Everyday use of your car or truck dirties the interior. Many people pay for a service that can be done with a little knowledge and advice. It’s not difficult to step through the same processes a professional auto detailer takes to get your interior showroom clean.

1. Get rid of any loose items in your car. Take out any car seats, ice scrapers, or anything that can get in your way. Then, move your driver and passenger seats as far forward as possible. This allows you to get far under the seats when you vacuum and shampoo the carpets.

2. Once you prepare the interior, you are ready for your first vacuum. Vacuum the top of the back seats, back of the front seats, then work down your way down to the floor. Aside from vacuuming the seats, this is just a quick once-over to get the big chunks of debris on your carpet such as gravel, salt, straw wrappers, etc.

3. Now you are ready to shampoo your interior. You’ll need a plastic-bristled brush, bucket, toothbrush, large sponge, a thick towel, and a compressed air line, if possible. I use the following solution for my bucket soap:

•2 gallons warm water

•2 cups degreaser

•1 cup tar remover

•1 pair rubber gloves

This combination will clean just about anything and is mild enough not to stain surfaces. Once you have your bucket solution ready, you are ready to shampoo the interior. Spray just the carpets with degreaser. This acts as a stain pre-treatment to loosen up the dirt and grime. Next, dip your sponge intro the bucket, squeeze out a majority of the solution, and wipe down the seats from top to bottom. The key to cleaning seats is not to get them very wet. Too much water will soak into the padding and possibly get moldy. Wipe the seats with your towel to get as much moisture as possible. Dip the sponge again in the bucket, but use all the solution in it to scrub into the carpet. Make sure to get the corners and edges to loosen up the dirt. Use your brush to loosen dirt or particles stuck in the carpet. Do both front and back carpets before using your wet/dry vacuum to suck up as much water as possible. After vacuuming, rub the carpets with the towel. Use the toothbrush for hard-to-reach areas such as the seat tracks or ashtrays. Floor mats are cleaned the same way as the interior carpets.

The doors work similarly to the seats – work from top to bottom. Use your sponge to get the material wet, and then dry up as much as you can with the towel. Too much moisture here may damage electrical components inside the doors.