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Blu-tac or Plasticine for getting those annoying crumbs out of crevices.
Hot damp cloth for the windscreen (the hotter, the better), dry immediately, repeat. Do small sections at a time. The first 1 or 2 passes will soften the film of filth before it's eventually clean.
Karcher window vac + cleaner was a game changer for me. Water and fairy liquid in the spray bottle, agitate it all around with the microfibre end bit and then use the vac to clean it all off. It's the only thing I've ever used that actually leaves it clean. The Autogylm glass polish is tempting though.
Best to do it with the car facing a low sun so you can see if it's worked or not. In the past I've thought it was clean only to then turn in to the sun and not be able to see much though the smears and had to stop and have another go.
Just use a damp microfibre cloth. Once I’ve dried the exterior with it, I’ll just wipe the windows. Done right only needs doing every few months. I don’t use and cleaner chemicals.
After years of using glass cleaners and never getting a properly clear finish I saw one of the YouTube car valeting guys recommending this method and gave it a try with great results. I was amazed as a lot of the haze on windscreens is caused by plasticiser evaporating from the dash which you would think would need some sort of organic solvent or detergent to remove but damp microfibre works a treat then follow up with a dry clean microfibre cloth.
…damp microfibre works a treat then follow up with a dry clean microfibre cloth
See my tedious earlier post. Sure, this technique can work. But all it did for me was move the filth around. Same for my friend who had the same problem.
At the time the list of methods I used included:
Plain microfibre cloth
Plain microfibre cloth and water
Plain microfibre cloth and Tesco glass cleaning spray
Paper towel and Tesco glass cleaning spray then microfibre cloth
Paper towel and thin paste of barkeepers friend followed by microfibre cloth and water
Washing up liquid solution and sponge followed by microfibre cloth water and microfibre cloth
Finally concluding with washing up liquid and sponge, paper towel, propan-2-ol and paper towel, microfibre cloth.
It was as frustrating and tedious an experience as you can imagine.
My routine when i got a new car was as follows (this was in my hot hatch days, Escort RS Turbo's, Astra GTE's, Novsa GSI, Focus ST3 etc...)
Remove front and rear seats, remove carpet, floor mats, boot carpet and rear arch covers
Lay carpet and floor mats etc.. out on the floor and clean/wash with a Vax hoover and allow to dry
Whilst carpet/floor mat is drying work on the seats using a hoover, Badger's hair brush and Autoglym Leather cleaner
Repeat for the leather door cards, paying particular attention to whatever sticky mess is at the bottom of the door pockets
Clean leather steering wheel, gear knob and gaiter using Badger's hair brush and Autoglym leather cleaner
Clean dash using Autoglym dash and rubber care
Clean all windows including windscreen on the inside of the car with Autoglym glass cleaner
Clean pedal rubbers with Autogylm rubber cleaner
Clean sill covers using Autoglym trim cleaner
Refit interior
Wont go into what i did to the outside of the car but lets just say it was just as involved if not more than doing the interior, cleaning all the door shuts, boot shuts, clay bar, washing, polishing etc...
Could easily spend 8-10 hours on a total clean
After that it would get a quick (2-3 hour) clean, wash and detail every couple of months
Now drive a van, it gets taken to a hand car wash 1-2 times a year
A (brand new) smallish paint brush, maybe a 1" or 2" wide one or something, kept in the glove box makes an excellent little duster for dash vents, trim crevices around knobs etc. that you can use when waiting to pick someone up, stuck in a queue at a drive-through etc.
Little and often keeps it looking pretty nice.
Auto smart G101 is the daddy(as recommended by car valeters) world over. Mixed in different strengths(I use 1:30) removes most stains and leaves plastics/roof lining etc looking as new 🙌🏻
If it’s not been mentioned, for the glass there’s an AutoGlym Fast Glass too where you spray on and then wipe off with either a microfibre or kitchen roll
as above unless theyre really dirty the autoglym fast glass is quickest and easiest way
What the **** are you people doing in your cars that means the interior glass needs anything other than a damp glass-cleaning cloth on it?
... or should i not have asked?
@reeksy Some dashboard plastics give off chemicals that leave a film on the windscreen. This stuff doesn't seem to come off with water and kitchen roll.
Autoglym Fast Glass is good stuff. Works well on glass (natch) but also really good sprayed on a microfibre cloth and used on interior and plastic and leather trim.
Muc Off citrus fresh is really good for cleaning floor matts (after you give them a hoover), works well on cloth / fabric seats too.
Other than that the main tool is a little Ryobi "Dust Buster" style hoover
Throw the body in the boot, wipe up the bits of brain on the upholstery, throw sheets over the seats and head to the scrap yard.
Gave my car a long overdue interior clean at the weekend and used two methods I picked up from this thread:
I cleaned the glass with our karcher window vac having given them a quick spray and wipe with the karcher liquid (which I didn't even know we still had) - worked remarkably well.
I used my compressor to blast dust etc out of the little crannies - also worked very well, although it does basically redistribute the bits around the car, so don't do it after hoovering as you'll just have to hoover again!
My tip is to use a stiff scrubbing brush to brush the carpets towards the middle of each footwell as it makes sucking it out easier.