Maintaining your car involves more than replacing worn-out or faulty parts; it also involves regular cleaning and detailing.
You should pay close attention to your door panels during your cleanups because most people overlook them and focus on the seats, floor, and dash covers when tidying up the vehicle’s interior. However, don’t make the same mistake.
Cleaning your vehicle’s door panels is a multi-step process; therefore, skipping any steps or doing them poorly might result in faded or discolored panels.
Here’s how to keep dirt off your door panels and ensure that they’re clean and in good shape:
Prepare Cleaning Tools and Materials
Using regular soap and other cleaning solutions on your door panels is not ideal because they can remove the sheen on vinyl and plastic surfaces. In some cases, these cleaners can even discolor the material.
It’s also best to avoid using brushes with hard bristles to scrub off stains because they can leave scratches on the surface of your door panels.
You can clean your car’s interior door panels using the following materials and tools:
What You Need
- Vacuum with upholstery or dirt attachment.
- Vinyl cleaner (for vinyl surfaces)
- Leather cleaner (to clean leather car door panels)
- Cotton swabs/sponges
- Toothbrushes
- Upholstery brush
- Leather brush
- Microfiber cloths
- Detailing brush
- Compressed air
- Steam cleaner (optional)
Procedure
Once you’ve assembled the cleaning tools above, follow the procedure below to start cleaning your car’s interior door panels:
Vacuum the Door Panels
Vacuuming is critical because it will help remove most loose dirt and grime in your door panels. It will also help prepare your panels for the other cleanup steps.
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Remember that you can use any handheld vacuum as long as it reaches into all the nooks and crannies of your door panels. Use the following procedure when vacuuming the door panels:
Vacuum up Dust and Loose Dirt
Run the vacuum all over your car’s door panels to remove all debris, dust, and other tiny debris on their surface. Vacuuming removes all the loose grime; you won’t smear dirt when you wipe down the panels later.
Clean Hard-to-Reach Areas Using the Vacuum Attachment
You can run the attachment or crevice tool along corners, into storage pockets, and other tight spots. Ensure that you get as much visible dirt as you can.
Use the Compressed Air to Force Out Stubborn Dirt
If you’re having challenges getting dirt and dust off your panels, you can use compressed air to blow the dirt out. Then, you can vacuum the dirt and any other tiny debris that the compressed air knocked loose to clean it up.
Get Rid of Stains
You might smear grease from oily foods on your car door panels when you’re snacking while driving. When this happens, you might have unpleasant smells and sticky residues.
While such stains are often difficult to remove, you can ensure that your door panels look like they’re new again if you use the right cleaning solutions as detailed below:
Use a Steam Cleaner
You can wrap your steam cleaner’s upholstery tool with a microfiber cloth. After this, mix a small amount of your chosen cleaning solution and water into the steamer, and aim it at the stain.
Be careful to use only a little moisture, especially if your door panels have fabric or leather, because doing so can damage the material.
If you want to avoid having too much moisture, dab at the spot with a microfiber cloth until the stain disappears.
Clean and Detail the Door Panels
Once you’ve vacuumed your door panels thoroughly, you can wipe them down. You can do a spot test by applying the solution to an inconspicuous part of your panel to determine if the solution is appropriate for your car door panels’ surface. Don’t use it if it stains.
You will also need to do the following:
Clean the Door Panels
You can apply the appropriate cleaning solution to your door panel and then wipe it down with a clean microfiber cloth.
Clean the Storage Pockets
It’s best to thoroughly clean the storage pockets because they tend to collect much dirt and dust. Then, you can use a sponge or cloth to reach into tight spaces.
Be sure to clean around the armrests, speaker grills, door sill, and door frame.
Dry the Door Panel
Dry the door panel with a clean microfiber cloth. You can also leave your car door open and naturally let the air dry any lingering moisture.
Polish and Protect the Door Panels
Polishing and protecting your door panels will depend on your door panel’s surface. For example, it’s best to treat vinyl surfaces with vinyl dressing and leather surfaces with leather conditioner. This step is crucial because it helps protect your panels from dirt, dust, and even UV rays if you use a solution with a good level of UV protection.
Here are the steps to follow when polishing your car’s door panels:
Apply the Conditioner or Dressing Using a Microfiber Cloth
Ensure that you apply the product on all surfaces, including hard-to-reach areas such as the storage pocket and armrest.
Once done, let the solution air dry and wipe off any excess conditioner or dressing.
Apply Wax on the Metal Parts
Spread car wax inside the metal with a microfiber cloth to prevent oxidation and corrosion. Let the wax dry, and then give the surface a rub to make it shine.
How to Clean Fabric on Car Door Panels?
When cleaning a nice fabric or material like leather on your door panels, it’s best to ensure that you don’t use too much moisture because it can damage the fabric, cause discoloration, and make your car door panels look bad.
If you want to clean the fabric on your car door panels, you can take the upholstery tool of your steam cleaner and wrap a clean microfiber cloth. You will use steam to clean to ensure you’re using as little moisture as possible.
What Household Products Can Clean a Car’s Interior Door Panels?
You can use vinegar and dish soap to clean dirty interior car door panels.
What You Need:
- Two cups water
- A tablespoon of dish soap
- One cup vinegar
- Spray bottle
Procedure
- Mix the water, dish soap, and vinegar in a spray bottle.
- Spray the mixture on the stains and let it sit for at least 15 minutes. Use only a little solution because moisture might damage the fabric.
- Wipe clean with a dry cloth.
It’s best to test the mixture above in an inconspicuous area to ensure that the car door panel fabric is colorfast.
What is the Best Cleaner for Car Interior Plastic?
It’s best to look for the best car interior cleaner if you want a super clean car interior. Wetness and grime can accumulate on plastic sections of your car’s interior due to their frequent handling.
Plastic is the easiest interior material to clean if you have the right cleaning product.
Here are some top cleaners for your car interior plastic:
Meguiar’s Ultimate Black Plastic Restorer
Meguiar’s Ultimate Black Plastic Restorer is a game changer in car care and auto detailing. This is one of the most popular and highly rated products on Amazon.
The kit is designed to leave a beautiful matte finish after restoring all external plastic car surfaces and rubber trims, including bumpers and moldings, door handles, rearview mirror housings, and windshield cowls.
The producer claims this product uses an innovative hybrid polymer technology that seals non-porous surfaces with UV protection. Therefore, this allows it to outlive traditional protectants and trim care for a significant amount of time.
If you opt for this product, ensure that you work with small areas at a time on a clean, dry, and cool surface. In addition, you should avoid using the product on clear plastic and clear glass, as well as paint and tire tread.
TriNova Plastic & Trim Restorer
TriNova Plastic & Trim Restorer is the best way to restore your vehicle and bring it back to life. This product provides surfaces with a protective coating that repels rain, dirt, and salt.
Torque Detail Plastic & Trim Restorer Spray
Torque Detail Plastic & Trim Restorer Spray is great for your car’s plastic interior because you won’t be left with harsh fumes or sticky surfaces when you apply it. According to the Torque Detail, there are no volatile organic chemicals in the mix.
According to Torque Detail, the worn grey plastic will turn black, and the product can remove oxidation. In addition, using the product is simple because you only need to spray it on the plastic and wipe it off.
The product can last for at least six months and doesn’t require using any other harsh chemicals. It’s also created using environmentally safe products; therefore, you don’t have to worry about environmental safety when using the product.
It would be best always to consider door panels during your vehicle maintenance routine. Additionally, using the right cleaning materials can keep them in top shape and extend their life.