How to Deep Clean Your Car Inside and Out: A Step-by-Step Guide

To deep clean your car, do the interior first, then the exterior. Inside: declutter, dry-brush and vacuum from top to bottom, clean hard surfaces, clean and condition leather, shampoo the carpets and seats, then clean the glass. Outside: clean the wheels first, pre-rinse, hand wash using two buckets, decontaminate the paint with a clay bar, dry, and protect with wax or sealant. Plan on a full day.

Here's every step in the order we use as professional detailers.

Interior:

• •Vacuum with crevice and brush attachments (a shop vac is ideal)
• •Soft detailing brushes for vents and seams
• •Interior cleaner safe for plastic and vinyl
• •pH-neutral leather cleaner and a water-based conditioner (if you have leather)
• •Carpet and upholstery cleaner, a stiff brush, and a wet/dry vac to extract
• •Glass cleaner (ammonia-free if you have tinted windows)
• •A stack of clean microfiber towels

Exterior:

• •Two buckets, ideally with grit guards
• •pH-neutral car shampoo (not dish soap)
• •A microfiber wash mitt
• •Wheel cleaner and a separate wheel brush
• •Iron remover and a clay bar or clay mitt with lubricant
• •Large microfiber drying towels
• •Wax or sealant, trim protectant, and tire dressing

Take everything out: trash, loose items, car seats if you can. Pull the floor mats so you can clean them separately.

Use a soft brush on air vents, seams, the gaps around buttons, and the area around the shifter, and push dust onto the floor. If you have compressed air, blow out the tight spots. Always work from the top down, since everything you loosen falls.

Vacuum the headliner gently, then the seats (get into the seams), then the carpet. Slide the seats all the way forward and back to reach underneath. Go slowly, in two directions.

Spray interior cleaner onto a microfiber towel, not directly onto the dash, so it doesn't drip into electronics. Wipe the dash, door panels, center console, steering wheel, and cup holders. Use a soft brush on textured plastic. Clean touchscreens with a dry or barely damp microfiber only.

Work the leather cleaner in with a soft brush, one section at a time, wipe it off, then apply a thin coat of water-based conditioner and buff off any extra. More on this in how to protect leather from sun damage.

Spray carpet cleaner lightly, scrub with a stiff brush, then pull the dirty solution out with a wet/dry vac. Use as little water as possible, because soaked padding leads to a musty smell. Clean the floor mats the same way (or scrub rubber mats with soap and water) and let everything dry completely.

Clean windows inside after everything else, so dust from earlier steps doesn't land on clean glass. Use two towels, one to clean and one to buff dry. Roll the windows down an inch to get the top edge.

It's usually behind the glovebox. A fresh filter makes the whole car smell cleaner. If odors remain, see how to make your car carpet smell good.

Work in the shade, with the paint cool to the touch. Washing in direct sun makes soap and water dry on the paint and leave spots.

Wheels are the dirtiest part of the car. Clean them first, with their own brush and bucket, so you don't splash brake dust onto clean paint later. Scrub the tire sidewalls too. Our brake dust guide covers this step in detail.

Rinse the whole car from top to bottom to knock off loose dirt before anything touches the paint. A foam pre-wash, if you have a foam cannon, loosens even more.

Fill one bucket with shampoo solution and one with plain rinse water. Wash one panel at a time, top to bottom, rinsing the mitt in the rinse bucket before it goes back into the soap. That keeps grit off your paint and prevents swirl marks. Save the dirty lower panels for last.

After rinsing, spray iron remover on the paint and wheels. It dissolves embedded metal particles (it turns purple as it works). Rinse, then glide a lubricated clay bar over the paint. If the paint feels rough before claying and smooth as glass after, it worked. See clay bar treatment explained.

Use a large, clean microfiber drying towel and blot or drag it gently across each panel. Don't let water air-dry, since mineral spots form fast. Blow water out of mirrors and trim if you can.

Apply wax or sealant in thin, even coats and buff off once it hazes. Clayed paint without protection is left bare, so don't skip this step. Here's how wax, sealant, and ceramic coating compare.

Dress the exterior plastic trim with a protectant, clean the outside glass, and apply a non-sling tire dressing.

• •Using dish soap. It strips wax and dries out trim
• •Using one bucket. You're rubbing grit back across the paint
• •Washing in direct sun. Soap and water dry on the paint and leave spots
• •Soaking the carpet. Wet padding means a musty smell a week later
• •Using the same towels everywhere. Keep separate towels for wheels, paint, interior, and glass
• •Spraying cleaner directly on the dash or screens

A full deep clean every 3–6 months, with regular maintenance washes in between, keeps most cars in great shape. Cars that live outside in LA sun, carry kids or pets, or see a lot of miles do better toward the shorter end. Our guide on how often to detail your car goes deeper.

A proper deep clean takes most people a full day. Our Gold Detail covers everything above (hand wash, clay bar, 6-month sealant, carpet and seat shampoo extraction, steam-cleaned hard surfaces, leather conditioning) in about 5–6 hours, in your driveway. Book online or call (310) 692-4495.