text by Michael Johnson

"Interior Cleaning Tips For All Corvette Owners"

Winter's over, and your Corvette has racked up its share of dust while in hibernation. You painstakingly wash and wax your pride and joy to get it ready for the street. Thanks to the latest technology in wheel and tire care, the tires and rims glisten, and the trim is like new after a little elbow grease/polish combo.

But what's going on inside? The dash looks like a freshly tilled strawberry field, and the carpet's never had any kind of preferential treatment. The seats look like the top of your bedroom dresser.

We'll show you the latest in interior cleaning products and how - and how not - to use them. Follow along, and hit the road in true Corvette fashion!

We'll start on the dash and work our way down to the carpet. To get rid of the strawberry field on the dash, make a fresh swipe with a rag and dispose of the dust outside the car. This is a good start, and provides a moderately clean surface to begin with. Do this on all the trim work.



There are two ways to apply cleaning solution - directly on the surface of the dash, or on the cloth you'll use. If you choose to spray it on the dash, be careful not to get it all over the windshield and down in the defroster ducts. This will only create more work. It's easier to spray the solution on the cloth and work it into the plastic than to fine tune your spraying technique.



After the dash, we'll move on to the seating upholstery. Both leather cleaner and conditioner are on the market these days, and you need both to clean and protect the leather properly.



The easiest way to apply the solution is to spray your cloth with the solution and work it into the leather. Doing this regularly will go a long way toward extending the life of leather upholstery.



Next comes the carpet. Due to monsoon rains, we had to take our cleaning crew inside and use a totally different approach for showing proper carpet care.



The sharp of eye will notice that these floor mats don't fit a '73, but a certain '92 Black Rose convertible owned by Dobbs Vice President Paul Zazarine himself!



We'll start by vacuuming the carpet with our trusty Craftsman Shop-Vac. These little vacuums are handy, easy to use and a must for every garage. They're also easy on the wallet.



We apply the cleaner by spraying it evenly onto the carpet. Make sure to cover the whole carpeted surface.



Then we'll use a brush to work the cleaner into the carpet and allow adequate time to dry. Finish the job by vacuuming the carpet again. This is one area you should do carefully. As with all cleaning products, it is important to follow the manufacturer's directions. You'll be rewarded with the best looking carpet on the block.


CF 
For a complete version of this story in print, look for Corvette 
Fever on your local newsstand. 


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