Updated at: 29-06-2022 - By: Lucas

Many people who own cars know how uncomfortable it is to have a dashboard that is a little bit sticky or a dirty steering wheel.

Because they are touched and moved around so much, the plastic parts of a car’s interior are most likely to get dirty. Plastic cup holders and storage spaces may also be exposed to food and drinks on a regular basis.

Plastic is probably the easiest material to clean inside a car, as long as you have the right product.

In this article, we’ll talk about the top 5 best cleaners for car interior plastic, which can make even the dirtiest cars look brand new again!

Short on time? No problem! Look at our top choice:

Chemical Guys SPI22016 Total Interior Cleaner and Protectant

Two jobs in one: clean and protect

Multi-surface compatibility

Soft and not too hot

UV shielding

Erognomic application

Chemical Guys SPI22016 Total Interior Cleaner & Protectant

Chemical Guys SPI22016 Total Interior Cleaner & Protectant,

We think the Chemical Guys SPI22016 Total Interior Cleaner & Protectant is the best plastic cleaner you can buy for the inside of your car.

This product cleans your car’s windows, carpets, and just about any other surface you can think of in a really deep way.

This means that it works great on plastic surfaces like dashboards and trims, but you can also use it to restore the shine to every other material in your car.

Some buyers may be sceptical at first that a single product can clean so many different surfaces without damaging them. However, this is a gentle formula that won’t change the colour of anything or break it down.

This product is both a cleaner and a protectant, which means that it will help your surfaces stay clean for a long time after they have been cleaned.

The UV protection helps protect your plastic surfaces from the sun’s harmful effects.

The spray bottle that this cleaner comes in makes it easy to use the right amount of product each time because the handle and container are the right size.

Pros

Cleans and keeps you safe

Suitable for all surfaces inside a car

Gentle formula

UV shielding

Simple to use.

Cons

Some buyers dislike the smell

CarGuys Super Cleaner

CarGuys Super Cleaner

CarGuys has another cleaner that is likely to be right up your alley if you’re looking for something that will clean and treat your interior plastics to a high standard and can also be used on any car surface.

The CarGuys Super Cleaner is something you should know about.

This product is always recommended as a way to clean the plastic on the inside of a car, and there are a few reasons for this.

First of all, you can use this Super Cleaner spray to clean almost anything. The CarGuys Super Cleaner will get rid of all kinds of strange stains and streaks inside your car.

The Super Cleaner works so well because it was made with nanotechnology, which allows it to clean on a molecular level. This is a scientifically advanced formula that cleans very well and will save you a lot of work.

We should also talk about how comfortable the bottle is to hold, even though it looks like almost any other spray bottle.

With its adjustable, leak-proof nozzle, stable, wide base, and ergonomic handle, this bottle is made to make cleaning faster, easier, and less messy. You also get a microfiber cloth so you can start cleaning right away.

But if you want your car to look like it just came out of the showroom, this probably isn’t the best cleaner for you.

Even though there’s no doubt that this is a very good cleaner, it’s not the best thing to use to get a shiny finish.

In fact, because this is such a strong cleaner, some customers have said that it bleached some of their surfaces, even though it doesn’t have any harsh chemicals in it.

Still, most people who have bought this product have been happy with it, and it is definitely one of the best formulas for cleaning cars in a variety of ways.

Pros

All-surface suitability

Cleans up anything

Nanotechnology is used.

Cleaning in depth

No dangerous chemicals

Ergonomic bottle design

Comes with a microfiber cloth

Cons

Not very interesting.

Could be too much for some things.

Chemical Guys TVD_107 Vinyl, Rubber and Plastic Dressing

Chemical Guys TVD_107 Vinyl, Rubber and Plastic Dressing

A good formula for plastic surfaces on the inside of a car can cost more than you might want to spend.

The Chemical Guys TVD 107 Vinyl, Rubber, and Plastic Dressing, on the other hand, is not like this.

Most people buy this Plastic Dressing in the standard 16-ounce container, which costs a very reasonable amount. Chemical Guys also makes this cleaner in 1-gallon containers if you want more product at an even better price.

But the Chemical Guys TVD 107 doesn’t have to rely on its large quantities to attract customers.

This product is on our Top 5 list because, even though it’s mostly sold as a repair product, it can also be used to clean up small amounts of dust and dirt.

This formula is made with water and has a creamy texture, so it’s easy to use and can be used as a gentle dusting cleaner.

As it dries into the plastic, this product will restore its shine and make it look better. It will also protect the plastic even more because it contains special UV blockers.

In the end, this isn’t the product you want if you want to get rid of tough, greasy stains on the plastic inside of your car.

But it’s a great low-cost option when you just need to get rid of a little dust and dirt on the surface and get a great shine at the same time.

Pros

Available in large quantities

Water-based

Simple to use

UV shielding

Budget-friendly

Cons

Not good for hard stains.

303 Aerospace UV Protectant Spray

303 Aerospace UV Protectant Spray

A good product for cleaning the plastic inside of a car should, of course, be able to get rid of dirt and grime.

But there are too many cleaners on the market that only fix the problem at hand and don’t do enough to protect against it in the long run.

This is where 303 Products’ Aerospace UV Protectant Spray comes in.

This spray works well as a cleaner and, when used with a cloth, will help remove dirt and dust from the inside of your car.

Not only can the 303 Aerospace Protectant Spray be used on plastics, but it can also be used on finished leather, rubber, fibreglass, and other materials.

The 303 Protectant Spray will not only leave the plastic surfaces inside your car clean, but it will also protect them from the elements and dust and dirt for a long time.

The formula also reduces the chances of your car’s interior turning colours, fading, or cracking, so it’s perfect for slowing down the ageing process.

You can buy this product in a wide range of sizes, from a tiny 2 oz spray bottle to a huge 5 gallon container. No matter how big or small your cleaning needs are, you’ll be able to find a size that works for you!

But a word of warning: this product comes in a spray bottle, so be careful not to get it on any fabric surfaces in your car by accident.

This cleaner and protector shouldn’t be used on fabrics because it could damage or change the colour of some materials. It also shouldn’t be used on clear plastics because it might make them whiter.

Pros

Multi-material compatibility

Many different sizes of containers

Cleans dirt and dust that has built up.

UV shielding

Protects from dust and dirt

Keeps it from fading and breaking.

Cons

Clear plastics get whiter

Meguiar’s G12310 PlastX Clear Plastic Cleaner & Polish

Meguiar’s G12310 PlastX Clear Plastic Cleaner & Polish

This plastic cleaner from Meguiar is both a cleaner and a polish in one. It will blast away dirt and leave a high-quality shine at the same time.

This is the product to use if you want the plastic inside your car to look good enough to show off right after you clean it. Also, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better cleaner than this one if your car has a lot of clear plastic surfaces.

This cleaner and polish can be used on clear plastics, which is different from a lot of car cleaning products on the market, including some on our list.

It will bring back an amazing shine to clear plastic car parts like windows and displays without making them fog up or change colour. It can also be used on clear plastic parts on the outside of the car, like the headlights.

This cleaner not only gets rid of dirt and gives clear plastics a great shine, but it also helps to hide any small scratches they might have.

This product is resistant to water, so rain or other wet conditions won’t ruin your new polish.

The only thing we don’t like about this clear plastic cleaner is that the top of the bottle screws on and doesn’t spray.

This, plus the fact that the product needs to be scrubbed in quite hard, makes the process of applying it less than ideal.

Pros

Clear plastics can be used.

Suitable for use inside and outside

Cleans and shines up

Makes scratches look less obvious.

Cons

It takes a lot of work to apply

Meguiar’s G12310 PlastX Clear Plastic Cleaner & Polish

The “trouble” with buying a plastic cleaner for the inside of a car is that there is rarely just one product that is better than all the others.

Different cleaners do different things, have different results, and need to be used in different ways.

This is actually a very good thing because it means you can choose the cleaner that works best for your car and your priorities.

To do that, though, you’ll need to know what makes a good cleaner.

Compatibility

First things first: you need to make sure that the cleaner you want to use on the plastic surfaces inside your car is safe to use on those surfaces.

All of the products on our list are safe and recommended for use on plastic, but there may be other parts or materials in your car that could use some TLC.

If this is the case, you should see how well your chosen cleaner works on different surfaces.

For example, some of the cleaners in our review section can be used on both the inside and outside of a car. This is something to think about if you want to clean plastic parts on the outside of your car, like bumpers.

Some car interior cleaners, including our top pick, can be used on glass, rubber, and even fabric.

So, it’s likely that you’ll be able to find a cleaner for the inside of your car that works on plastic and anything else you might want to clean.

Check to see if there are any materials that your chosen product shouldn’t come into contact with. If there are, you can take extra care or, if plastic and other materials that shouldn’t come into contact are close together, you might want to choose a different product.

Ease of Use

When it comes to car maintenance, a car owner should be ready to put in some work to keep their car in good shape.

But you can only do this so much. When you clean the inside of your car, you shouldn’t have to work up a sweat like you’re at the gym. In fact, doing so would be very bad for keeping the surfaces clean.

Because of this (and because customer satisfaction is important in general), you should expect your cleaner to be easy to use.

Cleaning your car shouldn’t take hours and hours, but it should take enough time to get the job done well. So, it helps if the bottle or other container is easy to hold.

Unless you’re using a large, multi-gallon container (in which case you should put the product in a spray bottle), the bottle should fit comfortably in your hand and be easy to use. Most of the time, spray bottles work best for this.

The cleaner should also go on evenly without leaving streaks, and it shouldn’t leave any greasy residue behind. If it does, you might feel like you’ve made a bigger mess than when you started.

Safety

Cleaning products get a bad name because they are thought to be bad for people and the environment.

Unfortunately, this reputation is well-deserved, and many of the car cleaners on the market are still very bad for your health and the environment.

At Vehicle Answers, we strongly believe that all car owners have the right to a clean car interior that doesn’t hurt their health or the environment. We’ve worked hard to make sure that as many safe and eco-friendly products as possible are in our Top 5.

First, a safe car plastic cleaner shouldn’t be caustic, which means it shouldn’t burn or eat away at the plastic.

This is safer for you, the environment, and your car because the product is less likely to react badly with a certain material and hurt it.

If you’re going to use a product in a small, closed space like your car, it’s best not to use anything with harsh chemicals. You don’t want anything that could be bothersome to stay in the air after you clean.

This doesn’t mean you can’t clean the inside of your car with something stronger if that’s what you want.

Many car owners like the deep chemical clean that some of the harsher cleaning products on the market give, which is fine if you like the results.

But as more and more research is done on how certain chemicals affect health and the environment, more and more drivers are looking for gentler, more eco-friendly formulas. It’s good to know that there are alternatives out there.

Protective Qualities

We’re sure you’ve noticed that many 2-in-1 cleaners for car interiors clean and protect at the same time.

This kind of product removes dust, dirt, and any other unwanted substances from the plastic parts of your car (and possibly other materials as well). It also adds a layer of protection against future dust and dirt deposits, as well as damage from the sun and water.

One of the most important things a cleaner-protectant should do is protect against UV light. This will keep the sun from bleaching or changing the colour of the plastic surfaces inside your car.

Most of the time, UV blockers are used to provide this UV protection, so look for these words in the product information.

A protectant cleaner should also be resistant to water. This is usually done by the product having a sealing effect after it has been used.

Even if you’re just cleaning the inside of your car, moisture can still get in, so it’s better to be safe.

Additional Features

A great cleaner can only do so much if you use the wrong tools to use it.

If your cloth or sponge is too rough or loses fibres too easily, it can make it hard to clean and, in some cases, even damage plastic surfaces.

If you’re not sure if the cleaning tools you already have at home will do the job, don’t take a chance. Instead, choose a cleaner that comes with a sponge or cloth.

These companies really know what they’re doing, so you can trust that the cleaning tools and accessories they sell are of good quality.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I clean the plastic surfaces inside my car?

Before giving an answer, we should say that there is no clear answer to this question.

How often you need to clean the inside of your car will depend on how often you drive it.

But even if you don’t use your car much, the plastic surfaces are still likely to get dusty and dirty.

Also, a car that doesn’t get a lot of fresh air might start to smell musty, so it’s a good idea to give it a boost every now and then.

Experts say that the inside of a car, including any plastic parts, should be cleaned fairly well once a month, no matter how often it is used.

But if your car is always getting dirty, you might need to do this more often.

With this information, you can figure out how often you’ll probably need to clean your car. This will help you buy the right amount of cleaner for your budget and your lifestyle.