What Is Interior Car Detailing?

Interior car detailing is the process of cleaning, conditioning, and protecting the interior of your car. This includes the upholstery, plastics, glass, and all the hard-to-reach areas that build up dirt over time but never get cleaned. Without a proper interior detail, all the dirt, stains, and smells will continue to build up, and that’s not something a quick vacuum or air freshener is going to fix.

Why Interior Car Detailing Matters

Dirt builds up in your interior just from day to day use. You might not notice the build up right away, but as time goes on the dirt gets more obvious, for example, the dust all over the dashboard, crumbs inside the cup holders, fluid spills, salt stains from road salt, and many more, all built up after weeks and months of daily driving.

Interior detailing is what resets all of that. After a detail your vehicle will be noticeably cleaner, you’ll enjoy how it looks, how it smells, and you most likely won’t want to see it get dirty again.

Also, if you plan to sell your car, the interior is one of the first things buyers look at, and a clean interior suggests the vehicle is well taken care of.

What’s Included in a Full Interior Detail

Full Interior Vacuum

The interior gets thoroughly vacuumed from front to back, including the trunk, under the seats, every gap, crack and crevice, cup holder, and door panel.

Shampoo and Extraction

Cloth seats, carpets, and floor mats get sprayed with an upholstery cleaner and a light mist of water, then drill brushed, agitated, and extracted.

Leather Cleaning

For interiors with leather seats, a leather cleaner and an interior brush are used to clean the dirt and stains on the seat.

Plastics, Vents, and Crevices

The dashboard, steering wheel, cup holders, doors, plastics, vinyl and door handles all get cleaned.

Conditioning and Protection

After everything has been cleaned, leather conditioner is applied to all leather materials, and interior dressing to all plastic and vinyl interior surfaces.

Glass Cleaning

All glass and windows are cleaned till streak free.

Keeping the Results After a Detail

After the detail, your interior has gotten the reset it needs. To keep it that way, vacuum regularly, clean up any stains or spills as soon as they happen, and try to keep food and drinks in the car to a minimum. Stay on top of these and you won’t need a detail as often.

Frequently Asked Questions About Interior Car Detailing

How often should I get interior detailing?

About every two to four months for most people. If you frequently eat in the car, have kids, pets, or use your vehicle for work, you’re going to need it more often.

What’s the difference between a car wash and an auto detailing service?

A car wash takes anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes. It only cleans the exterior, and doesn’t touch the interior at all. Whereas an auto detailing service takes hours of work on the interior, exterior, and anything that needs to be restored to get the vehicle back to a like-new condition. Car detailers use professional products, equipment, and thorough processes that make the results non-comparable.

How much does interior detailing cost?

Most full interior details cost about $150 to $350 or more, based on the size and condition of the vehicle.

How long does interior detailing take?

An interior detail typically takes about 2 to 6 hours or more, depending on the size and condition of the vehicle.

What’s the difference between a basic and a full interior detail?

A full interior detail is a deep clean that includes steam cleaning, shampooing, extraction on the carpets and seats, all plastics, vinyl, leather cleaned and conditioned, and the glass wiped till streak free. A basic detail is lighter and includes a wipe down, a vacuum, and light cleaning to hold the condition between full details.

Will interior detailing get rid of a bad smell?

Yes, depending on where the smell is coming from. If it’s coming from the upholstery it should be out by the end of the detail. For heavier cases like smoke or any foul odors, an ozone treatment is required on top of the cleaning. Ozone breaks down odors in places that can’t be reached, for example the vents, or in the deeper layers of the upholstery.

Final Thoughts

A proper interior detail makes your vehicle feel better to drive and easier to maintain afterward, and that maintenance is what extends the life of the interior.

If you’d like to detail your car yourself, our step-by-step interior detailing guide walks through the whole process, and if you’d rather not deal with it, that’s what we’re here for at Grandeur Autos.