Automotive Interior Detailing Process

Cleaning and detailing the interior of a vehicle is something that is often neglected by most people. Most of the time people only clean out the garbage, vacuum it quickly and go. The odd time they will shake out the floor mats, but that is the extent of most people’s idea of cleaning the interior of a car. Interior Detailing is a lot more involved and specific.

The interior of your car is a confined space that gets just as much traffic as your entire house might, but accumulates more dirt usually. You are in and out of your car all the time, tracking in dirt, dust, animal hair, odors, etc. You might even have kids who track in 10 times more dirt it seems at times. Eating in your car usually always results in crumbs or spilled drinks and fries. Lets look at the detailing process to fully detail the interior of your car.

First Steps to Interior Detailing

The first task will be to remove all the garbage, papers, etc in the car. Removing all personal items such as shoes, purses, glove box contents, stuff in the trunk, everything. By removing all loose items, from all compartments, floors and seats, you give yourself the room you need to get to all the surfaces to clean and treat them. In some cases, you might also want to remove the front seats, or back seats too. If you have liquid spills that got into the floor, or under the seats, then removing them will make it easier to get to the stains and clean them up. The next step in your preparation is a thorough vacuuming. Make sure to get all loose dirt and particles with the vacuum as you can. The more you can suck up with the vacuum, the less you have to wipe up with a cloth.

Carpet, Fabric and Upholstery Detailing

Detailing your carpet and fabric can be done both by hand or with a machine. Most Detailers use an “extractor” , which is just a fancy word for steam cleaner. The difference in this case is that an extractor is usually smaller, has smaller attachments and is designed specifically for automotive purposes. What this machine does is super heat water and a cleaning solution, then with high or medium pressure is sprayed from a nozzle into the carpet and fabric. Similar to a home steam cleaner, the unit also sucks the solution out of the carpet, along with the dirt and grim. These extractors also have a higher sucker power then a traditional steam cleaner and can remove nearly 100% of the cleaning solution from the fabrics. The machines make fabric cleaning fast, easy and very efficient. The other alternative is to use a carpet cleaner, a cloth and do it all by hand, but you can expect less impressive results. Deep cleaning the fabric by hand is quite a bit harder, but still effective.

Leather, Vinyl and Plastic Detailing

The other surfaces in your car are usually one of the 3, or a combination of each. Cleaning and detailing these surfaces can be done at the same time or individually, depending on the product you choose. Several all-in-one cleaning products on the market today are safe for all interior surfaces. A professional detailer will usually choose a product like this so that they can save time and still effectively clean and detail all interior surfaces at the same time. Some special care might be needed for stains, leather and clear plastic surfaces, but generally, an all purpose detailing cleaner does very well. I will cover how to care for leather in a more detailed post later. Once these surfaces are clean from dirt and stains, you will want to treat them with a protectant and detailing spray. Most detailers refer to this final step of the interior as the detailing stage, where you will use a product that brings out the finish in the surfaces. Usually most people look for the shine or gloss from these products, but most of the time you can dilute the product with water and apply it different ways to attain the shine that you want.

Glass Surface Detailing

One of the last steps in detailing the interior of your vehicle is to clean the glass. I would recommend you leave this step for last, most of the other products you use on the interior might leave a residue or overspray on the glass. Use a good glass cleaner formulated for automotive care. Do not use ammonia based cleaners, like windex, these usually leave a film behind that you cannot see and eventually makes the glass look hazy. Clean both the interior and exterior surfaces of the glass, use a micro fiber towel and you should be left with a crystal clear window. I would also use the same product on the dash gauges and any clear or polished plastic in the interior, it should remove all residue and finger prints left behind.

Car Care recommended products:
Meguiar's Complete Car Care Kit
Zwipes 6-Piece Microfiber Dusting Kit
ToplessAddict Protect and Clean Convertible Tops, Interior Fabrics and Carpet Ultimate Car Cleaner
Zwipes Microfiber

Car Washing Tips

Cleaning a car is a piece of cake, right?

It is if you follow the procedures suggested by the Kemplink Auto Detailing. While it's the most basic procedure in car care, it does require some thought.

Research shows that 52 percent of American car owners wash their cars less than once a month, with 15 percent never washing their cars. An estimated 37 million cars smell because of interior garbage, according to a consumer survey conducted by the International Carwash Association.
To get started, you must have the right supplies for the job:

* finish-safe Wheel Cleaner

* a soft brush like Gardena 987 Soft Bristle Car Wash Brush
;

* a 3- to 5-gallon bucket;

* liquid car-washing shampoo example like Meguiar's G-12664 NXT

* a hose with pistol-grip nozzle, if possible;

* car-washing mitts or soft all-cotton towels;

* several all-cotton towels or Synthetic Drying Chamois.

Give the car a good rinsing from top to bottom, including the wheels and inside the fenders. Always clean the tires and wheels before washing the body, and don't use the same mitt for both. This way you'll avoid contaminating the vehicle's paint with debris from the wheels and tires.

Use a good tire cleaner with a stiff brush to improve the appearance of your tires. Next, clean the wheels with a wheel cleaner that removes the brake dust, which often blackens the front wheels.

To wash the body, use a product sold specifically for automobiles; household cleaners can strip the wax from the paint and damage the finish. Starting at the top, wash one section at a time, thoroughly rinsing away the soap before moving on to the next section. Work your way down toward the front, sides and rear of the vehicle.

To rinse, start at the top, and let the water cascade down the surfaces of the vehicle. To avoid water spotting, dry with a chamois or similar product.

Then follow up by waxing, which not only protects the finish but also makes subsequent washing easier. Before proceeding, use a car cleaner to remove contaminants embedded in the paint.

Once the surface is clean, apply the wax, following the manufacturer's instructions.

Recommended Product :

Top 3 Waxes

1. Meguiar's A-2216 Deep Crystal Carnuba Wax
2. Surf City Garage 150 Barrier Reef Carnauba Wax
3. Meguiar's M2611 #26 Yellow Wax Paste

How to Polish a Glass Windshield

General wear from the elements can make your windshield dirtier than you might think. Mineral deposits, road oils, pollution and a variety of other agents can leave your glass windshield feeling gritty and rough. In these cases, an ordinary glass cleaner will not suffice. You will need to polish your windshield.

Things You'll Need

• Diamond Fast - Cerium Oxide Glass Polishing Compound

• Peak Microfiber Glass & Windshield Cloth

• Griot's Garage 10765STDCRD 6" Random Orbital with 10' Cord
(optional)
• Griot's Garage 10665 3" Glass Polishing Pad, (Set of 3)


Instructions

o Assess the current state of your windshield. Windshields that are grittier or scratched will likely need a machine polisher to return them to their "good as new" state, while mildly damaged windshields may be able to be polished sufficiently with a little elbow grease.

o Purchase a glass polishing agent made specifically for windshields. These products can be found at some auto supply and hardware retailers.

o Buy or rent a machine polisher if indicated by the condition of your windshield and/or the polishing product you choose. These can also be found at hardware stores, as orbital polishers have a variety of functions beyond auto detailing. Purchase at least one glass polishing disk to go along with your machine polisher.

o Read the manufacturer's instructions that come with the glass polishing agent for proper application. Most polishers are applied in a circular pattern over the entire windshield, allowed to dry and then rinsed off with water.

o Go over the windshield with a clean microfiber cloth to give it a final buffing and remove any residue there might be. The windshield should shine like new and be smooth to the touch when you are finished.

Tips & Warnings

If you get polish stuck in the cracks around your windshield, you can use a soft toothbrush to get it out gently.

Shallow cracks in your windshield (one's that don't catch a fingernail) can sometimes be polished out.

You may need to go over the windshield several times with the glass polish to get it to the desired smoothness.

You can purchase glass polishing kits like the one from Proper Auto Care to get most of the products you need in one package (see Resources below).

Whether a glass windshield is for an automobile, a motorcycle or a boat, you can use the same techniques to polish it.

Never work in direct sunlight when trying to polish a windshield.

Don't let the polishing agent come into contact with any of the painted surfaces on your vehicle.

Recomended Car Care :

  Stoner 99011 Premium Glass Cleaning Kit
  Meguiar's G1016 Smooth Surface Clay Kit
  No Touch GS8 Auto Glass Stripper - 8 oz.