If your car picked up any new stains or smells on your holiday road trip, Consumer Reports says there are some ways to bring back that “new car” look and feel.
For carpets and cloth seats, always start by vacuuming.
Use an upholstery attachment to get all of the dirt out of the cloth.
A steam cleaner will help lift stains, but you can also use soap and water on a damp cloth. Just don’t soak the seats because that creates a breeding ground for mold and a musty smell.
Be sure to tackle stains as soon as possible. the longer they sit, the more difficult they’ll be to remove.
Leather and vinyl seats require the most maintenance. They have a protective coating and require gentle cleaning.
Never use products containing bleach or hydrogen peroxide.
Again, stick to a soft cloth with a little dish soap and water. Then use a leather conditioner to keep the leather from drying out.
You can clean most other surfaces with an interior spray or detailing wipes.
Just be careful what you use on the car’s touch screen. Never clean them with ammonia-based glass or window cleaner because it can damage the screen’s anti-glare and anti-fingerprint coatings.
Instead, gently rub the screen with isopropyl alcohol on a microfiber cloth.
Finally, if the inside of your windshield or other windows is smudged, it is safe to use glass cleaner, but never spray it directly on the window. Always spray it onto a soft cloth first.
The trick to avoiding streaks? Apply the product with one cloth, then wipe the glass clean with a dry cloth.