How To Clean Grimy Car Cup Holders

Staying on top of your car's upkeep involves not only taking it in for its routine maintenance, but also ensuring your car is clean both inside and out. You make sure to visit a car wash regularly to prevent debris from piling up on your car's windshield and windows and potentially blocking your view. Keeping your interior tidy is just as important — there's nothing more frustrating and distracting than driving a car with the floors cluttered with food wrappers, the dashboard covered in dust, and seats littered with crumbs and pet hair.

But the floors, dashboard, and seats aren't the only spaces in need of cleaning — your car's cup holders also require special attention. These spaces may be small, but they've become a catch-all for everything you take into your car, from small coins and candies to bigger bottles and paper receipts. Considering how frequently used this space is, it's not surprising that your cup holders get dirty fast. If yours are looking a bit worse for wear, here's a step-by-step guide on how to clean them.

If you can remove your car cup holders, it will be a lot easier to clean them. For this task, have these car interior cleaning materials ready: some microfiber towels, a dish soap of your choice, and a sponge or soft-bristled brush like the Chemical Guys All In The Details Interior Detailing Brush Set or Detail Dudes Ultra Soft Boars Hair Automotive Detail Brushes. Here's what you need to do to clean your car cup holders:

1. Take out the cup holders. You typically only need to pull on it, but if it's too tight, get yourself a pry tool to pop it out.
2. Dust off any loose debris from the cup holders using your soft-bristled brush.
3. Fill a bucket with warm water.
4. Mix in the dish soap. Make sure it's soapy enough.
5. Submerge the cup holders in your bucket.
6. Wait for about ten minutes before retrieving the cup holders. If you have tough grime on the cup holders, such as dried-on spilled soda or sticky melted candy, you may have to leave the cup holders in for a couple more minutes.
7. Scrub the dirt away with your sponge or soft-bristled brush. Don't forget to clean the outside of the cup holders too.
8. Wipe the soapy water off the cup holders with a microfiber towel.

If you still see any remaining grime, dunk the cup holders in the bucket again and leave it there for several minutes before scrubbing again. Once you've finished cleaning the cup holders, wipe them down and let them air dry completely before putting them back in your car.

For car cup holders you can't remove, you need a vacuum, soft-bristled brush, microfiber towel, and cleaning solution. Any car interior cleaner would do the trick, or you could mix hot water and dish soap and transfer the solution to a spray bottle. Then, proceed with the following steps:

1. Remove the scattered items from the cup holder — empty cups and soda cans, loose change, receipts, candies, and other what-have-yous.
2. Clear the loose debris like crumbs and dust with a vacuum and small brush attachment. Alternatively, grab a soft-bristled brush or use a car cleaning slime to clean out the debris.
3. If you have removable rubber inserts, take them out to clean them. Spray your cleaning solution directly on the inserts. You may need to let the solution sit for a few minutes, depending on the instructions on the cleaner. If you're using a DIY mixture of dishwashing liquid and water, wait for up to ten minutes.
4. Spray the cup holders generously with your cleaning solution, covering the bottom and all sides.
5. Leave the solution to soak for a couple of minutes to loosen the sticky grime on the cup holders. Follow the instructions on your cleaner or wait for about five to fifteen minutes.
6. Use the brush to agitate the grime off the cup holders.
7. Wipe the cup holders with a clean and dry microfiber towel.
8. Repeat the process until you're satisfied.

Once you're happy with the state of your cup holders, make sure to pat them dry. You can use a different microfiber cloth or some paper towels.