I'm notorious for not keeping my cars tidy enough, it then gets harder and harder to get clean again! 

 

What can people suggest that doesn't take hours and use 12 different products but keeps on top of everything, If I do weekly!

 

Along the lines of hoover everywhere, some form of wipe maybe for the carbon fibre inserts / dash buttons. Microfiber cloth for the glass instruments and something for the infotainment and windscreen? Oh and something for the leather seats! 

 

I want to get a small kit that can do all this so will buy some bits and products , but not planning to get hundreds of bottles and do in depth cleaning every couple days like I know some do (wish I had time / dedication) 

 

Thanks in advance and sorry if it's a stupid question! 

Bucket of warm water and a good microfibre cloth is all you really need for a weekly wipe down. Then for a twice yearly deep clean. Some kind of APC, again microfibre cloth, a detailing brush. You could go further and get a wet vac for the seats and carpet mats.  For the leather parts. Dr Leather wipes. 

Those Dr leather wipes are great. Then just a vacuum cleaner and brush attachment. I try not to wipe or brush the shiny plastic bits (including instrument cluster) as it gets scratched quite easily. A quick vacuum and a soft brush (makeup brush?) is best. The brush attachment for the harder wearing plastic bits. There's also a trick that I am yet to try where you can use an orbital sander with no paper to vibrate the particles from the carpet.

Thanks guys. Good answers here! 

 

I'm finding top of the dash has small bits of dust / particles etc on so I was thinking of brushing off first so it doesn't scratch if I use a cloth and water. 

 

Didn't think about scratching the glass n touchscreen etc. Thanks. 

 

So are these leather wipes really worth it?! I've seen some on Amazon then also saw some Armorall leather wipes for about a 5th of the price would they do the same? I mean they seats aren't actually leather. I used to use baby wipes but I guess they'll give a shine and not be great for the seats?! 

 

I can't believe how immaculate the last owner of my car left it, or it had one heck of a deep clean by the sales! But within a week or so it's lost that new look haha! I do have a couple vacum attachments so I'll do that first I think.

 

The little cracks in the leather seats look fun to get bits out of! 

 

 

I use https://www.cleanandshiny.co.uk/collections/interior-products/products/detail-factory-black-ultra-soft-detailing-brush-set to dust down first the nooks and cranny's, then a wipe down with a dedicated interior only microfibre and some suitably diluted APC.

I use a fine paint brush and vacuum whilst brushing without touching the trim with the vacuum.

 

Microfibre cloth to finish the glossy trim and screen.

 

Usually just a damp cloth or chamoix for the door cards and dirtier trim in doors.

 

 

I use something like Autoglym vinyl and rubber care, apply with a microfibre cloth and it will help stop dust buildup. Good leather cleaner and conditioner (both in one product tend to be a bit naff) and I find for any glass, 70% ethanol general cleaning wipes are better than any glass cleaner, you just need to give them a bit of a wipe with a clean bit of kitchen roll to get rid of any residue.

 

Finally, a good hoover with attachments helps. I have an old Dyson with soft and hard brush heads works well.

I try to keep my car spotless! I use Autofinesse products, Total interior cleaner, Spritz and Dressle dressings and crystal glass cleaner along with microfibre clothes. 
 

I use a stiff brush to do the mats and carpets and occasionally a hoover. I park the car at work where I don’t take short cuts over grass! I also have to say, I rarely eat or drink in the car, kids have grown up or a dog anymore, and rarely go to the tip as we have a garden waste bin now. 

Thanks all some excellent ideas coming out. 

 

I think a decent soft brush of the surfaces, dash, nooks and crannies to get dust and particles off, decent hoover all round with attachments to pick it all up, then just got to pick a spray / wipe to get any grease / marks / dirt of the plastics etc. Oh and the seats! Wonder if theres a spray I could get to cover both the dash / plastics and the leather seats! 

 

Threadbear.... I can already imagine how clean and spotless your interior is! I have young kids and we're in the car, alot! So it's a make the best of it situation! Lovely yesterday when the eldest stepped in a muddy puddle straight onto the seat bolster then seat back and said... "There's a puddle of mud there what are we going to do? I want to put my feet there" haha! 

Microfibre and either spritz or an apc to wipe the dust and marks off every so often. Then when doing a big clean, apc then some dressing such as carpro PERL or dressle works well. Haven’t found anything better than autoglym glass polish for interior glass. Doesn’t leave any streaks. 
 

leather seats, a wipe over with leather cleaner every so often. Don’t use a combined cleaner/conditioner cream on these, just sits on the surface. Use a spray on sealant every so often. Dodo juice supernatural sealant had been very good from my experience 

I use 303 aerospace protectant on the dash; I rate this stuff really highly. And then for quick seat clean it’s either a damp microfiber or chemical guys quick leather detailer. Or for a more serious seat cleaning it’s Gliptone 

Thanks guys. 

 

I've just realised I think my previous owner was a dog owner, found some tiny white hairs in places! Either the garage selling, or him, have kept it incredibly clean though as its in places near on impossible to see/reach. That said, I'll be doing a deep clean anyway. 

 

I've settled on a soft brush, some auto finesse Total to give dash/plastics/doors/carpets a good clean and some dodo juice for the seats as I've noticed a few grease marks and drivers side is incredibly shiny! Then a regular gentle hoover / clean once where I'd like it! 

 

 

I’m the same way with my car, so I started keeping it super simple instead of chasing a full detailing setup. A small cordless vacuum, 2–3 good microfiber cloths, glass cleaner, and leather wipes are honestly enough for weekly maintenance. For the infotainment screen and piano black trim, I’d avoid aggressive wiping and just use a clean damp microfiber so you don’t end up with swirl marks.

One thing that helped me was treating it more like a quick reset instead of a “deep clean day.” I do 10–15 minutes once a week and it never gets out of hand anymore. I actually picked up the habit after reading some general cleaning and maintenance tips on: https://rms-cleaning.com, not automotive-specific, but the idea of using fewer products consistently instead of overcomplicating things made a big difference for me.

For leather seats, I’d just use dedicated leather wipes once a week and save proper conditioning for every few months. Simple routine = much easier to stick with.

For the interior you can get 'long fibre' microfibre cloths that when wet do a great job of lifting dust and dirt, even out of books and crannies.

13 hours ago, skomaz said:

For the interior you can get 'long fibre' microfibre cloths that when wet do a great job of lifting dust and dirt, even out of books and crannies.

Or just cheat and use an air dryer inside 😂

11 hours ago, OccyVRS said:

Or just cheat and use an air dryer inside 😂

If your going that far... Leaf blower??

My cars get really bad but I use a big industrial wet/dry vacuum got from Lidl which gets the bulk of the debris. The cars get used for work plus dogs etc. For carpets that are normally full of sand/dirt I use an air compressor and blast anything out onto a damp microfibre cloth the hoover doesnt pick up. Same as dust in seats and dash etc. Have a long narrow attachment for hoover which is brilliant for retrieving pens pound coins etc that get stuck in seat runners and awkward places. Make a fortune when I empty it. Generally gets done normally before MOT.

Alasdair

8 hours ago, skomaz said:

If your going that far... Leaf blower??

Sorry - I meant air dryer as in one of the ones used to dry cars after washing them! It’s honestly probably more powerful than a leaf blower, and it’s nice and small. I use it to loosen everything up before hoovering, or to quickly clean stuff up if I can’t be bothered to hoover.