1. Use wet wipes

Many drivers and passengers do not think about the dirt that they collect on their hands daily.  Yet, all of the dirt and food transfers to everything you touch in your car or van: your seatbelt, steering wheel, dashboard, infotainment system, etc. 

Vehicles not only get dirty from the grime or dirt on your hands, but places like the dashboard also collect dust over time.  To help keep control of the dirt and dust, keep some pre-moistened wipes specifically designed for your car’s interior that can help the interior look clean and shiny. Keeping the wipes in the vehicle will also make it easier for you to remember to wipe the interior down regularly.

2. Clean cupholders and use cupholder liners

Some drivers need a caffeine fix on their morning commute to help them wake up.  If you have kids, you also tend to keep drinks in the car for when they get thirsty.  Anywhere a drink is situated, there is always a chance of it spilling. Cold drinks also produce condensation, which after time, can build some grime within your cupholders. 

Also, some people tend to use cup holders to store other items like spare change.  Cleaning your cup holders with wet wipes will help lessen the sticky mess that tends to end up in cup holders.  You can prepare for messy cupholders ahead of time by placing cupholder liners in your cupholder.  So, instead of cleaning out the cupholders, you can take the liner out and replace them. 

3. Clean up food and drink spills as quickly as possible

This tip is one of the most vital out of the others we have mentioned. Cleaning up drink and food spills immediately can will help keep unpleasant stains out of the interior.  

One of the worst things is getting rid of a dried stain from your vehicle’s material when cleaning your vehicle. Dried stains can soon become permanent and especially onerous to clean because the car’s textile material will have absorbed the liquid, leaving behind a tough and dry stain.

To stop this from happening, you need to take immediate action as soon as the stain happens.  Cleaning a stain while still fresh has an increased chance of being eradicated without much stress and harsh cleaning agents. 

We recommend keeping some fabric or all-purpose cleaner and a little brush somewhere in your car. That way, you can promptly pull over to remove the stain or at least address it when you reach your destination. No one wants to sit on dried drinks or condiments!

4. If you eat or drink in the vehicle, use a rubbish bag

It's inevitable in our fast-paced world that drivers and passengers will consume drinks and food in their vehicles when on the move.  However, food stains are tough to remove from upholstery, and even when you can remove them, a stain sometimes remains, particularly with fizzy drinks.  

Many drivers and passengers will grab some fast food on a journey.  However, the grease from food goes onto hands that touch the interior (from fabrics to plastics to wood to chrome), and dirt is collected.  Residues from food such as pastry flakes are often dropped and discarded - until it is too late.

Then you have to contend with all of the packaging that comes with the food and drinks. Paper bags, drinks bottles, plastic coverings, and other wrapping are sometimes left in the door pockets, the footwells or on the floor in the back.

Therefore, keep a rubbish bag in the car to store food, drink bottles, packaging, tissues, wipes or any other kind of rubbish. 

You might wonder, "why should I keep a rubbish bag in my car when I can just as quickly take the rubbish out when I get out of the vehicle?"  Well, having a rubbish bag in your car helps kids and passengers by giving them a place to put their rubbish, so they do not have to worry about it later.  It leaves less opportunity for waste to be left strewn across the vehicle.

Once the rubbish bag is full, you can just take it and throw it into your dustbin. 

5. Cover the car seats

Covering your seats allows you to protect them from getting dirty from consuming food and drink.  This is a particularly good tip if you don't have leather seats.  You can purchase car seat covers from retailers such as Argos or Halfords.

6. Give your car a regular vacuuming

Weekly vacuuming is one of the most vital activities for keeping your vehicle's interior clean.  It can extract the dirt, dust, and grime accumulated inside the car on various surfaces such as carpeting, upholstery, mats, and seat gaps. 

Vacuum all carpets, seats, back shelf, boot and even the dashboard, getting rid of as much dirt and dust as possible.  

To clean areas and crevices around seats, use the various attachments with different sizes and shapes that come with your vacuum cleaner.  But try to be careful not to mark any vinyl material when you use them.

7. Invest in reliable car mats

It’s crucial to remember that floor mats protect vehicle interiors from more than just rain and snow. If you frequent the beach or walk through the countryside, you’re dragging dirt and sand into your interior.  Just walking outside before getting into your car can bring grass or gravel inside the vehicle. 

In addition, plenty of passengers getting in and out of your vehicle can cause mats to shift, making it easy for the carpet underneath to be damaged.

“All-weather” style mats, though usually associated with cold weather, also protect carpets in the summer. These mats remain in place to help collect dirt, water and whatever else is thrown at them while also protecting the carpets from the wear and tear of your feet. The majority of these mats are easy to remove and clean as well!

8. Get your car professionally valeted

When you need to get the interior cleaned, you can either do it yourself or pay a professional valeter to do it for you. 

One of the main benefits of using a professional valeter is that it can save you the time, hassle and inconvenience of carrying out your own car cleaning.  Most valeters will attend your home or place of work at a time that suits you best, helping you regain your free time and weekends for yourself and/or your family.

In addition, professional valeters will use the correct vinyl treatment, dressings and shampoos to help improve your car's cleanliness and overall appearance.

9. Or clean the interior yourself

If you decide that you want to clean the interior yourself, get ready to contort your body into positions that you didn't even know existed, and for some of us, suffer the aches and pains the following day.

Here are some tips as to what you can do to clean your vehicle's interior:

1. Get the correct equipment to do the right job first. Some of the essential cleaning equipment you need should include:

• Interior wipes
• Microfibre cloths
• Some quality car shampoo
• Soft interior dash brush
• A quality car interior trim cleaner
• A pack of no-bleach anti-bacterial wipes
• An odour-killing spray
• A vacuum with wet and dry capability will do for a start

2.  Purchase and use a good shampoo. 

Mix it with some warm water to work on the doors with a chamois leather, focusing on plastics, vinyls and upholstered panels, making sure that you scrub hard and accurately, removing all marks and dirt. Then dry it all off with an interior microfibre cloth which polishes and also absorbs water.

Use the shampoo, along with clean water, on the carpet and seats and the dashboard. Rub vigorously to ensure all of the grime and dirt lifts off the material before wiping it with a drying cloth.  Then leave it to dry naturally. If possible, leave windows and doors open to help dry the interior, but take care to ensure that the security of the vehicle is not compromised. 

Do not use harsh detergents to clean the interior because they can fade the material that you are cleaning.

3.  Once you have completed the above and the interior is dry, you can move onto the windows and glass.  Use a high-quality product designed for cars, especially as you will find that the average glass cleaner might not eliminate the insect remains and other car splatters that you see on vehicles. 

Some glass cleaner products will have an anti-misting property to prevent windows from steaming up. Apply polish with an even film, letting it dry for about 5 minutes before polishing it off.

If you're not sure which products to purchase, speak to a staff member at a retailer such as Halfords.