Updated at: 25-06-2022 - By: Lucas

If you ask any car detailing shop if they get more customers for work on the inside or outside, most will say the outside.

That’s right. Most people wash and polish their cars so they can show them off to others. In that case, it’s easy to see why interior details take a back seat. But the inside of the car is where you spend most of your time.

Let’s be honest: no one likes to drive a dirty car. And if you have young children, it gets even dirtier faster. All the food crumbs, dirty seats, a dusty dashboard, and a dirty floorboard. It’s not only ugly, but it’s also bad for your health. Imagine all the germs that are in a car that hasn’t been cleaned.

The good news is that cleaning the inside of your car doesn’t take much work. And if you have the right tools for detailing, the job is even easier. Here are some of our favourite products for cleaning the inside of a car:

Dashboard/Plastics/Vinyl Cleaner

1) Mother’s Protectant (Rubber, vinyl, plastic)

Mother’s Protectant

Mother’s is a well-known brand in the world of detailing. Mother’s Protectant is a formula that works on rubber, vinyl, and plastics. It doesn’t leave a greasy residue.

Use this product on the dashboard, door panels, rubber seals, and vinyl seats. It isn’t the best thing for leather seats.

Mother’s protectant can also be used on the tyres and plastic trim on the outside of the car. Since it doesn’t contain silicone, it won’t turn the sidewall of your tyres brown over time.

This product is not new to the market, but it has been tried and tested. People who like to clean cars can vouch for this stuff.

After you use it, the car will have a fruity cherry smell for a few days. Some people love this smell, while others would rather buy something that doesn’t smell.

2) Meguire’s Ultimate Protectant

Mequire’s Ultimate Protectant is great for all the parts of your cabin you use. This includes the dash, the steering wheel, the door panels, and the screens for navigation. It works on rubber, vinyl, and plastic.

This keeps the interiors safe from UV rays and gives them a long-lasting satin shine.

On leather, it’s not a good idea to use it. But if you put it on the leather by accident, it won’t hurt it.

3) 303 Protectant Rubber, Vinyl, Plastic

One of the safest ways to treat rubber, vinyl, and plastic is with 303 Protectant. It is a water-based product that doesn’t have silicone, alcohol, or polydimethylsiloxane fluid that dissolves in solvents (PDMS).

This cleans and conditions the surface without making it shiny. The smell is another thing that sets it apart.

Leather Cleaner and Conditioners

1) Chemical Guys leather cleaner + conditioner

Chemical Guys leather cleaner + conditioner

This set of leather cleaner and conditioner works great to fix up worn leather. Leather furniture starts to look dry and hard over time. It not only makes your car look old, but it doesn’t feel good to sit on either.

The cleaner and conditioner that Chemical Guys uses makes the leather seats soft and smooth. Both of these items don’t have any added colour or smell. This keeps the natural smell of the leather and keeps the colour from changing.

If you don’t take care of leather seats, they can dry out and crack. Keeping the leather in good shape stops this from happening.

2) Armor All Leather Care

Armor All Leather Care comes in a bottle that does two things at once: it cleans the leather and makes it soft. It gets rid of dirt and grime and leaves a conditioner behind that the leather absorbs. This cleans and softens the leather.

This product has a smell, so if you want something that doesn’t smell, don’t buy it. Also, try it on a small area of the leather to make sure it doesn’t hurt it. After all, factories treat different kinds of leather in different ways. You can get this in a spray bottle or as wipes. Choose the option that works best for you.

3) Mother’s VLR

Not sure if the seats in your car are leather or vinyl? You might find that Mother’s VLR is the best solution for you. This product is made to be used on vinyl, leather, and rubber. So this spray is great if you want to keep things simple.

This has neat’s foot oil and lanolin in it. Both of these are great for conditioning leather.

4) Meguire’s Gold Class Rich Leather Cleaner & Conditioner

Meguire’s is one of the most reliable brands of car care products. Any auto detailer will say good things about Meguire’s if you ask them. Their Gold Class Rich Leather formula cleans, protects, and conditions leather.

Some leather conditioners leave a greasy layer, but Meguire’s Gold Class Rich Leather doesn’t. After being treated, it also protects against fading and ageing by blocking UV rays. This one comes in a pack of wipes or a spray bottle.

Upholstery Cleaners

1) Chemical Guys Foaming Citrus Fabric Clean

Chemical Guys Foaming Citrus Fabric Clean

Compared to leather seats, fabric seats in a car get dirty a lot faster. Cleaning them shouldn’t take a lot of time and be hard.

Carpet and upholstery can be cleaned well with Chemical Guy’s upholstery cleaner. It cleans fabrics that are dirty and can even get rid of tough stains. It’s safe for both the fabric and your health to do this. It doesn’t have any harmful chemicals like ammonia, bleach, or chemicals that change the colour.

It has a technology that gets rid of smells at their source and doesn’t just cover them up with a scent.

This product comes in a concentrated form, so you need to mix it with water and use it in a spray bottle. This means that you get a lot for your money.

2) Armor All Car Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner

Armor All Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner is made with a rich foam that lifts dirt and grime from the fabric. Armor All comes in a concentrated form, but Armor All comes in a pressurised can that shoots cleaning foam.

It can be used on upholstery and other surfaces inside.

All-in-One Interior Cleaners

1) Chemical Guys total interior cleaner and Protectant

Chemical Guys total interior cleaner and Protectant

For a true minimalist, there is no better interior cleaner than Chemical Guys total interior cleaner and protectant, which cleans and protects at the same time.

Use this on the dashboard, vinyl, leather, fabric, carpet, rubber, and windshield. Cleans the surface well and doesn’t leave anything behind. It also protects the surface from UV rays, which keeps the surface from getting old and cracked too soon.

This formula is safe to use on all kinds of indoor surfaces because it is mild. A great way to quickly clean the inside of your car.

2) Armor All Interior Detailer

Armor All makes products that are both cheap and useful. This All Interior Detailer is a great deal because it cleans all kinds of interior materials. This includes things like glass, plastic, fabric, and display screens.

This blend has a matte finish and is not greasy or sticky.

3) CarGuys Super Cleaner

This is a cleaner that can be used on a variety of surfaces. But customers are very pleased with how it works. You can use this on any surface, like the exterior trim, dashboard, fabric seats, leather, vinyl, carpet, and metal. But you shouldn’t use this on glass or touch screens.

Essential Tools

1) Portable Vacuum Cleaner

Portable Vacuum Cleaner

A vacuum cleaner is a must-have if you want to clean the inside of your car well. Even if you have a full-size vacuum, a small, portable one will make it easier for you to clean your car more often.

Sure, take out your full-size vacuum cleaner when the car is too dirty. But this portable vacuum cleaner is perfect for cleaning up quickly.

The vacuum cleaner that sells the most on Amazon is this portable one. And the low price makes it an easy choice.

2) Microfiber Cloth

Most people who clean their cars already have microfiber cloths. If you don’t have them, though, you should buy them. You’ll clean everything with it. The outside and inside of your car, as well as around your house to clean things like gadgets, appliances, etc. Microfiber cloth is great for drying surfaces that are wet, picking up dust from surfaces that are dry, and lightly buffing surfaces.

3) Assorted Brushes

Inside a modern car, there are lots of places to put things. It’s hard to reach with just a piece of cloth because the space is so small. Detailing brushes come in handy in these kinds of situations. Now there’s no need to fight for space.

4) Cleaning Gel Putty

It can be very hard to get dust out of air vents and between buttons. When this happens, cleaning gel putty comes in handy. It feels like playdough and easily picks up dirt without sticking to the surface.