Cleaning Car Vinyl

Have you ever stopped to think about how many surfaces there are in a car? The shapes, textures and materials of a car's interior all make for a unique cleaning experience. Due to the hassle that all of these different surfaces create, many people leave the cleaning (or detailing) of their car to the professionals. Simply put, many people would rather pay someone else to do the job instead of having to put up with these problems themselves. Here is how you can clean the vinyl in your car yourself and get that professional detail look, at a fraction of the cost. This task is surprisingly easy, and one that anyone can do with minimal fuss.

Things to get:

• Vacuum
• Vacuum crevice tool
• Soft bristled brush
• Warm soapy water
• Sponge or washcloths
• Vinyl protectant/cleaner (i.e. Armor All)

Things to do:

The first thing you are going to do is vacuum out the interior of the car. Use your crevice tool (that is the narrow, flat hose attachment) to make sure that you reach all parts of the car, including those nasty hard to reach spaces. You want to do this so that as you are cleaning the vinyl with the liquids later, you won't create a bigger mess.

After you have vacuumed out the car, you can start cleaning the vinyl. Spray the cleaner onto the highest part of the seats. If you are cleaning the dashboard, then start at the top and work your way down or outward from the place that you sprayed. This is to avoid any streaking might result from the use of the cleaner or protectant. The protectant is used to help prevent fading and cracking caused by the sun.

At this point you can also use a soft bristled brush to help "scrub" out the crevices in the seats and dashboards. Simply spray the cleaner onto the brush, and work the bristles gently, using small circular movements. By alternating those movements with a back and forth motion. This should completely clean off the vinyl surfaces in your car.

Cleaning off your vinyl floor mats is exceptionally easy. Remove the mats from the car and clean them with either the protectant spray or soapy water. If you are using the protectant, then spray one side, and completely clean that off, using some washcloths or a sponge. Allow it to dry before proceeding to the other side. If you are using soapy water, use a sponge or washcloth, build up a decent lather, and scrub the mat. After rinsing the mats off with regular, warm water, allow them to air dry in a shady place, so that they will be dry and not fade or crack from direct exposure to the sun.