How to Clean Your Car Interior in 10 Minutes

Americans spend an average of one hour per day in the car, making it easy to get dirty quickly. Do you know that steering wheels can be dirtier than toilet seats? This is your go-to guide to quickly and easily keep your car interior clean. Learn how to clean car seats, clean a car dashboard, and all those places people put their hands, drinks, and food. In under 10 minutes, you can keep the interior of your car clean and comfortable.

Clean Car Steering Wheel & Car Dashboard

If you only have 2 minutes, start with the dirtiest parts of the inside of the car. The dirtiest areas of the car are the steering wheel and the car dashboard, which includes touchscreens and control buttons.

What you need to clean the car steering wheel and dashboard:

✔ Multipurpose cleaner spray

✔ Microfiber cloth or rag

L'AVANT Multipurpose Surface Cleaner cleaning car steering wheel

Step 1: Spray multipurpose cleaner on the steering wheel. Be sure to use a multipurpose spray cleaner that is high performing but not made with harsh chemicals. The L'AVANT Multipurpose Surface Cleaner ensures a powerful clean without toxic substances. It also adds a lovely scent, leaving your car smelling fresh. Spray onto a rag or cloth, or directly onto the steering wheel. Wipe down with a cloth. If you want to easily clean the steering wheel on a frequent basis, consider keeping a travel-size multipurpose spray cleaner and cloth in the car.

Step 2: Clean car dashboard. Use the same multipurpose cleaner and spray directly onto the cloth. Then wipe down the car dashboard and all buttons on the dashboard with the cloth.

Step 3: Clean seatbelt buckles, latches, and door handles. These are other important areas that are often touched by dirty hands. Use the same cloth and spray to clean buckles, latches, and door handles. Spray the multipurpose cleaner directly onto these locations and wipe down with a cloth.

Note: If you run out of time, you can stop here. You have officially cleaned the dirtiest parts of the car. If you have more time, move on to the next sections.

Clean Car Seats and Cup Holders

Over time, food and beverages seep into car seat crevices and drip into cup holders. If food or spilled beverages linger in the car for too long, these areas can become breeding grounds for bacteria, especially in hot cars.

What you need to clean car seats and cup holders:

✔ Dish soap

✔ Warm water

✔ Microfiber cloth or rag

✔ Multipurpose cleaner spray

✔ Vacuum

L'AVANT Hand Soap with soapy bowl of water in car to clean car

Step 1: Clean cupholders. Fill a medium-sized bowl with warm water and a pump of dish soap. Put the removable components of the cup holders into the bowl. While the components are soaking in the bowl, dip your cloth into the dish soap warm water, ring out the extra water, and use it to clean out the cupholders. Wipe down cupholder components with a microfiber cloth to dry and then replace them in the cupholders. If you are tight on time, you can use a multipurpose cleaner spray to spray the cupholder components and the inside of the cupholders, and quickly wipe them down.

L'AVANT Dish Soap and warm water to clean car cupholders

Step 2: Clean car seats. To clean leather car seats, you can use a dish soap mixed with warm water. The key is to heavily dilute the dish soap and to use a soap that is high performing but not harsh. The L'AVANT High Performing Dish Soap is a concentrated, plant-based dish soap that effortlessly eliminates stubborn dirt and grime, without harsh chemicals that can ruin the car seat material. Fill a bowl with warm water and one pump of dish soap. Place the rag in the bowl and then ring out the extra water. Use this to wipe the car seats. If you have time, before cleaning the car seats with the dish soap mixture, use a vacuum to suck up debris in the cracks. For cloth car seats, you can use the same dish soap warm water mixture to wipe down the seats, just be sure to ring out extra water.

L'AVANT Dish Soap with warm water to clean car seats

Have a child car seat? You can quickly clean a baby or child car seat or booster seat with the same diluted dish soap solution. Be sure to let it air dry.

Clean Car Floor

If you still have time, it is time to clean the car mats and the car floor. There is a good chance that extra debris and dirt fell onto the car floor when cleaning the car seats. You can make this step as easy and quick as you need to, using a vacuum or simply shaking out the car floor mats.

What you need to clean car mats and car floors:

✔ Vacuum

✔ Broom

✔ Hose

Step 1: Clean rubber car mats or cloth car mats. Remove the car mat from the car and shake or beat it out. If you have time and you have a rubber car mat, you can spray it down with a hose and leave it out to dry in the air or sun.

Step 2: Clean the car floor. Before replacing the car mats, use a vacuum cleaner to clean the car floors. You can use a handheld vacuum cleaner or a shop vac. If you have time, use the vacuum to suck up dirt and debris from in between car seats and other crevices. Once the car floors are clean, you can replace the car mats.

Extra Tips & Tricks to Keep the Car Clean

✔ Want to add a refreshing scent to the car? Put a home fragrance reed diffuser in the car overnight. The L'AVANT Home Fragrance Reed Diffuser is available in both Blushed Bergamot or Fresh Linen scents. It will fill the car with either the smell of refreshing bergamot and orange blossom, enhanced by inviting hints of amber and cedar. Or delicate notes of ylang-ylang and bamboo mixed with soothing lavender and geranium essential oils.

✔ Keep a travel-size multipurpose surface cleaner spray and cloth in the car. This will make it easy to keep those really dirty spots (steering wheel) in your car clean on the go.

✔ Always carry a trash bag in the car. Ask all passengers to put trash in the bag and try to empty it frequently. This will make it easier to contain clutter and remove dirt and bacteria.

Key Takeaways to Keep the Car Clean

This guide focuses on the easiest and quickest ways to clean your car using non-abrasive, but high-performing products. We recognize that there are many more ways to clean cars, but not everyone has the time and energy. In summary, this is what you need to keep your car clean:

✔ Multipurpose surface cleaner: Be sure to use a cleaner that is high performing without harsh chemicals. This makes it easy to spray down surfaces in the car, keeping away bacteria, dirt, and dust. Did you know L'AVANT's Multipurpose Surface Cleaner is refillable? When it’s time for a refill, simply add the concentrate to 15 oz. of water in your original bottle, gently shake, and you’re back in business! Added bonus: less plastic, less waste.

✔ Dish soap: It is amazing how one pump of dish soap can go a long way when it comes to cleaning a car. L'AVANT's multitasking, nature-based cleaning, High Performing Dish Soap is hard working without damaging the car seat material. Plus, L'AVANT's dish soap is also refillable. Dish soap has multiple cleaning uses. Explore more in the article "10 Surprising Ways To Clean With Dish Soap Around The House" from Southern Living.

✔ A dishcloth or microfiber cloth

L'AVANT Multipurpose Surface Cleaner cleaning car dashboard

L'AVANT Collective was born out of the near-constant demand for cleaning up after our kids and pets, but wanting the products we used to be non-toxic, highly effective, and conveniently located. Our goal is to merge our modern home interiors and styles with the products we use daily in a sustainable and plant-based way. Our products are created to multitask, including using them to clean cars or even unclog toilets.

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