Most motorists spend a lot more time cleaning the exterior of their cars than the interior. However, if you prefer your car’s beauty to be more than just skin-deep, here are a few tips to help you keep its interior clean and in great shape. Clear your car of any leaves and litter that may have accumulated on the floor. Shake out the floor mats and vacuum the floor and seats. You’ll be amazed what a difference this quick cleaning will make. Clean, streak-free windows are not only nice to look at, they’re important for safe driving, too. Improve your visibility by regularly cleaning your windows with glass cleaner and a paper or microfiber towel. We suggest 3M Glass Cleaner, available at your local VW dealership. Tip: Spray glass cleaner onto the towel while you’re on the outside of your car so it doesn’t damage the plastic, fabric, or leather. Moisten a clean, lint-free cloth with water and clean the plastic parts and instrument panel. If that is not enough, use a special solvent-free plastics cleaner and care agent like 3M Leather and Vinyl Restorer, available at your local VW dealership.

It’s important to never clean the instrument panel or the surfaces of the airbag modules with cockpit sprays or cleaners that contain solvents. Cleaning agents that contain solvents could cause the surfaces to become porous and could cause damage. Should the airbag deploy, plastic parts could fly loose and cause serious injuries. Wipe up any dirt or spills immediately with a slightly moist cotton or woolen cloth. Vacuum lightly with an upholstery attachment and be sure to clear folds and seams of dust and dirt. The best way to clean spots off upholstery and the fabric lining on doors and headliners, etc., is to use special cleaning agents or dry foam and a soft brush. Vacuum lightly with a soft dust brush attachment. Pay special attention to dust and dirt in pores, folds, and seams, as they can scrub the material and damage leather surfaces. Proper leather care can help prevent fading due to sunlight and can help keep leather supple and unblemished. Please use caution during care.

Treat the leather at least every six months. Apply a special leather care agent sparingly. Wipe it down afterwards with a soft cloth. We suggest leather care agents like 3M Leather and Vinyl Restorer, available at your Volkswagen dealer. Heavily contaminated areas should be cleaned with a cloth and a mild soap solution (two teaspoons of neutral soap to about one quart of water). Make sure that no part of the leather gets completely soaked and that no water is able to ingress the stitching. Wipe it down afterwards with a soft, dry cloth. For more information on interior care and to purchase high-quality car care products from 3M, please visit your local VW dealership.For Spots and SpillsFor Stubborn Spots and StainsDO NOT USEI get a lot of questions about my “white” leather seats and how on earth I keep them clean, so I thought I’d write a post to share how I do it. I’m not saying this is the best way to clean your seats, but it has worked well for me. My car is my daily driver and frequently has dogs, mud, and other dirty things in it, so I’m not easy on it either!

I was an automotive detailer for a few years in high school and although that doesn’t make me an expert, anyone who knows me knows that my car is always super clean and always commenting on how everything looks brand new, despite the car being nearly 7 years old now. The color of the seats is named “Platinum Silver” by Audi but the color is pretty much white. There are a lot of advantages to this color, most notably they stay very cool in the summer (a huge plus living in Arizona where temperatures can reach up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit!), plus I think they look sporty and unique. small vacuum cleaner malaysia priceThe downside of the color is that it does not hide dirt well, and even worse if the leather starts to crack at all, the cracks are VERY noticeable.the best panasonic vacuum cleaner

The key is maintenance. I wash down my seats at least once per week. Sadly if you bought your car used, you don’t have much control over damage that’s already done due to neglect from the previous owner. If the leather is badly cracked or soiled, your best off to enlist a professional detailer or upholstery shop that specializes in re-dying leather. But assuming your seats aren’t “beyond repair”, the best strategy is to keep on top of the seats and never let them get too bad. best vacuum cleaner for the buckIf you take good care of them, they’ll age nicely and look fresh for many years to come.best vacuum cleaner for workshop This part is simple really – you don’t have to use special cleaner each time. top 10 canister vacuum cleaners 2012

After I wash the outside of my car and then towel it off, I like to use that same towel to wipe down the seats. The towel should be damp but not soaking wet. This will remove any surface dirt and also hydrate the leather some to help prevent cracking. It takes just an extra 1-2 minutes per wash and is well worth it in maintaining the life of your leather. I also wipe down the dash and an entire interior using the same damp cloth, which again removes dust without applying any harsh chemicals to anything. cost for cleaning ac ductsSometimes, simplicity is bliss… I have been using Leatherique to maintain my leather but I also hear that Leather Masters is quite good. Regardless, I recommend you use one or the other and stray away from the store-bought brands like Lexol that I’ve never really been impressed with. A few extra dollars for the professional grade detailing products is well worth it in my book.

Pristine Clean is really good at removing spots and discoloration and gets the seats looking bright white again. It also firms up the leather some and gives the interior a nice smell. I frequently get compliments on how good my car smells after I’ve detailed the seats, which is a cool bonus of this product. The product itself is not very harsh and easy to apply and remove. I recommend using a clean microfiber and my approach is to use a different microfiber for every product you detail with – so I have a microfiber only for seats, one for glass cleaner, one for spray detailer, one for interior cleaner, one for wheels, one for tires, etc. It never hurts to have too many microfibers. The Pristine Clean is great for bi-weekly or monthly maintenance, but if your seats are in bad shape, or if you just want to be extra thorough, the Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil is a powerful product. The instructions recommend that you cover your seats in a generous amount of the product and then sit your car in the sun for 24 hours to let the oil bake into the leather.