Everyone loves showing up in a freshly-washed car, shining and gleaming like it just rolled off the factory floor. But the interior of a car is often a different story, because it’s significantly more difficult to detail. Here are a few tips and tricks to keep your Ford looking good from the inside-out.
Regular Surface Cleaning
Grab a Shop-Vac or other handheld vacuum cleaner and routinely sweep out your car’s seats, floors, and floor mats. You should also dust the hard surfaces of your Ford’s cabin, such as the dashboard, steering wheel, and gearshift. We recommend testing any cleaning products on an inconspicuous part of your upholstery just in case it causes stains or other permanent damage.
These simple maintenance tasks can keep your cabin looking and smelling great. However, while cleaning your car’s interior surfaces is an important part of the picture, you need to do more than that to keep your car truly clean.
Clean the Nooks and Crannies
Certain parts of a car are often overlooked when it comes time for detailing. Door handles and jambs, windows cranks or power window controls, and storage pockets are some of the most commonly neglected areas. These parts of the car also happen to be touched by your hands with relative frequency, which means they are more likely to get dirty or greasy over time.
You can use a cleaning formula in conjunction with a sponge or wash mitt to really clean out all these nooks and crannies that have accumulated dirt and debris. When performed regularly, this should be an easy part of the detailing process.
Pay Special Attention to Leather
If your Ford has genuine leather in its cabin, you’ll want to be extra careful when cleaning. Damaged leather can become cracked and stained, which will really spoil your cabin’s luxury. After vacuuming the seats carefully, you should use a specialized commercial leather cleaner on them. Avoid using bleach or other ammonia-based cleaning solutions, as these can damage leather upholstery.
Even when applying a proper cleaning product, be careful not to oversaturate the leather, as excess liquid could seep into the seats or cause staining. When you’re done cleaning, take a towel and make sure your leather surfaces are completely dry.
Don’t Forget Your Windshield
There’s nothing more important than being able to see where you’re going when you’re behind the wheel, but many drivers neglect to keep their interior windshields clean. Dust, dirt, oil, smoke, and even residue from other cleaning solutions can all accumulate on the inside of the windshield. This tends to happen gradually over time, so you may not even realize how dirty your Ford’s windshield actually is.
Use a microfiber towel to wipe down your windshield, and then use a glass cleaner to do the dirty work. It’s also a good idea to clean the outside of your windshield at the same time, as this makes it easier to figure out which side is dirty.
No one likes cleaning their car, but these simple tricks are quick and easy ways to keep your Ford’s cabin looking great. If you perform this kind of regular maintenance, it will soon become a matter of habit.
Photo: “Leather seats” by digitalpubs licensed under CC BY 2.0 | Cropped from original
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