Cars are the most prized possessions of the millennial. However, most of them fail to note that the value of the vehicle starts depreciating as soon as they bring it home from the showroom. So, what can be done to minimize the depreciation in the value of the car? The answer lies in its maintenance.
Most auto experts recommend the car owners keep their vehicles spic and span. They should wash the exterior of the car regularly, and take it to the service center frequently. One of the most problematic situations encountered by car owners is the ineffaceable stains on the interior of their cars, especially if it is white. So, the most significant question that car owners should ask themselves is: How can I protect my white car interior?
After reading this article, you shall know the tips to keep the interior of your car stainless, and how to clean the interior of your car to make it spic and span. The ideal way to protect the interior of a car is to clean it regularly and pay attention to its maintenance. Read on to know the best ways to take care of the interior of your white car.
Tips for keeping the interior of your car stainless
If you are wondering: How do I protect the interior of my car from stains? Then you should read the tips mentioned below:
- Do not eat or drink inside the car: You should ensure that your family members, colleagues, or friends do not eat inside your vehicle. Most of the time, people tend to spill food inside the car accidentally or forget their leftovers. It is not a simple task to clean up the interior of the vehicle. You might fail to notice the food leftovers that might be stuck on the floor or the liquids that might leave it dirty and sticky. You should stop those people who have the habit of snacking on the go or eating meals within the car. You can clean the stains using a heavy-duty spot cleaner.
- Clean the glass properly: Even if you think that you can see out of the window clearly, you should wipe the glass thoroughly. If you do not clean the glass of the car regularly, it may lead to the accumulation of grime. Although you may not believe it, dirt can build up even from breathing. However, the grime can be easily cleaned scrubbed off with the help of a basic glass cleaner. You can wipe the glass with a sponge or a terry cloth towel which will not leave any streaks on the glass surface.
- Leave the windows open a little: If you live in a region that has a hot climate, you can consider keeping your windows slightly open so that the hot air can escape. Venting out the hot air is essential because hot air may make the car interior dry and cause severe damage to it.
- Keep the car surfaces covered: You should cover the seats adequately to prevent the accumulation of dust. Invest in good seat covers which can protect the seat upholstery. Nowadays, most seat covers are customized to provide excellent lumbar support. Adding seat covers enhances the look of your car. Purchase floor mats so that you can wipe your feet on them before keeping them on the carpet. It will prevent you from grinding dirt and mud into the carpet directly.
- Vacuum your car frequently: You should vacuum your car interior frequently. Position your vacuum cleaner in such a way that you can clean all the cracks and crevices of the car. You can use a brush with fine bristles to clean the dust in the smaller parts of the vehicle. Ensure that your vacuum cleaner has two essential accessories, namely, a plastic crevice attachment and a dust brush attachment.
- Gently wipe your seats: Wipe the seats of your car lightly using mild oil and clean the leather monthly. The adequate maintenance of the places prevents them from getting cracked, stained, discolored, or dried. Do not use vinyl or petroleum based cleaners because they can affect the leather and make it appear peculiarly shiny. Details guide available here.
How should you clean the interior of your car?
If you own a white car, then keeping its interior clean can be quite a challenging task for you. So, you might find yourself thinking ‘How can I protect my white car interior?’ often.
Here are some points that you should follow while cleaning the interior of your car to avoid any scratches or stains while cleaning it:
- Ensure your car is empty before cleaning: Make sure that your car is empty before you start cleaning it. Check all the small objects or loose coins that might have fallen out of your pocket sometimes.
- Determine the material of your upholstery: Before you begin cleaning the upholding, you should determine whether it is cloth, leather or vinyl. Each material is different from the other and requires separate cleaners and cleaning techniques. For leather seats, you can pour a small amount of cleaner on a wet rag and clean the seat using overlapping circular motions. Then, you should wipe off the excess amount using a dry cloth. If you have cloth upholstery, you need to spray the cleaner directly on the stain and allow its absorption before blotting out the stain with a damp rag. In case of stubborn stains, you need to use a brush with soft, fine bristles to scrub off the dirt. After cleaning, you should leave the windows open so that they may dry completely. The armrests and headrests are used frequently, and they are prone to stains. If they are made up of cloth or velour-like material, you can use baking soda, salt, and seltzer to scrub away any dirt marks. If the cloth upholstery remains soiled in spite of a good hand cleaning, you should either buy or rent a steam cleaner having an upholstery attachment. However, ensure that you do not over-saturate the material because doing so may result in the formation of mildew. You can repeat it for a few days if the fabric is extremely soiled. If you have vinyl upholstery, you can clean it by using a damp cloth and a proper cleaner. In case the surface is too soiled, you can consider using a soft brush to scrub the dirt mildly.
- Vacuum the seats thoroughly: Clean all the debris from your car using the hose attachment. Then clean the space between the two seats and their seams by using the nozzle attachment.
- Put a small towel on the trim and middle console of the car: Before spraying any cleaner on your car seats, place a soft towel on the trim and center console of the vehicle. Some heavy duty cleaners may damage them. Therefore, you need to cover them before you start cleaning.
- Use an upholstery protector to clean the car seats: Spray the upholstery protector lightly and allow it to dry. Do not spray it in excess. After the first coat has dried up, spray another layer of the upholstery protector. Doing so will defend the seats from stains.
- Block sunlight if you want to protect your car upholstery: Shading your car from sunlight will enhance the longevity of the upholstery. Leather seats tend to dry and crack whereas the cloth seats get discolored and torn if they come in contact with the sunlight for extended periods.
- Use an old cloth to wipe stains: When you spill something on the seat, do not clean it using paper or napkins, instead use a soft fabric to wipe the leather seats. Paper damages the leather by leaving scratches on it. Pick a soft, cotton cloth to wipe the upholstery because they are less abrasive and they won’t damage the leather.
- Use protective leather conditioners: Proper conditioning of the leather upholstery is a prerequisite in the maintenance of the interior of a car. Conditioning helps in keeping the leather clean and shiny.
- Invest in a quality dashboard and rear deck covers: Sunlight can cause significant damages to your front and back decks. Since they are constantly exposed to the sunlight through the windshields, you should protect them by installing dashboard and rear deck covers. The sunlight can easily damage the dark-colored dashboards. Therefore, placing solid covers on the dash and rear deck shall cool them down and protect them.
- Install solar shades: Installing adequate window shades can protect your steering wheel and dashboard thus, defending them from cracking due to the constant exposure to the sun. They also keep the car cool when you park it in an open lot.
Final Thoughts
After reading this article, you shall have received the answer to your question, ‘How can I protect my white car interior?’. While cleaning, you should pay attention to the area under the seats, and the other nooks and crannies of your car. Do not miss out on cleaning the dashboard, console, and vents. Since cleaning and treating the door panels and jambs may be time-consuming, ensure that you have the proper equipment for cleaning them.
