At first glance at the vehicle, it becomes clear how well the owner treats his car. And it's not just about washing the body. Systematic dry cleaning of the interior of the machine is also necessary. As a rule, for such a service, most people turn to professional services, where they use special chemicals and equipment. At the same time, such services are quite expensive. As an alternative to this, it is worth doing dry cleaning of the car interior yourself. We’ll talk now about how this procedure is done.
What do we need
Before dry cleaning the car interior with our own hands, we should prepare for this. Props you will need:
- brushes, it is advisable to choose products with stiffer bristles for the floor, as well as soft bristles for chairs;
- sponge (or you can take a piece of clean foam rubber);
- microfiber cloths;
- a vacuum cleaner, with the help of this device you can remove dust and debris from the vehicle; A special advantage will be the presence of a washing model of household appliances, since this will simplify the process of dry cleaning the car interior with your own hands;
- a water tank (any bucket will do), however, it is advisable that the procedure be performed next to a source of clean water, since it will often have to be changed;
- protective accessories (gloves, goggles, respirator): here you should at least think about rubber gloves;
- household chemicals: there are quite a large number of different chemicals, it is worth saying that you should not look for a universal product, it is better to choose separate products for fabric, plastic and glass;
- polish, with its help you can emphasize the beauty of a cleanly washed car interior.
Finally, before you start cleaning the car interior with your own hands, you need to wait for sunny and warm weather - this way you will not feel any discomfort while working. In addition, you can perform the procedure in a spacious room.
But lighting is very important here, too, because otherwise you won’t be able to see all the contaminated areas.
What not to do
The purchased product does not necessarily have to cleanse. If you choose incorrectly, it can smear the dirt even more and also damage the car’s upholstery, so it’s worth trying it on a small area initially.
Also, you should not use aggressive substances that can corrode both the sheathing material itself and the glue that holds it together. It is strictly not recommended to use products like acetone. Even soap threatens the condition of the skin.
It is not recommended to use a vacuum cleaner. This is a good method for removing dust from seat upholstery, but in the case of headliners, this method does not seem to be successful. Considering the fact that the ceiling lining is very thin, it will be easily damaged, which means that it will have to be replaced, which will be more expensive than dry cleaning.
There are special washing vacuum cleaners that will help clean the ceiling of a car without damaging the upholstery. You should not clean without first preparing the skin. In this case, it is possible to increase the area of contamination and leave stains.
Also, you should not use abrasive sponges to clean the car ceiling, as they can leave scratches on it, which will collect more dust than before, making traces of dirt more visible.
Do-it-yourself dry cleaning of the car interior: means
If we talk about chemicals, then, first of all, it must be said that various products for washing dishes, shampoos, etc. will not be the best option. Professional products completely disappear within twenty-four hours after their use, but if we talk about ordinary household chemicals, then their particles will remain in the cabin for a long time . As a result, inhalation of such chemicals can lead to poor health.
In addition, unprofessional powders and gels sometimes only lead to the appearance of another contaminant in place of a small spot - but it will be an order of magnitude larger. In addition, after water gets on fabric that has already been cleaned with various Vanishes, stains will appear. It is better to resort to special means, such as :
- Profoam;
- Autosol;
- Faculty;
- PRO Line, etc.
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As already mentioned, they are all differently effective on different surfaces, so one bottle won’t do the trick.
Preparing the vehicle
Before you start cleaning the car interior with your own hands , you should perform a number of actions:
- turn off the engine, after which you should remove the key from the ignition switch (this will prevent the possibility of a short ignition);
- take away everything unnecessary from the car;
- do dry cleaning, vacuum everything thoroughly, wipe with a cloth;
- use a compressor to blow out hard-to-reach places (if possible);
- remove the seats and pull them out (this is not necessary, but such a solution will greatly simplify the task of cleaning the car).
Having completed all these steps, you can begin dry cleaning your car, going through all the stages.
DIY ceiling dry cleaning
We divide the ceiling into several zones, and then apply the cleaning agent to one of them. It is most convenient to use aerosol or foam here. In any case, it is important to cover the entire surface with chemicals, otherwise stains will be visible. Movements must be performed in one direction (for example, from the windshield to the trunk). At the same time, you should not rub too hard, because the ceiling material is generally quite delicate, so it will fluff up if you are not careful. After completely cleaning the first zone, we proceed to the next one.
If foam gets onto another part of the interior, you should immediately remove it with a damp cloth.
If dry cleaning the car ceiling with your own hands did not help the first time (when the ceiling is very dirty), then you should repeat the procedure again.
It is also necessary to ensure that the ceiling is not too wet. Otherwise, the next morning you may see that this element of car decor has completely come off.
Drying
Even if the owner of the car used the dryest possible rags to remove any remaining detergent, after washing there will still be moisture in the interior. To prevent the car body from subsequently starting to rust or, even worse, mold from appearing in the interior, the interior must be dried.
To do this, you need to open the doors, trunk, and hood of the car and leave it like that for several hours. The procedure usually takes at least two hours. The resulting draft will remove any remaining moisture from the interior.
Seats
In fact, everything here is the same as with the ceiling. You should start working with the dirtiest areas - the end fabrics. The largest stains should not be scrubbed or soaked for a long time. Otherwise, there is a high probability of suffering with drying the material, or even ruining the fabric.
In the case of fabric seats, Profoam 2000 and 4000 show good performance. Apply the composition evenly to the area, and after a couple of minutes remove everything with a microfiber sponge. But sometimes difficult situations happen. Here it is worth remembering a couple of secrets:
- fresh stains can be removed with a damp cloth;
- Using a vinegar solution (1 tablespoon per glass of water) you can remove alcohol stains;
- tea or coffee dissolves thanks to ammonia;
- blood can be cleansed using cold water and salt;
- To remove cosmetics, use medical alcohol.
But with leather upholstery, you should be more careful when dry-cleaning car seats yourself. There are many options that differ in finish and type of coating. For natural materials, it is worth taking special moisturizing products. If you use a soap solution, it is important to wipe everything dry, and then treat the material with a special leather cream.
If this is not done, the upholstery will begin to crack.
Household chemicals and folk recipes
To avoid going to the dry cleaner, you need to purchase a set of cleaning chemicals. The automotive chemicals market is filled with a huge selection of different products.
The best cleaning compounds:
- Tuba Von emsal is a foam stain remover. The powerful formula of the cleaner penetrates deep into the material, removing coffee stains, juice stains, and greasy marks. Do not wet the cloth with water; use only foam stain remover for cleaning. One bottle is enough for one sedan ceiling.
- Hi-Gear Super Stuff creates a foam that penetrates deeply into upholstery materials and removes stubborn dirt. Foam stain remover restores the appearance and texture of the material, eliminates unpleasant odors. The cleaner creates a protective film on the casing. It enhances the ceiling's resistance to stains.
- Profoam 4000 is a foam cleaner. Use to clean ceilings, seats and other fabric surfaces. Surfactants remove dirt from fabrics well and do not damage the structure of the surface being cleaned. Cleans without streaks.
Use chemical compounds with gloves. The drugs are harmful to the skin of the hands.
You can make your own cleanser. You can remove grease stains, lipstick marks, or juice stains using homemade methods.
- A good cleanser is made from table vinegar. It is diluted with water. Vinegar perfectly removes greasy stains without damaging the upholstery. Dampen the microfiber and gently wipe the dirty areas. Take a clean, damp cloth and remove any remaining vinegar.
- You can wash the leatherette with dishwashing detergent. Pour the gel into a container with water, beat into foam. Apply the foam to the leatherette, rub, and walk along the ceiling with a damp microfiber.
Artificial suede (Alcantara) is cleaned with a foam sponge. Do not use detergents, foam cleaners for leather, velor or fabric. Separate products are sold for Alcantara. Foam in an aerosol package is applied to the entire surface of the ceiling, left for 3 minutes, and removed from the covering with a soft cloth.
Doors
To begin with, we clean the fabric inserts with foam, then treat the plastic elements with a special product. To clean the power window control buttons, you should use a sponge so as not to damage the electronics .
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Before you start cleaning the doors, you should cover the glass with soapy water. This way you can avoid damage to the glass if aggressive chemicals come into contact with them.
Plastic panels
It is important to do everything very carefully so that the special equipment does not splash on the car windows. To prevent damage to the windshield by chemical agents, it is advisable to first coat it with a soap solution. To prevent moisture from damaging the wiring of the car radio, it should either be removed or sealed with tape. We apply chemicals to the plastic with a sponge . After a couple of minutes, the foam can be removed with a sponge.
Using toothbrushes and cotton swabs allows you to reach the most difficult to reach places.
Cleaning with a steam generator
Steam can remove a large amount of dirt. This is convenient when people who use this vehicle have an allergic reaction to chemicals. This requires preparation for cleaning.
It is necessary to thoroughly wash the outside of the car so that subsequently dirt does not get from there into the interior of the car. Then you should remove large debris inside, for which you can use a vacuum cleaner, which should not touch the ceiling.
All fabric surfaces should be sprayed with steam from a vacuum cleaner; it easily penetrates the material and blows out dirt. The procedure should be carried out until the contaminants disappear.
If you are not allergic to chemicals, you can pre-treat all surfaces with shampoo. At this stage, a large amount of foam will appear, which should be left for a while, then removed using a vacuum cleaner at low power or using a microfiber cloth. Then you should steam again over all surfaces.
Floor
First, you should clean each rug individually. After that, we proceed directly to the floor. We apply foam or aerosol, after a couple of minutes you can remove everything with a napkin or vacuum cleaner. Then we run a napkin over the surface - if it gets dirty, repeat the procedure one more time.
When the floor is cleaned, we begin processing the trunk - here the procedure will be absolutely identical.
