Morning,
We have just acquired a new *used* car in the family that despite being mechanically fine unfortunately (and clearly) has not been treated to the same level of cleanness and care as my Clubsport... Now as a first step I went through the entire interior with a standard vacuum cleaner and then generous amounts of GTechniq i2 Tri-Clean on practically every surface. Still, there are a couple of light stains on one seat (standard foam and car textile, no leatherette, alcantara etc) that persist and a touch of the previous smell, nothing too obnoxious but still something which is not "yours" (if i make sense here) let alone some persisting dirt/sand in the carpets that did not go away with that standard vacuum cleaner I used as it seems to have penetrated deep inside the carpets.
So what should my next steps be to bring the car to an almost "like new" state? With my limited knowledge I would have thought steam cleaning and so I asked a guy I know who is way more crazy about detailing that I am and he suggested using his professional textile vacuum cleaner over the steam cleaning as he argues that you have to suck the dirt out first. I am thinking maybe a combination of both? Or maybe a good textile cleaner like a spray with a brush and manual work could also do the trick? Haven't ever dealt with a an interior at this state before so open to all suggestions.