Before selling used cars, it is important that the interior be as clean as possible. Why does it matter that the interior be as clean as possible BEFORE selling a car? Because not only will you get a lot more cash for it but you will sell it much faster too. Selling a car faster means less hassle for you.

Here are some tricks to make your old cars interior look better than ever…

Interior Plastic: Spray with Armorall or something similar. If its dirty, I use 409 spray cleaner. Spray it on liberally, let it sit for a few minutes. Spray again and then wipe it off with a paper towel.

Door Hinges and Door Jambs: Clean and touch up if needed. Do all touch up painting BEFORE using Armorall. Armorall is silicone based and paint won’t stick to it and that is why you need to do all touch up painting before using it.

Vacuum: Vacuum the interior and trunk thoroughly. Make sure you get in all the nooks and crannies with the little corner tool.

Interior Vinyl: Armorall all the vinyl. In really reeeeeeally cheap cars I may only do this in the front dashboard area.

Headliner: If the headliner is vinyl I use 409 spray cleaner. If its fabric, see below…

Interior Fabric (including fabric headliners): I’ve used Woolite heavy duty carpet cleaner. It comes in a big spray can. Spray it on and scrub with a plastic soft bristle scrub brush. It says to vacuum after, but I’ve never vacuumed the headliners because I’m afraid vacuuming might pull away the headliner. Test on a small area first.

Glass: If its a really cheap car then I usually only do the front and front side windows. Do all of them when selling used cars that go for a higher price. This should be the last thing you’ll do before selling used cars.

Missing Or Broken Interior Parts: Replace missing or broken window cranks, door lock knobs, rear view mirror, etc. Buy generic ones at an auto parts store or any major retailer like Walmart, etc..

Interior Carpet: Shampoo the carpet. I wouldn’t bother shampooing the carpet of really cheap cars unless it is really disgusting. If its faded black carpet, you can vacuum first and then spray the carpet with flat black spray paint.

Dashboard: This really needs to look good because its right in your buyers face. If the dashboard is cracked then I suggest you buy one of those pre-formed dash board covers from K-Mart, Walmart, Target, etc.

Car Seats: If you are selling used cars that will sell for a fairly high price then it would be worth having that panel replaced by an upholsterer. For a cheap car, instead of dealing with the time and expense of re-upholstery work, you should buy some cheap seat covers from K-Mart, Walmart, Target, etc.

Steering Wheel: If its worn out and funky looking then get a steering wheel cover. Like the dashboard, this is another thing that is really in your potential buyers face, so it needs to look good. Steering wheel covers are only a couple dollars and are available in the auto parts section of K-Mart, Walmart, Target, etc.

Use your common sense when selling a car and be very careful to avoid the temptation of doing too much when fixing up a car to sell. Avoid putting too much money or time preparing a funky old high mileage car that isn’t going to bring you back what you put into it.

When selling used cars, don’t waste your time and money on things that won’t bring you more money and/or make the sale easier and faster. That is the rule to follow. The important point to remember when you sell a car is that it needs to be as clean as possible inside and out…and the higher the price, then the cleaner and more “like new” it will need to look.