Order of operations matters: vacuum first, steam second, extraction third, protection last. Our step-by-step for seats, carpets, leather, glass and odours.
Most DIY interior jobs fail on sequence, not effort. The professional order is: remove and vacuum everything dry first — seats, mats, boot, crevices with a brush. Every gram of dry dirt removed now is dirt you won't turn to mud later.
Next, steam the high-touch zones: wheel, stalks, buttons, handles, belts and vents. Steam lifts body oils that cleaners smear around. Then extract fabrics: pre-treat stains, agitate, hot-water extract, and dry with airflow — never soak and hope.
Leather, Glass and Odours
Leather gets cleaned before it's conditioned — conditioner over dirt just seals it in. Use a dedicated leather cleaner with a soft brush, wipe, then feed with conditioner and buff. Shiny leather is dirty or over-dressed leather; healthy leather is matte.
Glass goes last, inside first, with two towels: one to apply, one to buff. Streaks usually mean product on the dash evaporating upward — dress trim after glass, not before. For odours, find the source first (spilt milk under a seat beats any air freshener), then enzyme-treat and, for stubborn cases, ozone.
Done right, a full interior takes us 3–5 hours — which tells you why a 30-minute valet never quite gets there. Twice a year, hand the cabin to professionals; in between, vacuum monthly and wipe spills the day they happen.
