What to Use to Clean the Inside of Your Car

17,600 minutes. That’s the average time American drivers spend behind the wheel. This means we spend approximately seven 40-hour weeks caged inside our vehicles. This is why we need to keep our car interior’s clean, to kill germs and bacteria that can affect our health and well-being. But what to use to clean the inside of car? Below is a list, in no particular order.

What to Use to Clean Inside of Car: 10 Must-Haves

1. Dodo Juice Concentrate 1 LITRE All Purpose Car Cleaner

Dodo Juice Concentrate’s price tag of $31 may be hefty at first glance, but since you can dilute it to a ratio of 1:10, it’s pretty reasonable. You can use it for carpets, headliners and upholstery. Its colorless solution makes it perfect for cleaning light-colored surfaces. And since it can be used with a foam lance, you won’t have droplets of water dripping everywhere.

For stubborn stains, dilute 1-part product with 7 parts water.

How to use:

1. In a bucket, mix 1 part Dodo Juice with 10 parts water.
2. Transfer the solution to a foam cannon bottle.
3. Spray the surface you want to clean.
4. Scrub with a detailing brush.
5. Rinse with a cloth dipped in clean water.
6. Dry thoroughly.

2. Simple Green 13005CT Industrial Cleaner and Degreaser

Need a car mat cleaner that’s both efficient and affordable? Then, Simple Green might just be the product for you. A gallon of this industrial grade cleaner and degreaser can be diluted to 1:10. This brings the cost down to a little over a dollar per gallon. This diluted solution can be used for cleaning all areas of your car. Now, for very tough stains, it’ll be best to dilute it to 1:7. This can remove animal waste, molds, and similar contaminants.

How to use:

1. Transfer the diluted solution to a spray bottle.
2. Spray on the car mats and leave for a few minutes. This will allow the product to work.
3. Scrub with a detailing brush then rinse thoroughly.
4. Air dry. Apply protector if preferred.

3. 303 UV Protectant Spray

If versatility is what you’re searching for, then 303 UV Protectant Spray might be for you. You can use it on your interior’s plastic, vinyl, fiberglass and leather surfaces. It’s non-toxic, so you can rest assure that you won’t be inhaling harmful chemical residues. It provides a dirt-resistant, beautiful matte finish that’ll improve the overall appearance of your car interior.

303 UV Protectant Spray comes in an easy-to-use spray formula and costs $13.20 per 16 fl. oz. bottle.

How to use:

1. Simply spray 303 on a soft towel to limit overspraying.
2. Use this to wipe the surfaces you want to clean.
3. Follow up immediately with a clean, dry towel.

4. Leather Cleaner by Leather Honey

Want to take your car’s leather surfaces to the next level? Leather Cleaner might be your best option. The number one leather care product on Amazon boasts of a water-repellent formula that’s non-toxic, non-solvent, and non-sticky. It’s odorless too, so it won’t hurt your sense of smell while you’re inside your vehicle. A bottle of 4 oz. costs $18.95.

How to use:

1. Dilute Leather Honey according to the instructions on the bottle.
2. Use a soft cloth for applying on leather surfaces. Just use a sufficient amount of product to prevent oversaturation.
3. Allow to dry completely. Then apply any of these leather care products to condition the leather surfaces in your vehicle.

5. ArmorAll Air Freshening Protectant Wipes

We all have those moments – coffee spilling on the dashboard, catsup on leather car seats, or, heaven forbid, ink stain provided by your very eager young artist who loves to draw inside your car.

The good news is you have a quick fix for those cases. Simply wipe the affected surface with a protectant wipe immediately to prevent staining. You can also use it for quick cleaning of your dashboard, steering wheel, panel, and everything in between. It leaves a fresh car scent, too!

A can of 30 wipes costs $3.50. That’s less than 12 cents per wipe!

6. Meguiar’s G9719 Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner

This carpet and upholstery cleaner has a professional-strength formula that has a deep cleaning power to effectively remove dirt and stubborn stains from carpets and upholstery. It comes in a dual-purpose sprayer that you can use for spot removal or overall cleaning. It costs $8.97 per 16 oz.

How to use:

For spot removal:

1. Spray the product directly on the spot. Leave for a few minutes.
2. Scrub with a soft cloth.
3. Use a detailing brush to remove stubborn stains.
4. Wipe off with a clean, damp microfiber towel.

For overall cleaning:

1. Use the mist spray function of the dual-purpose sprayer.
2. Spray on the area you want to clean.
3. Scrub lightly with a detailing brush.

7. Quick Glo Chrome Cleaner

Got some areas in your car that’s made of chrome? Do they look dull and fade, or rusty in some parts? Bring them back to life with Quick Glo Chrome Cleaner. It’s the one-step product for all things chrome. It’s made of eco-friendly materials that won’t harm your health, your car, and the environment.

How to use:

1. Get just the right amount of product with a clean, soft cloth.
2. Apply this evenly on the chrome surface you want to clean.
3. Follow up with a microfiber towel.

8. Microfiber towels

Can you imagine cleaning a car’s interior without at least a couple of microfiber towels? We can’t. A microfiber towel absorbs liquids eight times more effectively than ordinary cloths or towels. Its tiny pores suck dirt so contaminants are not spread on surfaces.

You can use it on all areas of your car’s interior, from the headliner down to the floor. Make sure you have several microfiber cloths in your detailing arsenal to use on different areas of your vehicle. This is to prevent cross-contamination.

9. Griot’s Garage Ultra-Premium Glass Cleaner

Griot’s Garage Ultra-Premium Glass Cleaner is a good choice if you want clean and streak-free windshield and windows. It foams upon contact, giving the product enough time to work on the contaminants on your glass surfaces.

How to use:

1. Spray on the window or glass surface you want to clean.
2. Wipe off with a lint-free cloth until surface is dry.

10. Steam Cleaning

What to use to clean inside of car?

Perhaps the best method for cleaning car interiors nowadays is steam cleaning. It lifts any contaminants from surfaces, making the cleaning process faster and easier.

It can virtually work well with any cleaning product. Use it on all areas of your interior to get a squeaking clean car that’s free of germs and bacteria. It can remove stains and molds. And since it sanitizes your car’s interior, you’ll be left with a clean, fresh-smelling vehicle you’d love to ride in anytime, anywhere.

Here’s how to use a steam cleaner in your car.

We hope the listed items above help you in your quest for what to use to clean inside of car. There are other brands and types of auto detailing products you can use to clean your car to perfection.

Be aware, however, of chemicals to watch out for when detailing your car’s interior. They can affect you and your loved ones’ health and wellness. They can also cause damage to your car and to the environment in the long run. Use green car wash supplies instead.

Want a car interior that’s safe, gleaming with cleanliness and smells fresh too? Schedule an appointment with DetailXPerts to have your car’s interior professionally detailed.

Need more car care tips? Sign up for our monthly newsletter.