Interior

Start by vacuuming the base of the rear seats first, before sitting on them to reach other areas. If you sit on a dirty rear seat to access the footwells or centre console, you'll pick up and redeposit hair, sand, and debris on surfaces you've already cleaned. General direction is front to back, vacuum then clean per zone.

They do different jobs. A steam cleaner uses heat and pressure to loosen grime in tight spots like vents, switchgear, and sticky upholstery, but it does not extract what it loosens, so you need a vacuum afterwards. A carpet extractor sprays cleaning solution and vacuums dirty water back up simultaneously, making it better for deep cleaning fabric seats and carpets. For most home detailers, a steam cleaner plus a drill brush attachment handles the majority of interior stains without fully saturating the upholstery.

Koch Chemie Greenstar is a well-regarded interior APC. It foams up well, leaves significantly less residue than alternatives such as Surfex HD, and does not require the additional wipe-down that Surfex HD demands inside a car. For moderately soiled hard trim, dashboards, and door cards, Koch Chemie Pol Star at 1:20 dilution is another strong option that works across all interior surfaces including leather and Alcantara in the same session.

CarPro PERL is the benchmark value choice for interior trim dressings. At 1:5 dilution with distilled water it costs approximately £3.78 per litre and gives a satin finish on dashboards and trim. At 1:10 it produces a thinner, near-invisible finish. Apply by misting onto a microfibre towel rather than directly onto the surface to avoid overspray onto glass or fabric. Be aware PERL can occasionally cause white spotting on highly porous rubber when diluted with water.

Avoid heavy wet extraction on seats and carpets in winter unless you can keep the car warm and well-ventilated during drying. Seats that stay damp for hours in cold conditions develop mould and odour. If you must do it, work at the very start of the session to maximise drying time, keep doors open for airflow, and finish with the interior so the car can air out. Where possible, use a steam cleaner instead, as it cleans without saturating the fabric and the residual heat speeds drying.