Keeping Your Interior Mint: The Weekly Maintenance Routine

Never, ever clean your interior in direct sunlight. The products will flash dry and leave streaks that are a nightmare to get off. Find a spot under the carport or wait for the arvo shade.

Give the car a chance to air out. If you've been hauling around wet towels or gym gear, it'll help get rid of that 'damp dog' smell.

Chuck everything out that shouldn't be there. Check the door pockets, under the seats, and the centre console. I once found a half-eaten meat pie under a passenger seat that had been there for a month, trust me, you don't want that surprise.

Pull the mats out and give them a good thrashing against a brick wall or the fence. You want to get that heavy grit and sand out before you even touch the vacuum.

Use your detailing brush to flick dust out of the vents, buttons, and crevices. I usually have the vacuum running in my other hand to catch the dust as it flies out. Start from the top (dash) and work down to the console.

Work in sections. Move the seats all the way forward to get the back, then all the way back to get the front. Don't forget the 'no man's land' between the seat and the centre console. That's where the red dust loves to hide.

Spray your interior detailer onto the cloth, not the dash. This stops 'overspray' getting on the windscreen. Wipe down the dashboard, door cards, and steering wheel. The steering wheel is usually the filthiest part of the car, think about it.

For infotainment screens, use a dry, clean microfibre or one slightly dampened with just water. Modern screens have coatings that some chemicals can ruin. Made this mistake myself on a black Commodore once, left a cloudy mark that wouldn't budge.

If you have leather, give it a quick wipe with a dedicated cleaner. Aussie heat sucks the moisture out of leather faster than a cold beer disappears on a Friday. Use a conditioner every second or third week in summer.

Give the pedals a quick wipe with a damp cloth (no chemicals, you don't want them slippery). Mud and salt build up here and can actually start corroding the metal over time.

Use two cloths for the glass. One to apply the cleaner and scrub, and a second, bone-dry one to buff off. This is the only way to get a streak-free finish. I reckon Autoglym Fast Glass is the best gear for this.

Don't ignore the door shuts. A quick wipe here prevents that black greasy gunk from building up and ruining your clothes when you climb in. This is where most novices forget.

Slap the clean mats back in. Make sure they're clipped in properly so they don't slide under the pedals, she'll be right until next week.