Vacuuming your car is critical to having a clean car but in the world of vacuuming there is surface vacuuming, and then there is detail vacuuming. Which method you choose to do will make a difference.
Preparation
Before you get down to detail vacuuming you need to start with preparation. Preparation involves gathering the right detail vacuuming tools as well as preparing your car to detail vacuumed.
First, start by throwing away every bit of visible trash in your car. Getting rid of the trash will make a huge difference immediately, and obviously, you don’t want to be sucking Cheeto bags or discarded straws and trash into your vac.
Next, remove the carpet mats from your car. Failure to remove the carpet mats means merely vacuuming around the surface of the mat but not underneath.
Finally, move your front seats all the way back. Let’s face it how often have you vacuumed your car and left the seats in a forward, stationary position? The amount of dirt and gook underneath your seats can be staggering.
After that, it’s time to gather your tools. Besides your shop vac, you will need at a minimum, a toothbrush, and a set of vacuum brushes.
Technique #1. Work from top to bottom
Yes, most of the visible dust and debris will be at your feet. However, there is often plenty of dust to go along on the dash and the instrument panel. If you clean the floor first (including underneath the seats) and then tackle the visor and the instrument panel second it means you will need to vacuum the floor all over again.
So, begin with the window visors and work downward. Most often all you will need to tackle will be some warm water, some white vinegar, and a soft towel.
However, if there is gook anywhere on the visor or instrument panel, that’s where your toothbrush comes in. Use the toothbrush, rinse with vinegar and water, towel off, and then follow up with the vacuum.
Technique #2. Tackle the seats, both top, and bottom
Use your vacuum and a soft bristle brush to ensure your seats are totally clear of any dirt and debris. You may need to use a white vinegar and water solution here as well unless the seats are leather, in which case you will need a quality leather cleaner.
After the seats are spic and span, then tackle the dirt and dust underneath your seats and around the doors. Most likely for this task, you will attach a needle-nose attachment to your vacuum.
Technique #3. Do the floors last
Now that your car is clean from your visors to your instrument panels, to your seats, the next step is to tackle the floors.
The area under the floor mats will likely simply need a good vacuuming, but it will be plenty dirty.
The real trick to detail vacuuming your car is to handle the floor mats. If they are merely rubber or plastic, then of course all you will likely need to do is hose them off and let them dry. However, if they are upholstered, you will need a good upholstery detergent and a stiff brush, or a brush attached to your vacuum.
It may take several tries before the upholstery is clean, so if it doesn’t work to your satisfaction the first time, do it again.
To make the most of your car cleaning experience it might be worth it to check out the best car vacuum reviews at this very useful online resource. Ultimately, continuous vacuuming at least once per week, and detail vacuuming once a month will help you keep your car detail worthy.