Cleaning Your Car’s Interior Dashboard

Last Updated on June 17, 2023 by Chase Manhattan

Staring at a dusty, dirty dashboard while driving is unpleasant and disgusting.

It doesn’t take long for your car’s dashboard to become dirty, so it’s important to have a quick and effective cleaning method to save yourself time and energy.

The method explained below is an extremely easy and super effective way to clean car interior dashboards.

While we’re here, it’s worth mentioning how you can remove mold from window seals as well.

[Clean the Rest of Your Interior]

What You’ll Need

For vinyl, rubber, and plastic: 

• Interior detailing spray. I use and recommend Meguiar’s Ultimate Interior Detailer.

For leather:

• Leather conditioning spray. Meguiar’s Gold Class Leather Conditioner is perfect because it cleans and protects your leather dashboard.

Additional items:

• Microfiber towel. This is better than paper towels because it won’t leave lint behind.
• Small brushes. You could use paint brushes, a toothbrush, or an interior cleaning brush kit.
• Dashboard protectant (optional).
• Vacuum (if you have heavy amounts of dirt).

[How to Remove Car Scratches]

Step 1 – Vacuum

Most cars probably won’t need their dashboard vacuumed, but occasionally it is necessary.

If your car’s dashboard has large particles of dirt or food, consider vacuuming it before continuing to the next step. This will make it easier to clean in the next step. Using a cordless vacuum with strong suction will save time and effort.

Remove large items from the dashboard before vacuuming to get them out of the way.

If it doesn’t look like your dashboard will need vacuumed, skip this step and continue to step 2.

Step 2 – Clean with Spray

If your dashboard is made of vinyl, rubber, or plastic, continue using an interior detailing spray. If your dashboard is made of leather, continue using a leather conditioning spray.

Our Recommendations:

For vinyl, rubber, or plastic:

For leather:

Spray the product onto the surface of the dashboard and wipe away with a microfiber towel.

Use microfiber towels instead of paper towels to prevent leaving lint behind on the dashboard.

Avoid getting the detailing spray onto the glass windshield, as it will need to be cleaned with glass cleaner.

These sprays can also be used on other parts of your car’s interior if they are made of the same material.

Step 3 – Clean with Brushes

This is one of the secrets to get your car’s interior dashboard super clean.

After using a cleaning spray to remove the majority of the dirt and dust, use various brushes to reach all the cracks and crevices of your dashboard.

Find brushes around your house with various sizes and angles to reach every spot of your dashboard. Work from one side to the other to avoid missing any spots.

If you can’t find appropriate brush, you can pick up an interior cleaning brush kit.

Helpful Tips:

• Apply a touch of water to the tip of the brush to help remove stubborn dirt.
• Don’t forget to clean the air vents, where it is common for dust to accumulate.

[The Common Causes of Car Scratches You Should Know]

Step 4 – Protect the Dashboard

Have you ever felt your dashboard after your car has been sitting in the hot sun? Sometimes it can be too hot to touch!

Your dashboard can become damaged from exposure to sunlight over time, but it can be protected using a dashboard protectant to block UV rays. This will prevent the dashboard from fading, cracking, and more.

If you have a leather dashboard and used the product I mentioned above, your dashboard is already protected, therefore you can skip this step.

Although this is optional, it is recommended to extend the life and appearance of your dashboard.