How to Clean and Care for your Classic Car Interiors
One of the most important parts of maintaining a classic car is to ensure that you keep the interiors to a high standard. Over time the interiors of a car can deteriorate if you don’t take good care of them and this can have an effect on the value of the car. But it can be difficult knowing how to care for the interiors of your classic car and make sure they remain in a good condition. This is made harder by the fact that car interiors are made out of a lot of different materials so there is no one solution. But don’t worry; our blog guide gives you some top tips on how you can clean the different types of material in your car.
Cleaning Genuine Leather
A popular material for the interiors of many classic cars was the use of genuine leather, which can be difficult to know how to clean. Traditionally many classic cars will use leather trim for the car seats but many manufacturers also used leather elsewhere in the car. The Jaguar E-Type interior uses leather seats, upholstery and trimming and is pretty straight forward to clean. Make sure that you regularly wipe the surface with a dry cloth to remove dust and dirt from accumulating on the material. You can also use a damp cloth and soap cleaner to remove any of the dirt engrained into the leather.
Caring for Fabrics
Another material that is often used in the interior of classic cars is fabric upholstery and can also be easy to maintain. You can easily get the dirt out of your car upholstery and seats if you clean it on a weekly basis by vacuuming the interior. This should remove most of the dirt and dust that has settled in the fabric but you can also use a brush on the surface too. If you have a stained area of fabric on your car's upholstery then you might need a specialist cleaner to remove the stain. It is best to investigate what kind of fabric your car's interiors are made from a find a cleaner suitable. Test the cleaner on a small area out of sight before cleaning.
Classic Car Carpets
Carpets can often be one of the dirtiest places in a car as it is an area that receives the most footfalls. You should try and take your shoes off if they become dirty or muddy when driving a classic car but this is not always possible. To clean classic car carpets, you will need to use a brush and vacuum to remove any loose dirt and debris before washing with a deep cleaner. Ideally, you will want to use a foaming cleaner to remove any dirt that is left in the carpet and using a vacuum again to remove any cleaner. Blowing the carpet with compressed air will fluff the carpet and give it a fresh new look.
Convertible Cleaning Tips If you are lucky enough to own a convertible classic car, then you might be left wondering what you should use to clean the fabric. It is not advised that you use any chemical cleaning on your convertible roof; you should instead use neutral soap suds to remove the dirt. Use lukewarm water and a soft brush to work the dirt out of the material without damaging it.
By following our classic car cleaning tips you can care for your car and ensure that it is kept in pristine condition. If you have a Jaguar E-Type that is in need of more than a good clean, then our jaguar e type restoration team can help. We have a dedicated workshop and our team have a great deal of experience in restoring the classic car. Get in touch with us today, or why not take a look at our restoration page, for more information.