How To Detail Your Own Car

Interior Detailing Products And Steps

Now, lets go through some of the steps, useful car detailing tools , and car cleaning products youll need to get professional-looking auto detailing at home. Weve even included tips from car detailing professionals .

• Start by taking out the trash. A small trash bag can come in handy here, as well as latex or nitrile gloves. Pick up old napkins, food wrappers, car parts, loose coins, and anything else thats too big for the vacuum cleaner to pick up. Dont forget to check the glove box, console boxes, door cubbies, cup holders, and change bins.
• Remove all floor mats and clean these separately. Use a stiff brush and car wash soap, like Turtle Wax MAX Power Car Wash, to clean rubber mats. Upholstery cleaner, such as Turtle Wax POWER OUT! Carpet & Mats Cleaner, and a stiff brush or steam cleaner can be used on carpeted floor mats. Once cleaned, hang the mats to dry.

Pro Tip: Use a wet-dry vacuum to suck out as much water from carpeted mats to accelerate drying.

Detailing Basics And The Zen Art Of Car Care

For certain car enthusiasts, the deep-cleaning act of car detailing is equal parts DIY puzzle and Zen ritual. An OCD obsession with perfection, that goes well beyond showroom levels of cleanliness, by transcending the realm of gridlocked interstates and road grime, for the sensation of raking a Japanese rock garden, or pruning a 200 year-old bonsai tree.

Much like the art of bonsai and Japanese rock gardening , there are multiple levels of difficulty and reward when it comes to auto detailing. While almost every form of hands-on, detail-oriented work comes with a vast array of varying techniques and theories as to what works best and why, car detailing is unique in that it can be easily augmented by chemical products.

These products often tend to be just as unique and numerous as the techniques that are used by the people who apply them. Ask three professional detailers what products to use, and which application and removal techniques work best, and youll likely get three very different answers. Which leads us to the first big question that deserves answering

Pro Tips To Detail A Car

The Drives editors have washed countless rides over the years. Weve picked up a handful of pro tips along the way were sharing with you. Check these out.;

• Wear clothes with soft surfaces. Jeans, for example, have metal that could scratch the car.
• Always park in the shade, and if there isnt any, wait for it. In the sun, the heat could dry washing chemicals or water streaks onto your vehicle.
• Dont ignore the wheel wells and underneath the car. Just because these sections arent visible does not excuse half-effort cleaning. These spots are hit with more dirt and grime than any other part of the vehicle and require extra attention to get it all off.
• Car windows require a car window cleaner, not Windex.;

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Detailing Your Own Car: The Right And The Wrong Way To Do It

When detailing your own car, the most important thing to remember is to wash it on a grassy area with a shade. The grass will help prevent harsh chemicals from contaminating the soil and groundwater, while the shade will protect your vehicle from the powerful rays of the sun.

That is just one tip. Here are the right ways to detail your own car and how you might have been doing it wrong all along.

Why Is Using The Right Microfiber Towels Important For Car Detailing

Microfiber is a blend of two primary ingredients polyester and polyamide. Most automotive microfiber towels or cloths contain a blend of 70/30 or 80/20. The general rule of thumb is that the more polyamide you have in the microfiber, the more absorbent they will become.

When youre detailing your car, youll use three different type of microfiber products:

Microfiber wash mitt: Our professional detailers are big fans of microfiber wash mitts, which slip easily on your hand, hold a ton of suds and soapy water, and streamlines the washing process. There are a few different types of microfiber wash mitts one that looks like thick noodles, and the other thats wooly in design.

Microfiber Detailing Towels: These are used when applying detailing sprays or liquids such as a ceramic boost spray, tire enhancers, and cleaning glass. Most of these microfiber towels are a tight-weave construction, are 80/20 blend, and have a GSM between 300 to 500. The main thing to remember is to avoid cross contamination.

We recommend buying a few different colors of microfiber towels including for glass , for car paints , for plastic trims , for wheels , tires , and for interior materials . Any color combination will work just make sure you know which color is used for specific materials.

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Meet Other Legal Requirements Environmental Regulations And Insurance

Legal regulations also vary from state to state, and sometimes even from city to city as well. Call your local city hall and find out about insurance requirements and how to make sure youre complying with environmental regulations.

Some additional tips to consider:

• Check on any specific environmental regulations you should know. As a car detailing company, you might run up against specific water usage and/or wastewater rules that you need to comply with.;

• For insurance, you might want to consider Garage Keepers Liability insurance which covers you for working on vehicles as they are in your possession. You should also consider insuring your equipment against theft. If you have employees, you should get workers compensation insurance to protect your business and your employees if something happens to them while working.

The Tool List: Everything Youll Need To Clean Your Cars Interior

You probably have many items on the list, but even the ones you dont wont break the bank to buy.

• Eye protection

Organizing your tools and gear so everything is easily reachable will save precious minutes waiting for your handy-dandy child or four-legged helper to bring you the sandpaper or blowtorch.

Youll also want to seek out a flat workspace, such as a garage floor, driveway, or street parking. Check your local laws to make sure youre not violating any codes when using the street because we arent getting your ride out of the clink.

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First What Is Your Current Paint Protection Product

With any car detail project, washing the exterior is an obvious step. Choosing the right car shampoo for your ride is a crucial first step. But what most car owners dont realize is that all car shampoos are not unique.

There are generally three types of car soap and shampoos that you need to choose from based on what youre trying to accomplish:

Training & Sales Support

Ultimotive is able to provide full technical and sales focussed training on all private label products. Our staff has all the relevant and up to date knowledge on every aspect of what it takes to make a range of automotive products a success. We provide certifications in protective coatings and are also able to offer full insurance and warranty service on all paint protection and ceramic coatings for your customers.

Ultimotive looks after all legalities and is fully up to date with chemical and handling hazardous materials for commercial and retail use. Your brand is in the safest of hands with a leading established and experienced global licensee.

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Why Should I Detail My Car At Home

At this point, you might think, Why bother auto detailing myself when I can pay an auto detailer to do it for me? It might be tempting if your car is going to need a whole day of auto detailing, and the initial investment might seem daunting, but it pays for itself by the second time you detail your car. Also, consider these other benefits of car detailing at home.

• Youll save money because you provide the labor. You dont have to buy all these supplies every single time, just whatever you run out of.
• Youll save time in the long run because a clean car is easier to keep clean, even unintended spills and pet accidents.
• Youll gain a new appreciation for what it takes to keep a clean car.
• Finally, your car will last longer. Auto detailing is just as much about long-term protection from the elements as it is looking great and smelling clean.

Professional auto detailing and DIY car detailing follow pretty much the same steps for a showroom finish, though the tools and supplies may vary. Interior detailing will require opening doors and getting in and out of the car often, which will likely dirty the outside of the car. Therefore, many auto detailers start by detailing the interior of the car. When, once the inside is clean and protected, they close the doors and windows and focus on exterior detailing.

Proceed With Precaution And Gather Your Tools

Although detailing a vehicle isnt necessarily a difficult task, you need to know what youre doing. You could end up scratching and damaging parts of your car that were fine before. Detailing your car includes using power tools, chemicals, and other supplies that may be intimidating for a beginner. However, if you follow these steps carefully, you should have no problem detailing your car. Just make sure you approach these steps with confidence.

After a car is cleaned, adhesive floor mats can be used to protect the carpet of the vehicle from becoming dirty again. You can purchase auto dealer supply products including adhesive floor mats from MBR Marketing at .

Here are all the supplies and tools you need:

• Bright lights and an LED flashlight
• Liquid car wax
• Microfiber towels
• Microfiber rag

When purchasing these supplies and tools, make sure you find brands that are designed for cleaning cars. You should be able to find most of these at your local auto parts or home improvement stores.

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Tips For Finding The Best Car Detailing Supplies

As we stated above, simply taking your vehicle to the;car wash;is not going to cut the kimchi, especially if youre trying to detail it like a badass.;Car detailing;requires acquiring the right;car care;and;detailing tools, as many of them are specifically designed to clean, restore, and enhance a specific aspect of an automobile. To obtain these highly necessary items, youll want to either purchase a;detailing kit, or complete an à la carte;approach.

The tricky part is determining what supplies are best, especially when price points and copious amounts of online reviews are brought into the equation. By this point, you might be thinking, Wait. Arent all;microfiber towels,;wash mitts, and;tire dressing;products the same? The answer you shall soon discover, is both a resounding yes and a defiant no.

There are multiple standout brands in the car detailing arena, with companies like Chemical Guys, Meguiars, Turtle Wax, Mothers, and more jostling for the all-mighty automotive cleaning throne. However, finding the right clay bar, buffing pad, drying towel, wash mitt, shampoo, or any number of other car care product is going to require a little bit of legwork on your end.

Generally speaking, youll want to focus on the following two categories when it comes to detailing the exterior of an automobile:

• Vehicle Exterior;Detailing Supplies
• Wheel and Tire Cleaning Supplies

The Key to Buying Quality Exterior;Car Cleaning;Supplies

How To Clay Bar A Car

Using a clay barto detail your car helps remove the embedded contaminants that become ingrained in your cars paint. The process is a little finicky but will allow your detail to last longer. Heres how to clay bar a car.

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Forget The Chamois Dry With A Microfiber Towel

Chamois soak up water, but they donât pick up any grit thatâs left after rinsing. Instead, they just grind those particles into your paint. A microfiber towel, on the other hand, collects the particles. Rinse the towel in clean water to remove the grit. Then wring and keep drying during your DIY car wash.Â;Hereâs why microfiber cleaning cloths work so well.

Brush The Carpet First

Another great tip to get rid of annoying bits is to brush the carpet with a stiff nylon brush. This will agitate the carpet fibres, making it easier to remove the bits with a vacuum cleaner. Be careful not to rub too hard, however, as this could damage the upholstery and lead to fraying. Our Upholstery and Carpet Cleaner has a brush attached to make this easy.

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Cleaning And Treating Door Panels & Jambs

Door panels are often made of several materials, including fabric, vinyl, carpet and leather. Vinyl can be scrubbed to remove shoe scuffs. General-purpose cleaners, like 303 Multi-Surface Cleaner, or interior vinyl and plastic cleaners, like CarPro Inside Leather & Interior Cleaner, or Ultima Interior Shampoo Gel easily remove black scuff marks from these areas.

Thoroughly clean around door handles, pulls and window cranks, using a soft detail brush and interior cleaner. Be sure to clean and dry the speaker grilles and the wells on armrests, too. If the door panels have storage pockets, use your sponge or wash mitt to clean in these areas, as they tend to collect a lot of dirt and crud. Next, use your sponge or wash mitt and interior cleaner to clean all the way around the door frame and the doorsill. When you’re finished, dry the door completely with a clean drying towel.

If your door panel is leather or vinyl, be sure to treat it with a leather or vinyl protectant. Fabric door panels can be treated with a fabric protectant, like 303 Fabric Guard, to reduce staining and fading. Even if lightly soiled, its always a good idea to use an interior cleaner like Kenotek Interior Cleaner first, this way the panels are prepped for a protective coating. Keep in mind, you can use leather cleaners on vinyl, but I would not use a vinyl specific cleaner on leather. Combo products like Pinnacle Leather &Vinyl Cleaner are safe on both surfaces.

Breaking Down The Basics What Is Car Detailing

You know the old saying ask 3 car guys a question and youll get three different answers? Well, thats applicable when it comes to understanding the range of individual services for auto detailing. Generally, if you stop by one of our professional auto salons and have your car detailer do this for you, its going to cover three areas, the exterior, wheels and windows, and the interior.

These three sections of the vehicle are those that impact the visual appeal the most. However, there are also detailing tasks for the undercarriage, the engine bay, and vehicle suspension. Those tasks tend to be classified as mechanical cleaning or maintenance vs car detailing.

The global auto detailer industry is one that offers more than 30,000 individual products, some of them generic formulas, and others formulated for specific applications. Most of the shampoos, cleaners, and enhancers are made for specific materials or substrates. But they are also designed for specific types of protective coatings or materials.

This is important to clarify, as when you detail your ride, its crucial to use the correct products for your individual vehicles paint protection solution and/or interior protectant.

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Step 5: The Decontamination Stage

First off, before doing anything, you’ll need to spray on an iron dissolver first – our Iron Out product is perfect at this stage – this will dissolve any ferrous contamination such as industrial fall out and rail dust that has fused itself to the paintwork. Next, you’ll need to use a solvent tar remover to soften any tar that may be stuck to the paint. An important step here is to rewash the vehicle, or at least the areas treated with the solvent, as solvents will melt Clay bars and really interfere with the next step. Clay bars are brilliant, just rub the block over the paintwork using a slip or lube and it does the hard work for you, effectively shaving off any remaining contamination such as tree sap or even overspray in its path. Following the previous two stages, though, there shouldn’t be too much for the clay bars to pick up. Remember to use a lubricant such as Auto Finesse Glide with any clay bar! Then wash and rinse again.

Start A Car Detailing Business By Following These 10 Steps:

You have found the perfect business idea, and now you are ready to take the next step. There is more to starting a business than just registering it with the state. We have put together this simple guide to starting your car detailing business. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.

Check out our How to Start a Business page.

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