Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/375982
September / October 2014 26 The interior should be the first place you start when detailing a car. Before start- ing to clean the different ar- eas of the interior, I like to read the owner's manual be- cause many of today's auto components are very sensi- tive to cleaners. Most all of the products I use are very mild and shouldn't damage your interior, but it is always better to be safe than sorry. 1 I like to start by get- ting most of the dust and dirt out of the interior. I do this by using an electric leaf blower with the top half of its long nose removed (don't laugh it works). Be- fore you start open all your windows, doors and top on your car. Move your seats back and up as high as they will go. Start on the driver side front (it will have the most dirt) and blow the trash out in the direction of the passenger side. Be sure to get under the seats good and once both sides of the front floor are done, move the seats forward and get the back cleaned out. Then blow off the seat and the dashboard. If your car has a convertible top bring the top up about half way and blow out around the inside of the housing (not a bad idea to blow out your trunk also). 2 Now it is time to vacuum out the inte- rior. By blowing out the car first most of the dirt is either gone or is out where you can vacuum it. If some of the hard to reach places still have debris in them use the leaf blower again, but this time just point the leaf blow- er at the dirt and turn it on for a second or two to move it out so you can vacuum it up. Again move your seat forwards and backwards to get every place vacuumed. 3 After the interior is completely vacu- umed, check for any spots in the carpet that didn't come out. Use a strong brush on the spot first and then vacu- um again, this will get most spots out (be careful not to damage carpet by brushing too hard). If the spot is still there start out with a wet mi- crofiber towel and work it out gently. Most spots will come out with water or a light mix of soap and water, if not look to the owner's manual to see what you can use on different stains. 4 Clean all windows inside and out. After spraying glass cleaner on window use paper towels to clean window. Then light- ly buff the windows with a clean cloth towel (prefer- ably a cotton cloth). 5 Now it's time to clean the dashboard and center console. I do not rec- ommend using any clean- ing products on your dash. Products like ArmorAll will attract dust and make your dash shine causing glare into the windshield. I like to use a damp cloth to clean the top of the dash and the clear plastic gauges. Two items you will need are a clean paint brush and some tooth- picks. Use the toothpicks to get into tight areas to remove dirt. Use the paint brush to clean out all areas around the controls and gauges. Also use the brush to clean out your air vents (works great with the brush dampened a little). After you have done this then wipe down all the dash with a damp cloth. 6 I left out the steering wheel because it will The Clean Corner By Spencer Cochran Putting New Life Back Into YOUR INTERIOR M ost spots will come out with water, if not look to your owners manual to see what you can use on different stains.