What's the right order for cleaning a car interior?
Top to bottom, with the glass last. Vacuum first with the car emptied, deal with the upholstery, then the plastics and dashboard, then the screens, and only at the end the inside of the glass - because everything you do before splashes onto it.
The full order
- Empty and vacuum - mats out of the car, and vacuum from top to bottom so the dirt falls and doesn't settle again.
- Upholstery and mats - upholstery cleaner on the fabric, with a brush to lift ingrained dirt. Damp, never soaked.
- Plastics and dashboard - cockpit spray or beeswax, applied to the cloth and not directly to the surface.
- Screens - a dedicated screen product and a clean microfibre cloth.
- Inside of the glass - always the last step.
- Odours - only once everything is clean.
Why does the dashboard turn sticky?
Almost always because of too much product or the wrong product for the surface. Redex beeswax and cockpit leave a matt finish that's dry to the touch - apply to the cloth, spread thinly, and go over it with a clean cloth if there's any excess. A shiny dashboard isn't a sign it's clean; it's too much product.
Touchscreens: the common mistake
Ordinary glass cleaner shouldn't be used on your car's screens. Modern screens have anti-glare and oleophobic coatings that don't get on well with those products. Use a dedicated screen cleaner and a microfibre cloth kept just for that.
Bad smells: fragrance won't fix them
An air freshener masks the smell, it doesn't eliminate it. If your car smells bad, the source is almost always the upholstery, the mats or the air conditioning. Clean the source first and use an odour eliminator; the air freshener comes afterwards, to keep it fresh.
Redex chemistry, made by Plurifil in Rio de Mouro, Sintra, Portugal. See also exterior cleaning, air fresheners and cleaning accessories.