Confused about Interior Detailing

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patrickcox

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I have a new car that I would like to take good care of but I am confused about interior detailing. If I look at the interior, there are a lot of different surfaces....


  • Leather Seats
  • Leather on the doors, center arm rest and steering wheel
  • Soft dashboard & ofter soft / rubbery feeling trim
  • Wood grain trim
  • plastic trim
  • metal trim
  • nav screen
  • glass

You get the point. :)

So how many cleaning products do I need for all of this? I am assuming I need a leather cleaner and protector for the seats and leather on the doors and steering wheel. Also assuming I need a glass cleaner. Not sure about the Nav screen. And beyond that, I am not sure if one product will handle the rest or if I need more than one additional product.

Thanks!

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Great questions.

You can keep it simple and get one product like Meguiar's Quick Interior Detailer or McKee's Fast Interior Detailer, Mother's makes one of these products too.

One and done.


Or you can get dedicated products for each surface. This is the better way to go. I'm not behind a full size ergo keyboard with my arm holder uppers so I'm sorry, I can type out a book today. (Sunday)


I'm sure others will chime in....



:)
 
I use Mothers VLR or 303, and sometimes Griot’s Interior Cleaner. All work great.


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Meguiars Quick Interior Detailer works well for touch ups on all surfaces. For a through cleaning you could look at an all purpose cleaner like Blackfire BF-450, Meguiars D101 or even Simple Green. For protectants I like 303 and Gyeon Preserve. For cloth or carpeting, you should use something dedicated for fabrics like Wolfgang Carpet & Upolstery Restorer.
 
As my old instructor back in Tech School would say - “Do not be afraid.” :laughing:

Like Mr Phillips mentioned, something like a Quick Interior Detailer will work for basically all the surfaces you’ve listed (I like the Griot’s version, but I’m sure they’re all good). They have light cleaning power, leave a nice fresh look (not overly dressed), and I think a lot of them leave some UV protection behind FWIW.

Most modern leather seats (if all of the seat is even actually all leather) are coated, so it’s up for debate if an actual leather care product is necessary. Most often owners manuals will specify to just keep them clean with a damp cloth.

One thing I will say - definitely use a light touch on your instrument cluster and touch screen - I work on BMWs and see a lot of them where those surfaces have just been hammered. I’m merely a detailing enthusiast, not a pro; but what I do for my own cars is to blow the dust off with canned air, then very gently wipe off with a high GSM deep pile microfiber. I’ll follow that with a wipe down with interior detailer on a suede microfiber (like you get with glass screen protectors for phones/tablets/or eyeglasses). Those make it really easy to get to the corners.

For wood and metal trim, I’ve found I like hitting it with a rinseless wash and wax type product. Just seems to make it a little easier to clean/leaves it a tiny bit “sharper”. Right now I’ve got a little spray bottle with Opitmum ONR Wash and Wax for that purpose. Really I’m sure any rinseless product/spray wax would do.

If you need deeper cleaning, I like the Griot’s interior cleaner. Many will use an All Purpose Cleaner, but I like not needing to think too much about being sure the APC has been neutralized. (Again- amateur, not pro. :) )

This is just what’s been working for me - Others here will have a lot of great advice!
 
If you are going to maintain it well then a Quick Interior Detailer will be your best friend. If not you will at least need an APC diluted down (like 10:1 or even 12-15:1) to clean first.
 
I just keep it simple and quick. Steam to clean and disenfect, followed by 303 to protect
 
I really like the Ultima Interior Schampo Gel as a cleaner as it works on almost any material in the interior. You don't need to be wipe it down with a damp mf towel or anything else just a dry mf towel and done. You don't need to be useing a lot of products either. Works great to cleaning up messes as maintance.

Ultima Interior Shampoo Gel, interior cleaner, upholstery cleaner

Protection is the Ultima Interior Guard Plus and as the UISG you use it on carpet, fabric, vinyl, leather and headliner. No greasy or dust accumulate finish and a little goes a long way with it as with all Ultima products.

Ultima Interior Guard Plus 4 oz., interior protectant, rubber & vinyl protectant, rubber dressing

I have not access to it domesticly but would get it if possible. Ultima Screen Cleaner & Protector seems to be an awesome product. And is dedicated to be used on the touch screens and gauges and on many other devices you have not only in vehicals.

Ultima Screen Cleaner & Protector Bundle

While you are at it Ultima Autospa Microfiber Applicator is the most gentle and softest mf applicator sponge I have used. Hard to describe it but it's not like most mf applicators. And if you have sensitive parts and material or just want a great product then I recommend to get some of them. Can be used on all surfaces on a vehical.

Ultima Autospa Microfiber Applicator, applicator pad

Sounds like an Ultima fanboy LOL. And when it comes to the interior I really like these products. Sonax for an example if you have had alcantra on your seats. Have their really great cleaner for alcantra and it's needed to be used a dedicated product for this material as it's very sensitive to chemicals. Good brushes and mf towels and cotton towels (for leather) to name a few tools that I would not skip the quality from. There are coatings for interior materials to get a longer durability from the protection and an easier cleaning. Could be worth on a new car.

On the inside windows I like Sonax Glass Cleaner a lot. It has a clinging ability from it that reduce the run off and overspray. And it cleaning is great too as outgases from vinyl dash and nicotine and the greasy we humans and animals leaves after us. Team it up with a no nap mf glass towels or Carpros new mf glass towel and you will have it as easy as it gets. The evaporation is not to fast or to slow. If it's leaves streaking behind it's time for refold the mf glass towel or switch to a clean one. And also always wash mf glass towels that are made dedicated for windows separately. They have a more aggressive nap that is ripping out mf strands from other mf towels and cause linting from those towels and you get linting in the mf glass towel as well and you have that linting on the windows then. So the extra wash load with mf glass towels is much worth it to do than the hassle they will get you if not. And use as many as needed. I useally use 3-5 mf glass towels that are cleaning the glass and 2-3 that soak up any smaller streaks if getting any. This is on a station wagon and also depends on the amount of dirt I clean off.
 
View attachment 67530

Guess I am guilty of a few products for the inside.

Leather...Blackfire leather complete.

Glass... Zap cloth.

Plastic/vinyl...McKess interior surface protectant.

Navi screen/gauge cluster...Ultima screen cleaner & protector.

Sonax care pad for plastic. Great for application of the McKess interior surface protectant.

But....As mentioned above, a AIO interior detailer will take care of these surfaces. That is what I used until the weather warmed up enough that I could do a proper interior detail. Got the truck new in November.
 
Thanks for all of the suggestions! I picked up some of the Meguiar's Quick Detailer today. I already have some soft Rag Company MF towels so I will start with that. I also ordered a detailing brush that I can use with my shop vac for removing dust. That should keep me in good shape for awhile!
 
I have been using Optimums Leather Protectant+ on just about everything except the glass.
It buffs clean on plastic.

Stoners invisible glass on glass.
 
I like the McKees Interior Detailer for maintenance jobs. The Ultima line is nice for messier details. For extreme cases Nextzett Plastic Cleaner is my go to.

For newer leather I use a mild APC to remove the skin oils especially on the steering wheel. The steering wheel is rarely cleaned well in my experience. Most people will ignore it. You will be amazed at how much dirt is on a black steering wheel. Try using a white terry cloth towel and a mild APC on a “clean” steering wheel, the dirt will amaze you, especially after your mechanic touches it.
 
I'm a Meguiar's Quik Interior Detailer guy myself for my own vehicles. I like the fact that it doesn't leave any film behind and keeps the interior looking brand new, not all dressed out with an artificial shine.

I hate protectants and dressings. I prefer the natural, clean, new look.

And your interior windows will stay cleaner, longer, and will be 100 times easier to clean when necessary if you refrain from any protectants or dressings. The oils in most protectants and dressings outgas and cause a film build-up on interior glass that is always a pain to remove without streaking.
 
patrickcox said:
OK, well I used the quick detailer to wipe down my car interior and I ran into an issue. The towel was clinging to my dashboard. All other hard surfaces worked well. I am guessing I am using the wrong towel for my soft, rubbery dash. Here is the towel I am using...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GXRG64I/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Any suggestions?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I use cotton terry cloth towels for most of my interior work. About the only exception is on the plastic lenses and other smooth plastic trim where I will use microfiber.

I think too many of us get in the "microfiber is best" mindset too often. I've found good old cotton terry cloth to work as good or better for most detailing tasks with the exceptions being paint and smooth plastic surfaces. Microfiber is gentler on those.
 
2black1s said:
I use cotton terry cloth towels for most of my interior work. About the only exception is on the plastic lenses and other smooth plastic trim where I will use microfiber.

I think too many of us get in the "microfiber is best" mindset too often. I've found good old cotton terry cloth to work as good or better for most detailing tasks with the exceptions being paint and smooth plastic surfaces. Microfiber is gentler on those.
Click to expand...

I agree. i do the same
 
patrickcox said:
Thanks for all of the suggestions! I picked up some of the Meguiar's Quick Detailer today. I already have some soft Rag Company MF towels so I will start with that. I also ordered a detailing brush that I can use with my shop vac for removing dust. That should keep me in good shape for awhile!
Click to expand...
Griots Interior Cleaner. Poorboys Natural Look & Leather Stuff.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Autogeekonline mobile app
 
There's many good products sold here by a good number of companies, where their interior protectants are multi-purpose, and work well on Plastic, Rubber, and Leather. As for Nav Screens, just use a safe mild glass cleaner with no Ammonia in it.
Best to always spray onto a towel, then wipe, rather than just squirting down panels and getting products where you don't want them.

Also lots of very nice little tools to be had here, very soft detailing brushes for dusting nooks and crannies, A/C Vents, etc. Soft enough that they would only tickle a baby's bottom.

Not sure where you live, but things like a interior Windshield Screen, no matter how cheap helps protect the dash against the ravages of the blazing sun, and a good set of all weather floor mats over your nice factory mats helps protect them, especially during winter months with snow, and possible salts used.

I also may suggest making yourself some protective covering for the trunk or cargo compartment, keeps that staying nice. Sometime a piece of Carpet remnant can be found, and then cut to fit nicely.

Going further, some tint their windows, many of the high tech tints today (ceramic) are not that dark, and can comply with state-local laws, but do a tremendous job of blocking UV, thus protecting the interior, and helping the A/C work much better in summer months. Also offers a little better security. Yeah, the better ceramic tints cost more, but the money spent for the best quality is worth it.
 
I was just going to post Poorboy's Natural Look. I'd apply it with a foam pad. It's thicker, and spraying onto a microfiber seems to soak up too much. My 16 oz bottle has lasted an incredibly long time this way. Very cost effective. Use for everything in the interior except glass.

I've used rinseless washes like Uber @ 3oz/gallon as an interior spray but I find they leave something to be desired. Maybe it's the lack of degreasing properties.
 
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