In this unpredictable world that we have currently found ourselves in the importance of cleaning and sanitising is at the forefront of everyone’s minds. We now have plenty of time on our hands to consider spring cleaning and protecting ourselves from the spread of diseases.
We use our cars daily and often we forget that germs and bacteria can build up in our precious vehicles – cabriolets and saloons alike.
Shockingly only one in five Brits clean the inside of their car three times a year.
The front seat cup holder, dashboard air vents, floor mats, steering wheel, gear stick, seat belt button, handbrake and door handles are frequent touch points in our cars. These areas get overlooked when cleaning. We are all culprits to eating and snacking whilst on the move and carrying out our everyday busy lives using our cars.
Pets and children are also frequent passengers – who doesn’t love a muddy walk – don’t you just love them and their sticky paws!!
We all love having a sparkling interior and the fresh smell when the car cleaners valet the vehicle, however, whilst small businesses have ground to a halt and we have time on our hands, we could all do with giving our cabriolets and vehicles a good spruce and clean.
How to valet and clean the interior of your convertible
So let’s have a look at how to valet our convertibles and give the interior a good clean to prevent germs harbouring on the interior trims and surfaces.
Modern cars are well-engineered to help fight germs and grime – many vehicles are now produced with antimicrobial coating on surfaces, however, these don’t prevent the spread or keep your cabriolet looking nice.
So how is best to sanitise the interiors of our soft tops and hardtops and prevent the spread of germs and the current Covid–19 threat?
- Washing hands and not touching your face is the best hygiene regime
- Sanitise and clean your vehicle where other people have touched them
- Give the vehicle a good clean to remove visible dirt and grease
- UV sunlight is effective against many micro-organisms – let your interior dry in sunlight
- Use an antibacterial cleaner on the majority of the surfaces – do not leave on surface for a prolonged period to avoid damage to the surfaces
This blog will take a look at the best practises to clean, valet and sanitise your cabriolet ready for the world to come out from lockdown and summertime rides – reuniting with our friends and family once again to enjoy the company and freedom we have unfortunately taken for granted over the years.
See our Convertible Soft Top Roof Cleaning Service
Step by step guide to cleaning and sanitising your vehicle
Step 1. Use gloves
Protect your hands and yourself from the dirt and germs
Step 2. Vacuum
The first step is to vacuum the dust and grit build up.
A cordless cleaner is useful for this, however, if you have a power line out to your car, sometimes household vacuums have more suction and with the attachments can get into the small spaces.
Remove all loose items from your vehicle and remove the floor mats. The floor mats can be vacuumed and also carpet cleaning products can revive and clean. Soapy water can be effective to revitalise and clean the floor mats. Leave the mats in the sunshine to fully dry before placing back into the vehicle to avoid condensation build-up.
Step 3. Choose a cleaning product for the car’s interior
There are a wide variety of cleaning products to use on the range of surfaces in the interior of a vehicle – using the wrong product can cause damage to soft-touch rubberised plastics.
Specialist cleaning products are widely available from car stores and online – however bleach-free antibacterial wipes are a good idea.
In general mild soapy water will be sufficient as currently in this pandemic there is a shortage of products – using what you have is better than doing nothing and the vehicle will smell sweeter and deserves a good clean.
If you have an older vehicle or have been a little remiss on the interior clean, it would be worth-while going over some of the controls and trim with more detail as dirt build-up leaves a good contact surface for sneezes and the like to adhere to.
Avoid spraying or applying products directly to the surfaces – put them on a towel or cloth first.
Step 4. Which areas of the interior should I clean?
- Exterior door handles
- Frame of door and roof
- Interior door release
- Window switches
- Interior door handle
- Door pocket
- Seatbelts
- Seatbelt clips
- Seat adjust buttons
- Steering wheel
- Horn
- Control stalks
- Driver air vents
- Dashboard
- Power button
- Gear shift
- Multimedia screen
- Central air vents
- Heating controls
- Glovebox
- Log book
- Central storage compartment
- Cupholders
- Rear-view mirror
- Interior lights
- Grab handle
- Key
- Head rests
- Seat pockets
- Rear central tab
- Fuel cap
- Wheel valves
- Boot lid
- Parcel shelf
- Boot floor tab
- Boot close button
- Bonnet lid
- Washer cap
- Dipstick
- Oil cap
Step 5. What tools to clean with?
Some cars will have grooves and textured surfaces that will hold contaminants even on anti-microbial finishes.
There are specialist tools, however nothing beats getting into these surfaces like an old clean toothbrush to loosen and move the dirt – you are not trying to buff or polish and do not want to damage any stalks or switches.
Use soft brushes on hard surfaces like the dashboard to avoid damage.
Exterior handles are worth wiping down regularly, particularly if you’ve given lifts to people outside of your own family, and if you do have disposable gloves the best time to use them is at the petrol station – when using the filler, cash machine, pay-at-pump and door handle, then dispose of the gloves in the forecourt bins before touching your car. You can minimise contact thereby using pay-at-pump apps, too.
It is important not to neglect your vehicle and keep all areas clean and germ-free and we hope this helps to reduce any worry and also give your vehicle a little treat and at the same time.
You may be interested in our Convertible Roof Water Ingress Repair Service
What product should I use on the glass windscreen?
Where possible use an automobile specific glass cleaner as normal household glass cleaners may contain ammonia and can damage the tint on your screen
How do I clean my leather interior?
It is best to use a two-step clean and conditioner to clean and nourish the vehicle’s leather seats and upholstery
How do I clean the fabric seats?
Again it is best to use an automobile specific fabric cleaner to avoid watermarks and staining.
We do not need to be professional detailers to sanitise and clean your vehicle, however, it is good to practise to get into a regular cleaning regime for our vehicles – enjoy a sparkling vehicle and get summer-ready.
Contact Cayman Autos
If you require some assistance from the team at Cayman Autos, Contact us today on 01737 907516 or visit us at 51 ORMSIDE WAY, REDHILL, SURREY, RH1 2LG. We have customers from across the UK, including Hampshire, Kent, the Midlands and North West.
You can also keep up to date with the latest Cayman Autos news via our website, Facebook page, Twitter account, and LinkedIn page. Don’t forget to check out reviews from our customers on Facebook, Google or our website.
