Professional Tips For Cleaning Cracks and Crevices In Your Car

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Cleaning all the cracks and crevices in the car can be a bit tricky task. Sometimes it’s impossible to reach every speck of dirt and clean it. There are several ways to clean them, and in today’s article, I decided to show how you can easily clean all cracks and crevices in your car.

Key Takeaways:

You should use various tools such as air compressors, detailing brushes, popsicle sticks, and even steam cleaners to clean cracks and crevices in cars.
Cracks and crevices are mostly around car radios, car vents, doors, and central dashboards.

Preparation: Thoroughly Vacuum The Car

Vacuuming is the most crucial thing when it comes to interior detailing. Without vacuuming the interior first, you won’t do a quality job.

Always start from the top and vacuum as much dirt as possible. That way, you’ll pick up most of it, and later on, it’ll be easier.

Also, I like to use a brush attachment for my vac. That’s a great addon, and you’ll pick up most dirt and dust with it.

Related: Best Car Detailing Vacuums

TIP 1: Use a Compressed Air

Using compressed air is probably the best way to clean all the cracks and crevices in your car. If the pressure is high enough, all the dirt will get out from the gaps, and then you can vacuum it.

For this, you’ll need an air compressor and an air blow gun. Buying an air compressor is an excellent investment for your auto detailing equipment, even if you only detail your car.

You can find some cheap air compressors on Amazon, and they’ll be good enough for this task. However, if you plan to use the air compressor for a tornador, you’ll need a high-quality compressor with a bigger tank and more power.

Air blow guns are cheap, and you can find them for less than $20. I recommend you get this Capri Tools Air Blow Gun.

So, blow all the dirt out, vacuum the area, and wipe away with a microfiber towel. Don’t forget to use some APC or interior cleaner for even better results.

TIP 2: Use a Brush Or a Toothbrush

The second way to clean cracks and crevices is to use a brush or a toothbrush. My recommended brush for this task is Trim and Lug Brush by Adam's.

If you don’t have a brush, using a toothbrush will do the job. Just make sure to pick a soft toothbrush. Hard toothbrushes won’t clean as well as softer ones.

Spray some APC or interior cleaner on the brush and agitate the area until you clean all the dirt and dust from the gaps. After that, wipe the area off with a clean microfiber towel.

For some spots, you’ll probably have to make more passes to clean everything. Just repeat this tip until you cleaned all the dirt and dust.

TIP 3: Use a Microfiber Towel Wrapped on Popsicle Stick

Wrapping a microfiber towel on a popsicle stick is my go-to combination for very tiny gaps and crevices. Usually, I always recommend microfiber cloths with more GSM. However, for this, you’ll need some thin microfiber towel so it can go deeper into the gap.

Wrap the MF towel around a popsicle stick and gently wipe cracks and crevices until you have cleaned everything. If you don’t have a popsicle stick, use anything thin. You can even use your fingers, but it’ll be hard to reach all the tiny gaps.

That’s also a great way to clean air vents in your car.

TIP 4: Use a Steam Cleaner

using steam cleaner to clean cracks and crevices in car

Steam cleaner is an amazing tool that can help you with cleaning so many things in your car. It’s one of the best tools for tough stains. I also like to use it for cleaning gaps on the car dashboard and other hard-to-reach spots.

Just steam clean the gaps; it’ll loosen dirt and dust, so it’s easier to clean it. After that, just wipe off the dirt with a clean microfiber towel.

Combine All Four Tips

I get the best cleaning results when I combine all four methods shown above. That way, I’m reducing any chances of dirt or dust staying trapped inside the gaps.

Here’s my way of doing it:

Vacuum the car thoroughly
Blow out the dust with an air compressor and wipe it off with a microfiber towel.
Use a steam cleaner to loosen the dirt.
Wrap the microfiber cloth around the popsicle stick and try to clean the gaps even more.
Spray some APC on a brush and agitate the area until all the dirt and dust are cleaned.
Wipe the area off with a clean microfiber towel.
Apply protection.

That works for me, and I believe that it’ll work for you too. Take your time, and don’t rush. That’s the most important thing. If you run, there will always be some leftover dirt.

Of course, I don’t always use all the methods. It depends on the condition of the vehicle’s interior. Sometimes, using only a brush and a microfiber towel is enough.

Conclusion

Cleaning cracks and crevices in your car takes time, especially if the vehicle you or the owner neglected the vehicle for a while. Regular cleaning and vacuuming the car will prevent dirt and dust trapped inside those gaps, and that’s the best advice I can give to you.

Quickly vacuum the car weekly, and it’ll be much easier to maintain it.

By following the tips I gave you in this article, I believe that you’ll successfully clean everything and that you’ll be happy with the final result.