How to Prepare your Car for Sale: 7 Tips

Clean the outside of your car

The best way to clean your car is by hand. Use a soft cloth or sponge to remove dirt, grime and bugs from the outside of your vehicle. You can also use a hose if you want to get more serious about removing stains from tires and wheel wells. If you want to go even further in making sure that your car looks its best before selling it, consider waxing it as well!

Washing the outside of your vehicle will help ensure that potential buyers see what they’re paying for: A clean-looking ride that will last them years (and miles) into their future driving experiences.

Wash the inside of the car

Clean the inside of your car. The interior of a used car is bound to get dirty over time, especially if it’s regularly driven by kids or pets. Wash the dashboard and console with a microfiber cloth, then wipe down the seats and carpets with a damp cloth. Use an upholstery shampooer for more difficult stains on leather or fabric surfaces–and don’t forget about those carpeted mats!

Vacuum out all corners of the trunk, including under where items may have been stored for years without being removed (like spare tires). If you’re selling an older model vehicle that has been well maintained throughout its life, this might not be necessary; but if there’s any question about whether someone else has been living in their trunk lately…you’ll want to clean it out completely just in case.*

Schedule a professional detail

A professional detail is a thorough cleaning that includes every nook and cranny of your car. It’s not just about shining up the exterior, but also making sure that everything inside is clean as well.

Professional detailers know how to get into hard-to-reach spots with their tools, so they can make sure your car looks like new from top to bottom. They’ll vacuum and shampoo carpets, wipe down all surfaces with window cleaner (including those hard-to-reach places), scrub away stains in upholstery and leather seats, polish chrome trim pieces–you name it!

Before you schedule a professional detailer for your vehicle, be sure you know what kind of work they do best: some may specialize in cars only while others will handle boats or RVs as well. You can ask friends who have had similar services done before where they went; if nothing else works out online searches should provide plenty of options too!

Get rid of trash and clutter in the car

Remove all trash and clutter from the car.

Clean out the trunk.

Clean out the glove compartment, as well as any other compartments that might be hidden in your car (such as under each seat). You want to make sure that you’re not hiding anything that could potentially get in the way of someone buying it or cause them to lose interest in purchasing it because they think you’re messy, so take a few minutes before making an offer on your ride and make sure everything looks good!

De-clutter the inside of your car

Remove any clutter from the inside of your car. Clutter is anything that isn’t essential to the operation or safety of your vehicle, or comfort and appearance.

Remove anything that doesn’t fit in with your image as an organized, tidy person (or at least someone who’s trying).

If there are things left over after this process, sell them on eBay!

Organize your glove compartment and space under your seats.

If you’re selling a car, it’s important to keep the inside of your vehicle clean and organized. This will help make it easier for potential buyers to see how much care has been taken with the maintenance of your car.

Organize your glove compartment by removing any items that aren’t necessary for driving purposes, such as old receipts or empty water bottles.

Look under each seat in order to find any loose change or other small items that may be hiding out there somewhere! Be sure not to forget about those spaces underneath seats; they’re often overlooked when people are cleaning out their cars but still very important nonetheless!

Organize the trunk area by removing all unnecessary items like old blankets or bags full of clothes no longer worn by anyone living in this residence (if applicable). Also make sure there aren’t any groceries left back here – nobody wants an expired box of cereal sitting around while they’re trying sell their vehicle online!

Vacuum, clean and freshen up any seats that are cloth.

Vacuum the seats and floor mats. A vacuum cleaner is one of the most effective ways to remove dirt and debris from your car’s interior, as well as freshen up any cloth seats that you may have.

Clean all windows inside and out. Use an ammonia-free window cleaner on any glass surfaces in the cabin, including windshields and side mirrors (and rearview mirrors if they’re not tinted). Don’t forget about the dashboard; it can get pretty grimy over time too!

Clean out your glove compartment or center console area – especially if it contains items such as pens, pencils or other office supplies – so that potential buyers can see what kind of space they’ll have available for storage when they purchase their new vehicle from you!

Takeaway:

Keep your car clean and organized when you are selling it. This will make the car more appealing to buyers, and it will also make it easier for potential buyers to see what is available in the car.

Take photos of any damage or issues with your vehicle before putting it on sale so that you don’t have any surprises later on down the line when someone buys your vehicle and then wants a refund because there was something wrong with it that wasn’t mentioned in the ad or during negotiations.