case of severe contamination, they are cleaned with chemical agents. It is always necessary to remember that belts must not be cleaned with aggressive means: the strongest chemicals can weaken the fixing property of the fasteners. The steering wheel is cleaned with microfiber, and the resulting dirt between the seams is removed with a toothbrush and a mild cleaner.

With glass, everything is simple: first, any soap solution is applied, then it is washed off, wiped off, glass cleaner is applied, and then wiped dry with a clean microfiber. Any stains or streaks can be easily removed with an alcohol-based product, but no ammonia.

The difficulty in cleaning floors is that there are many hard-to-reach places. In addition, the surface is heavily soiled due to constant contact with dirty shoes. To get rid of tough stains, a household stain remover diluted with warm water is suitable for carpets, carpets. Foam is injected with a sponge and applied to the rugs. The foam is absorbed after a while, and the remains should be removed with a vacuum cleaner. Remaining stains should be given more attention: reapply foam, remove with a vacuum cleaner or brush.

The trunk is perhaps the easiest to clean. First you need to remove everything from there, and then vacuum it. If there is a soft surface, then the processing is the same as in the case of car rugs.If there is a rubber covering, damp cleaning is sufficient.

Polishing is carried out either with the use of special polishing napkins, or with the use of special auto chemicals. Wait until all plastic parts are completely dry before starting work. Then a small amount of the product is applied to a rag and applied in active circular movements to the desired surface.

You can't just get rid of moisture in the cabin, no matter how many rags are used, no matter how dry they wipe. To avoid the appearance of rust, the car must be dried. For several hours it is necessary to open the doors, hood, trunk.

Above was an example of how it is necessary to carry out wet cleaning, but many people use dry cleaning. This is the treatment of the entire surface with a special chemical composition. First, the interior is also vacuum cleaned: it is necessary to remove all excess available debris. After that, a special auto chemistry is applied to all surfaces. After a while, the dirt can be removed with a household appliance.

Dry processing has its advantages. If there are people who smoke in the car, then the persistent smoky smell disappears instantly. In addition, after all the work, no condensation or moisture remains. This means that you don't have to dry the car.

For a beginner, this procedure presents some difficulties. Experienced motorists advise using some recommendations.

• To avoid streaks, you must use a microfiber cloth.
• A soft brush on the vacuum cleaner will help prevent scratching the surface while cleaning.
• To protect leather and leatherette, apply a neutral level water-based conditioner after cleaning. In this way, cracks can be avoided.
• Before the main cleaning of the seats, it is best to first apply the product to the invisible part of the upholstery. This is done in order to avoid the unwanted effects of chemicals on the material.
• Wet and dry cleaning: what are the differences? Wet processing uses liquid based chemistry. Dry cleaning involves the use of products based on volatile solvents.
• Self-cleaning requires utmost attention to detail. For example, it is necessary to be very careful with chrome parts.
• The used products must be used according to the instructions.
• The car must not be used immediately after dry cleaning. Thorough drying is a must.
• It is forbidden to heavily soak all surfaces of the passenger compartment with water or other liquid. Liquids dry for a long time, and they cause mold and mildew.
• During cleaning, you cannot use abrasive cosmetics: it will permanently disable any surface.

To help you spend less time on dry cleaning, there are some preventative measures you can take.

• Purchase of tight covers.
• Carrying out frequent routine cleaning using a vacuum cleaner - as needed.
• Major cleaning should take place once every six months. After cleaning, you need to apply protective equipment to plastic surfaces that will not allow moisture, dust, and sunlight to pass through. Do not purchase products with silicone impregnation.
• Keep it clean: do not smoke, eat or drink less in the cabin.

An important issue is the elimination of extraneous odors. For example, cigarette smoke is very corrosive. It will retreat only when the interior has been cleaned to perfect condition. Don't forget about hard-to-reach places. After a thorough cleaning of the inside of the car, think about changing the cabin filter.

Mold and other sour odors are eliminated by using an ozone generator. Now auto shops sell special products made from natural microbes with enzymes. Such products are sprayed in the place where the unpleasant smell comes from: enzymes absorb bad bacteria, the smell disappears.

For information on how to dry-clean a car with your own hands, see the next video.