Professionally Clean The Interior Plastic On Your Car

There is nothing quite like that new car look, smell and feel. When you first drive your car out of the showroom, everything about it just shines. From the exterior to the interior, everything about a new car just looks great.

Then of course there’s secondhand cars. Today, when you drive one of these off the forecourt, they often look, smell, and feel just as good as a brand-new car.

That’s all thanks to professional cleaning services. From waxing and polishing the exterior paintwork, to buffing the interior to a perfect finish, professional car cleaning services can give almost any secondhand car that new car look and feel.

Thankfully, you don’t need to go to a professional to get that new car feel. At CRC, we have a huge range of car cleaning products that are perfect for every job, helping to bring old and tired cars back to life and give you that look, feel and smell of driving a new car out of the showroom.

In this post, we are going to focus on the interior plastic and how to bring faded plastic back to life.

Whilst a lot of car cleaning focuses on the outside of the car, we spend most of our time sitting inside our cars, so getting everything gleaming on the inside is much more likely to put a smile on your dial.

 
Cleaning interior plastic on your car

Most cars have plastic on both the inside and the outside. Keeping these plastic elements clean and protecting them from the sun and fading can really help you to hold the resale value of your car whilst giving you all the good feels when you are driving your car.

Cleaning the plastic on the interior of your car should be part of your regular car maintenance programme. Whenever you wash the outside of your car, you should also spend as much time on the interior as regular maintenance can help to keep your car looking newer for longer.

Whilst cleaning the plastic on your car sounds like a straightforward job, there are some things you should do to help the process and ensure you get maximum results for your effort.

1. Vacuum the interior of your car

Before you tackle the plastic found on the interior of your car, we think it’s always best to give the entire car an in-depth vacuum to remove any debris and dust. This will make cleaning the plastic much easier when you come to it.

Use the soft brush attachment on your vacuum to help to prevent scratching, especially on plastic. You can use this to vacuum the dashboard, floors, mats, and seating mechanisms where dirt and debris can often get stuck.

The soft brush attachment should also help you to get into the air conditioning vents and the knobs that control the air conditioning. The same applies for the levers around the steering wheel and dash display.

It’s also good to vacuum the central console where drinks and other snacks are often placed.

2. Dust the plastic

Whilst vacuuming is a great way to remove a lot of dust and debris, once this is done, we recommend getting a soft damp cloth (micro fibre cloths are perfect) and dusting all the plastic elements in your car. 

You can also use other tools to help to clean hard to reach areas and crevices. A Q-tip is great for cleaning in and around the radio and dashboard display and a small soft bristled paintbrush can really help to reach down to the front vents on the dashboard.

Once you have wiped everything down with a damp cloth, go back over the areas with a second dry micro fibre cloth to dry the plastic.

3. Treat stains and marks

It’s amazing how many marks and stains you get on the interior plastic of a car. From the door trims to the glove compartments, spills, scuffs, and scrapes can all leave marks or stains on the plastic, and these should be tackled next.

Use a mild soap or laundry detergent to gently wipe away the affected areas. Use the same damp cloth as before and wipe away until the area is clean.

4. Apply a protector

This is the most crucial stage and one that will save you having to repeat stages 1-3 on a regular basis.

CRC Liquid Armour is the perfect protectant for the interior plastic on a car. It’s not only great for protecting the plastic on the inside of your car, but also on rubber, vinyl, wood, fiberglass, chrome, and dashboards.

It forms a long-lasting, non-greasy protective barrier on and under the surface, guarding against cracking, dulling, fading, and UV damage offering great protection from the sun. 

Materials treated with CRC Liquid Armour repel water, receive long-lasting protection and sheen, regain lustre, life and colour. The anti-static formulation repels dust & dirt while leaving a fresh leather scent.

CRC Liquid Armour should be sprayed onto a dry, clean cloth or similar, and not directly onto plastic surfaces.  Not suitable for floors, stairs, fabric, two-wheel vehicles, on vehicle pedals/grips/steering wheels and other surfaces where slipperiness may be unsafe.

CRC Liquid Armour comes in three varieties – original Liquid Armour, Liquid Armour Gel and Liquid Armour Low Sheen. Each product brings different benefits:

Liquid Armour

  • Great original formula
  • Provides long lasting protective barrier 
  • Protects and Restores 
  • Superior UV protection


Liquid Armour Gel

  • Luxurious gel formula
  • Spreads evenly
  • Easy to use
  • Protects and Restores 
  • Superior UV protection


Liquid Armour Low Sheen

  • Great low sheen natural look
  • Anti-Glare
  • Protects and Restores
  • Superior UV protection

By using CRC Liquid Armour, you help to restore the plastic to its original colour, help prevent future fading and also help to repel stains and dust, meaning less time spent cleaning and more time spent enjoying that new car feel.

For more tips on maintaining your vehicle, both inside and out, check out some of our recent posts:

  • How to properly wash your car in 10 steps
  • How to clean car headlights
  • Interior car care with CRC
  • Exterior car care with CRC
  • Can you use regular glass cleaner on car windows?
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