Your interior before winter – protect mats, fabric and leather
Winter is most visible on the outside, but it's inside that the wear really settles: salt and slush get dragged in on your shoes, moisture soaks into carpets and seats, and the car starts to smell musty. A little preparation in autumn keeps the interior clean and fresh all season.
- Rubber mats with raised edges are winter's single most important measure
- Salt leaves hard, white stains in carpets and seat covers – remove them early
- Moisture causes foggy windows and bad odours – ventilate and dry regularly
- Ingrained damp odours are removed effectively with an ozone treatment
Winter is hard on the interior
All that exterior defence helps little if salt and moisture run riot inside the car. On your shoes you drag in a mix of salt, sand and meltwater that settles in the floor. Salt attracts moisture, so carpets and seats stay clammy – and it's a short step from there to stains, fog and a musty smell.
Rubber mats are winter's best friend
Textile mats soak up everything and never dry out properly in winter. Rubber mats with a raised edge do the opposite: they catch meltwater and salt in a "tray" and rinse clean in seconds.
Soak up and hold moisture
Salt and meltwater soak in, the mats never dry out, and the moisture spreads to the carpet beneath.
Catch and empty easily
Hold salt and water on top, protect the original carpet, and rinse clean outdoors in seconds.
Salt on mats and carpets
Has the salt already left white streaks? They can be removed if you catch them early.
- Wipe up salt and meltwater as soon as possible
- Use rubber mats throughout winter
- Ventilate and dry the car regularly
- Leaving wet mats in the car
- Scrubbing salt into dry carpet
- Waiting until spring to remove stains
If the salt is set deep in the carpet, you need a thorough interior clean with extraction that pulls salt and moisture all the way out of the fibres – not just off the surface.
Get into a car that's been closed up for a few hours. Notice a clammy, earthy smell right away? That's moisture and microorganisms in the fabrics – a sign the interior needs a thorough clean.
Want your interior winter-ready?
We do a thorough interior clean and remove salt, stains and odours – at your place. Send us your car's make and model.
Book an interior cleanMoisture and foggy windows
Winter fog on the inside of the windows comes from moisture trapped in the car – from wet mats, snow on your shoes and your own breath. Dry mats and a bit of ventilation are half the solution. A clean, dry cabin fogs up far less.
Protect fabric and leather
- Fabric seats can be sealed so spills and damp salt don't soak in
- Leather should be cleaned and conditioned before winter – dry air and cold crack untreated leather
- Door panels and trim should be wiped down regularly so salt isn't left sitting
Bad smell? An ozone treatment removes it
If musty, smoky or damp odours are set into the fabrics, simply airing out rarely helps. An ozone treatment breaks down the odour molecules throughout the whole cabin – including ducts and fabrics you can't reach – and leaves the car neutral and fresh.
Prices
Do the thorough interior clean in autumn, before the salt season. You'll then start winter with clean, dry fabrics – and it's far easier to keep a clean interior clean than to rescue one that's soaked through with salt and moisture. See also our winter prep guide.