The weather is warming up and that means that it’s time to break out the bucket and hose. In years past you’ve washed your car or truck, vacuumed the interior, sprayed on some Armor All or other protectant, and – if your vehicle is lucky – you might have even hit it with a wax. Unfortunately, the years have not been overly kind to the interior or exterior…. or maybe both. A simple wash/wax and vacuum just won’t bring her back to the look that you expect and want. She’s a pretty lady, treat her right. To find out how to bring that little girl back to the gloss of her heyday, or to keep your new car looking new, read on.
So, we’re going to talk about how to wash, dry, and wax the exterior and we will discuss vacuuming, cleaning windows, and using a protectant on the interior. We’re going to talk about detailing here… not just a basic wash and wax. We’ll cover this in two separate posts… it’s a detailed (no pun intended) process and deserves to be covered thoroughly.
First things first, put the dishwashing liquid back in the kitchen and go to the store. You’ll need some proper car detailing products. Here’s a basic shopping kit:
· Car Wash Soap
· Paste or Liquid Wax· Polishing Compound
· Orbital Buffer
· Protectant
· Wash Mitt
· Non-Ammonia Window Cleaner
· Wheel and Tire Cleaner
· Degreaser
· Vacuum (Shop Vac or the like)
· Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner
· Paper Towels
· Lint-Free Cotton Cloths
· Cotton Swabs
· Newspaper
· Toothbrush
· Wheel Brush
· Detail Brush
· Fabric Refresher
· Sunglasses
NOTE: Be sure to buy products designed and approved for your interior and exterior surfaces.
Getting Started
Start with the interior. Take the floor mats out and set them aside for now. Now, wipe the hard surfaces with a solution of lightly soapy water. This will clean all of the dust from the interior. Use your brushes to get into the tight areas around radio controls, the shifter gate, and other cramped spaces. Clean the vent surfaces and areas around the door handle and lock with a cotton swab. These places are hard to thoroughly clean so extra care is necessary here.
After all of the surfaces are free of loose dust and dirt it’s time to break out the spray protectant and one of those lint-free cotton cloths. To avoid having a glossy shine on the interior, spray the protectant directly on the cloth and then wipe the dash, console and other hard surfaces. Flip the cloth frequently to lift off excess protectant. Be careful not to get overspray on the steering wheel or pedals.
All of the dust is off of the interior and it’s got just the right amount of shine. Next, it’s time to clean the windows. Spray them, carefully, with window cleaner. Try not to get window cleaner on your freshly polished interior. If you do, just wipe back over it with your protectant cloth. Working one window at a time, spray and then buff/scrub with either a lint-free cloth or newspaper. The newsprint will not leave lint on the windows and has just the right amount of abrasiveness to cut through window grime.
Once the windows and hard surfaces are clean it’s time to move on to the carpet and upholstery. Start with the seats and then the floor (notice, we’ve worked our way from top down here?) Vacuum loose dirt from the seat surfaces. If they’re fabric apply upholstery cleaner to any stains and scrub in with a brush, then, depending on usage recommendations, vacuum up the residue and dirt. If the seats are leather be sure to use a leather cleaner and conditioner. Do not use products intended for vinyl on leather upholstery as this may cause damage and/or discoloration.
Continuing toward the floor, vacuum the carpeting. It’s easy to slide the seats forward to do the rear floor and slide them back to do the front floorboard. If there are stains on the carpet, break out that carpet and upholstery cleaner. Now, find the floor mats that you took out earlier, put them on a flat surface, and vacuum them before reinstallation. This will prevent you from introducing dirt into your clean car interior.
At this point, you are only two steps from completing the interior portion of this detail job, and you can really see the fruits of your labor blossoming. The final steps are simple. With the soapy solution from earlier and one of those cotton cloths wipe the door jambs. It’s not uncommon for there to be areas that are easier to get to with either the front or rear doors closed so be sure to check all of the possible angles from which you can approach each area of the door jamb. Finally, spray the carpet and upholstery with the fabric refresher of your choice and close the doors.
Next time – wash, wax, and shine.
No comments:
Post a Comment