Seats and carpets get the attention. Vents, screens and switchgear are what people actually look at and touch, and they are the details that make an interior feel cared for or neglected.
Air vents
Vents collect dust in the fins where no cloth reaches, and blow it back at you every time the fan runs.
- Blow the loose dust out first — a can of air, a blower, or the reverse setting on a vacuum.
- Run a soft detailing brush along each fin. A dry brush lifts more than a damp cloth pushes.
- Hold a vacuum nozzle next to the brush so the dust goes into the vacuum rather than onto the dashboard.
- For the film that builds on the outer fins, mist a light interior cleaner onto the brush and work gently.
- Dry with a cloth wrapped over a thin tool.
Do not spray cleaner directly into a vent. It runs down inside the ducting and can end up on the heater matrix or in the blower.
Screens and instrument displays
Modern touchscreens have anti-glare and oleophobic coatings that are easily damaged. Treat them like a phone screen, not like a window.
- Never use glass cleaner, alcohol, or an all purpose cleaner on a screen. They strip the coating permanently.
- Use a clean, dry, plush microfibre first. Most fingerprints come off dry.
- For anything stubborn, very slightly dampen the cloth with water or a dedicated screen-safe product.
- Spray the cloth, never the screen. Liquid running into the bezel is how displays fail.
- Wipe in one direction, then buff dry.
- Turn the screen off first — you can see the marks far better on a dark display.
Sticky buttons and worn switchgear
That soft-touch tackiness on older interiors is the rubberised coating breaking down, made worse by skin oils, sun cream and hand sanitiser. Once it has gone properly sticky, the coating is failing and cleaning only slows it.
- Start with a barely damp microfibre and light pressure.
- Step up to a diluted interior cleaner on the cloth if needed — never neat, never sprayed on directly.
- Use a soft brush around the edges of buttons and in the lettering.
- Dry immediately. Do not leave moisture around electrical switches.
- Finish with a matte interior dressing to protect what coating is left.
Avoid glossy dressings here. They make buttons slippery, they shine into your eyes, and they accelerate the off-gassing that films up your windscreen.
The tools that make it easy
- Two or three soft detailing brushes of different sizes.
- A plush microfibre reserved for screens only.
- A general interior microfibre for plastics.
- A vacuum with a narrow nozzle.
Our interior range includes a matte dressing that cleans and protects in one pass, which is the practical choice for switchgear and vents.
Before you start
Always read the label on the product you are using and follow the instructions on it for dilution, application and safety. Work in the shade on cool paint, and test anything new on a small, hidden area first — particularly on trim, wraps and finishes you are not familiar with.
Not sure which product fits the job? SWAG Fast Lane asks three quick questions and puts the right kit together for you.