How to Clean a Car Interior and Remove Cigarette Smoke
Many people take great pride in their cars. However, as most car owners soon discover, without constant upkeep and maintenance, the interior of a car can go from "new" to "ewwww" rather quickly. Trash, mud, dirt and other debris can build up quickly without you even realizing it, and suddenly the interior of your car needs a complete cleaning makeover. This can be even worse if you or someone who rides in your car smokes cigarettes; the smoke smell can seem to linger forever. Take proper care when cleaning your car's interior and you can have a new-looking and new-smelling car again.
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Things You'll Need
- Vacuum cleaner with soft brush attachment
- Soft paintbrush
- Dusting product
- Carpet shampooer
- Leather and vinyl cleaner
- Soft cloth
- Baking soda
Instructions
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Open all windows in your car while you clean so that smoke odor and fumes from the cleaning products can escape.
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Slide your driver and passenger seats all the way forward and remove any large pieces of debris you find there. Often you will find loose change, pens, children's toys or other large objects a vacuum would not pick up. Slide the seats all the way back and do the same thing.
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Remove any large pieces of debris from the door pockets, glove box or other compartments.
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Remove the mats and vacuum all areas of the carpet, including fabric seats. Move the seats up and back as necessary to get underneath. Use the soft brush attachment for leather seats, dashboard and the interior of the door pockets and compartments.
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Vacuum the mats that you removed from the car to remove dust and small debris. Also vacuum heat and air conditioner vents to remove dust and dirt from those areas.
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Spray the bristles of a soft artist's paintbrush or other similar brush with a dusting product. Run the brush through the air vents to get into the small areas where the vacuum cannot reach. This will prevent loose dust from blowing into your car next time you use your vents.
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Shampoo all carpets (including carpeted seats) and car mats with a carpet shampooer. These tools are designed to apply, massage and vacuum a cleaning product so that it soaks into the carpet and removes stains and odors, including cigarette smoke.
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Treat your leather and vinyl surfaces (such as seats and dashboards) with a leather and vinyl cleaner, available at automotive retailers and home improvement stores. Wipe the surfaces down with a soft cloth dampened with the cleaner. Allow it to air-dry.
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Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda onto dry carpets and let it sit for at least 24 hours. The baking soda will absorb smoke odors from the carpet. Vacuum up the remainder of the baking soda. Repeat as necessary over a week to eliminate smoke odors.
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Spray the interior surfaces of your car with an odor eliminator to remove any residual smoke smell remaining. Remember that if there are no active cleaning agents in the product, it will not remove the odor completely, so choose carefully.
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Tips & Warnings
Clean your car on a warm day in shady area. Direct sunlight can instantly dry cleaning products, leaving streaks behind.
If you cannot rent or buy a carpet shampooer, clean your carpets with a spray-on shampoo (available at carpet, cleaning and home improvement stores) and a hand-held scrub brush. This may take a little more effort, but will still get the job done.
Get into the small areas of your dashboard, such as around dials or in creases, where dirt and grime can build up. Use a soft toothbrush, or wrap a pointed rod or dulled screwdriver in a soft cloth to get into those nooks and crannies.
After you clean your leather, you may want to apply a leather conditioner, which is designed to keep leather smooth and supple. These products are available at automotive retailers and home improvement stores.
References
- Photo Credit Car interior image by mashe from Fotolia.com
