Some car owners will hire mobile detailing services to take care of their vehicles, but those who prefer to do the work themselves and form that true emotional bond with the automobile should heed these car detailing tips. The interior of the car can particularly challenging due to the fact that you have so many different areas that require some attention and some things can get easily overlooked.

So, we’re going to review the things you must do for detailing your car’s interior properly. These five tips will have your vehicle looking, smelling, and staying good as new for as long as you own it.

1. Cleaning Carpets

You’re not going to overlook your vehicle’s carpeting but you may not be getting it as clean as you can because you’re not doing the job correctly. Cleaning your carpets is a twostep job, the first involves careful, thorough vacuuming to remove all of the surface contaminants, the second involves hot water extraction. Both of these together can help you remove all of the dirt, grime, and stains that will only make your car look old and dingy.

2. Get Some Baking Soda

For those tougher stains that just won’t come out of the carpets or seat fabric, turn to baking soda for some extra strength help. Mix a ¼ cup of baking soda with a cup of warm water. Apply the mixture to the stained area and then scrub thoroughly. Sometimes you may be dealing with a stain that is really deep in the fibers, so you should leave the mixture on the stain for about 30 minutes to help it lift.

3. Toothbrush Scrubbing

You may have an arsenal of squeegees, brushes, and scrapers for keeping your car looking its best, but the most powerful tool you can wield is a good old-fashioned toothbrush. You can use it to scrub dirt and stains out of your seats and get to those hard to reach places between the dash and the middle console because of the long handle. The bristles are also ideal for clearing away just about anything.

4. Move the Seats

A good part of the interior cleaning work you are going to be doing will be on those areas you don’t necessarily see at first glance. Your first inclination may be to skip those places since they are hidden, but there’s no need to be lazy about it. Push and pull your seats forward to get to those tough to find spots and clean then just as thoroughly as you would any other spot in the car.

5. Scuffs and Scrapes

The dashboard and the interiors of your car doors can get pretty dirty and messy. But while it’s pretty easy to clear away the surface dust and gunk, it’s those deeper scuffs and marks that are sometimes tough to remove. But you can care for your dash and your side panels by using some simple isopropyl alcohol to clean off that ugly surface damage. Just apply to the area and rub gently.