7 Ways to Make Your Vehicle’s Interior Last
Don’t eat in the vehicle
After my wife and I had our first child, our backseat started to look very different once we allowed our toddler to snack in the car. Eating in the vehicle tends to get food in some very hard to reach places. Foods like chips and French fries can leave behind grease in the carpet fibers and develop odors that may become apparent in the warmer summer months. Candy, especially the melted kind, can stain fabric, ruin leather and removal can become a monumental task the longer you wait.
2. Invest in seat covers for fabric seats
Fabric seats aren’t built to last. They’re built to look nice when the vehicle is initially sold, but keeping them that way can be an uphill battle. Consider investing in some type of seat cover for seats that see the most traffic. The next owner of your vehicle will be blown away at how clean your underlying seats look when it comes time to sell.
3. Clean up spills quickly
The quicker any spill is mopped up, the easier it will be to completely remove. Keeping some spare rags in your glove compartment is a great way to quickly take care of a spill and make sure it doesn’t become a permanent part of your vehicle’s upholstery.
4. Stay on top of the pet hair
Raking up and vacuuming out pet hair on a regular basis will not only keep your car’s interior more hygienic, it will also enable you to more easily and completely remove the pet hair when it comes time sell the vehicle. As pet hair sits on fabric it weaves its’ way into the fibers making it more and challenging to remove as time goes on. If left long enough, pet hair removal will feel like a futile task.
5. Get some all-weather floor mats
Between the sand, salt, mud, and snow, Idaho’s 4 distinct seasons are enough to wreak havoc on anyone’s interior. Fabric floor mats take most of the weather-related abuse and can become a real eyesore after a few years. Installing some all-weather floor mats will not only protect the underlying mats and carpeting, but can often be used in your next vehicle as well. The hidden benefit is that when it comes time to sell your current vehicle, your original floor mats will still be in excellent condition. This may add to the vehicle’s resale value or at the very least save you from needing to buy new floor mats.
6. Stay away from high strength cleaning products
Heavy duty cleaning products are great for heavy-duty messes, especially in places like the kitchen or the bathroom, but these products can damage automotive interiors. Used on a regular basis these products can dramatically shorten the lifespan of leather, plastics, rubber, and fabrics. Furthermore, some cleaning agents that are too potent may actually stain interior surfaces upon contact. Using an all-purpose cleaner that is heavily diluted is usually enough to handle most problems. For quick maintenance cleans, a damp microfiber with distilled water is probably all you really need.
7. Do an annual interior deep clean
Cleaning your vehicle regularly is key, but even in doing so there are likely some places that get missed. Tasks like shampooing the seats or cleaning the ceiling may be something that rarely, if ever, get done. Dedicating a day to thoroughly clean everything from top to bottom will ensure that the vehicle’s entire interior remains in good condition, not just some of it.
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Is there an aspect of your vehicle that has been neglected for too long? Unsure of where to start for your annual interior deep clean? At Make It Last Auto Detailing we offer annual interior deep cleans that can dramatically improve even the messiest vehicles. We offer mobile auto detailing services in Hailey, Ketchum, Sun Valley, & Bellevue Idaho.
Let us come tackle the difficult stuff once a year so that you can stay on top of the easy stuff the rest of the year and make your vehicle last.
Book an interior auto detail online today.
