There it goes. The marvel of engineering with its shiny paint coat, that beautiful engine purr, and the sleekness of design. It’s beautiful, clean, impeccable, in fact. So…how do you keep it like that? By knowing and applying the best car detailing tips and tricks, of course!
Say you’re stopped at the traffic lights, and a fancy car pulls up next to you. You’re looking at the driver behind the wheel, and questions pop up in your brain:
“Who are they, and how much effort do they invest in that car? Are they so lucky that all the stars seem to smile gently down on them, or are they working relentlessly behind closed doors to keep that car looking fabulous?
No, that can’t be it. There can’t be too much work involved. They certainly got lucky or are immensely rich and can definitely afford to pamper their car day in-day out and treat it to all the car spa treatments possible. Oh, it takes a lot of money to do that. Look at them, they certainly have more than they can manage. Plus, new cars don’t even need all that much attention.”
This string of thoughts can virtually become endless, and it can occur more frequently than we would like to think. Most people, including car owners, live under the impression that having an impeccable-looking car is not a DIY thing they can be in charge of.
But The Reality Is, In Fact, Different
Although there are advantages to having a big budget to care for your vehicle, in the end, it’s more about the hard work that goes into keeping a car looking like it just rolled out of the showroom.
Sure, car detailing can be very well done by professionals in impressive-looking body shops. But the costs involved in this can climb quite quickly, as many of these car care routines need to be repeated frequently.
You guessed it, the monthly professional car detailing costs can be hefty. However, the good news is that all car detailing procedures can be carried out at home with just as much efficiency as if they were performed by professionals. Many of the drivers you see behind the wheels of those shiny cars know it, and body shop professional detailers know it too.
If you are a car owner looking to make savings that count, then starting to get serious about doing your own car detailing will pay off. Moreover, most car detailing procedures likely apply to all vehicles, whether it’s the latest convertible or a comfy family car.
Fortunately, there are a few interior and exterior detailing tips and tricks that can be followed by any car owner looking to keep their vehicle looking and feeling as fresh as possible!
So let’s dive in and go through the best car detailing tips you should know and how you can best take care of the interior and exterior of your vehicle so that it maintains its shine and fresh appearance.
How Is Interior Detailing Different From Exterior Detailing?
First of all, to say you have a freshly detailed vehicle, you must have both interior surfaces and exterior ones detailed.
The main difference between them is that they are created from different materials. On one hand, the outside of a car is made from rougher materials, meant to withstand harsh weather conditions and protect the driver from impact.
On the other hand, the inside of a car is made from several materials that are usually more sensitive to wear and tear. This is why it pays to know all the car detailing tips you possibly can.
Certain types of materials are used to build the dashboard, and completely different ones are used to create the tapestry and upholstery for the seating area. Naturally, each of these surfaces needs its own care products and follows its own detailing practices.
Another difference between a car’s interior and exterior surfaces is given by the contaminants they’re usually exposed to. While the interior of a car is mostly sheltered, the exterior is exposed to contaminants that range in severity.
Typically, a car’s interior will most be affected by dirt and dust, as well as the usual wear and tear.
This all means that both the interior and the exterior of the car need to be cared for differently. So you’ll need to know car detailing tips that apply to each one of these.
What Is The Right Way To Detail a Car?
While you have plenty of freedom when it comes to detailing your car by yourself, any professional detailer will tell you there’s a right way and a wrong way to detail any car. Considering this, it’s best to follow the tried-and-true methods right from the start, instead of having to deal with a prematurely aged car down the line.
In fact, a rapidly aging car is not the only consequence, nor is its quickly deteriorating aesthetic finish. The thing to be most worried about when not detailing your car regularly — and properly — is that its lifespan may also decline.
That’s right, carefully detailing your car can make it live longer and, in some cases, even ensure a higher safety level for you while on the road.
Let’s look at ten car detailing tips and tricks that can cover all the basics in car detailing you need to know. But before we discuss them, let’s talk about the accessories you would need to get the job done efficiently.
Here’s the detailing arsenal that will take you to the next level:
1. One high-quality detailing kit
2. Special detailing brushes
3. A professional car cleaning product
4. Two new garbage bags
5. An auto vacuum cleaner or one that has crevice tool attachments
6. A set of clean microfiber towels
7. A pH-neutral leather cleaner
8. Safety gloves
9. An ammonia-free glass cleaner
Let’s now move on to some of the best tips when it comes to detailing. If followed, these car detailing tips will make a huge difference for your car:
1. Use a Microfiber Towel To Dry The Paintwork
If you let your car get covered in water droplets, they will eventually leave streaks and marks when they dry. This is why it’s best to get a clean microfiber towel or two — or as many as you need for that matter — and manually dry your car.
Start at the top and work your way down on the entire car, until all water droplets are completely wiped and dried off. This is an easy way to keep its surfaces looking shiny and beautiful for years to come.
2. Strategically Dry Glass Surfaces
When cleaning glass, you will likely come to the point where you don’t know if that streak is inside or outside the glass. The one solution to speed up the window cleaning process is to develop a habit of drying the inside in one direction, and the outside in another.
This will give you the chance to identify the streak quicker by noticing the direction it’s facing. By not knowing these car detailing tips, you not only risk making certain mistakes, but you also may spend a lot more time getting your car looking how you’d like it to.
3. Regularly Rinse Your Sponge
If not careful, a dirty sponge will completely botch the cleaning job that’s otherwise supposed to deliver impeccable results. When you clean your car, the two-bucket method is just as efficient as it ever was, so make sure to keep a clean wash water bucket in handy.
4. Use Polish To Remove Swirl Marks
When using the wrong kind of cloth or sponge on the delicate surface of your car’s paint finish, you risk immediately seeing swirl marks clustering up all over it. Swirl marks are incredibly fine scratches that, when joined together, become considerably more visible, which makes it all the more worth it to know all the essential car detailing tips.
There is a misconception that a layer of wax would solve the issue of swirl marks. This, however, couldn’t be further from the truth.
Synthetic wax and natural wax – like carnauba wax – do have benefits, but not necessarily the ones some people may think. The truth about this matter is that polishing your car is key. Polishing not only removes all remaining debris but also serves to level the surface at a micro-level.
5. Use Good-Quality Cloths
Although sponges used to be car owners’ go-to helpers when detailing their cars, this no longer applies. No matter how soft, sponges still leave tiny scratches on the surface of your car. Taking this risk would really be a shame, especially since there are now better alternatives — microfiber cloths. These are meant to be super soft and to both clean and dry your car without leaving any marks behind. However, it’s important to remember that not all microfiber cloths are created equal and that it pays to do a bit of research before choosing a quality one.
By combining these car detailing tips with the best possible car care materials, you’re bound to get magazine-worthy results.
6. Create Static Electricity To Remove Any Carpet Dirt
Carpets are some of the most annoying parts of a car to clean. This is because they tend to trap all types of dirt and loose debris. Most people will use a vacuum cleaner to clean their carpets, but this won’t do all the needed fine-tuning and is a far route from knowing all the best-kept secrets and car detailing tips.
Sure, vacuuming will take most of the dirt out, but you’ll notice small bits and pieces that seemed irrevocably lodged in there. After all, removing dirt is not as easy as it sounds.
The less known tip here is to create static electricity that simply pulls all the dirt out from the carpet fibers. The way to do this is by putting a thick rubber glove on your hand and then rubbing it on the carpet. This will inevitably create the static electricity you need to lift all the dirt right up.
7. Put Your Money To Good Use With a Dual Action Polisher
When it comes to professionally detailing your car, you’ll find that polishing is always on the list. Polishing is a key step in keeping your car impeccably clean, so investing in a high-quality dual-action polisher is crucial, and there’s no other way to find out about this than by getting interested in all the car detailing tips out there.
Through the compressed air it uses, it levels out all imperfections and smoothes out all abrasive spots. In short, it will make your car look and feel new while also making it ready for the next step — perfect waxing!
8. Remove Pet Hair Easily
Car owners that have pets know how pestering it can feel to try and remove animal hairs from their cars. These fine hairs can easily blend in with the hairs of the carpet and the even finer woven threads of the tapestry.
Thankfully there are more ways than one to remove pet hair from your car, and they all fall under the same category — the best car detailing tips:
Velcro Curlers
Get a velcro curler and roll it over the affected surface area. Carpeting and flooring can be most favorable for this method. The upholstery itself may be a bit more sensitive, so you should try a curler on a smaller area first.
Rubber
The same rubber gloves from before work just as well. Put one glove on and simply run your hand over the car seats. If this doesn’t work well, simply dampen the tips of the glove fingers and run it over the same areas again. This should do the trick just fine, and you can add it to your list of car detailing tips that really give results.
Duct Tape
Duct tape is incredibly accessible and surprisingly efficient in removing pet hair from any type of textile texture. It’s kind of the on-the-go version of a lint roller, and it works beautifully.
Simply apply it to the areas of your car where the most pet hair has gathered and pull it back immediately. What will remain behind will be a smooth tapestry strip.
9. Rinse Before You Wash
Before you wash your car, it’s important that you actually give it a quick rinse. This is important if you want to avoid pushing dirt around, including small dirt particles that may initially seem harmless.
In fact, it’s them that cause the most damage to your car’s paint, if not handled properly. Clean water is perfect for this process. When you’re done, you can proceed with washing the car with soapy water.
Professional car detailers aren’t the only ones to know these car detailing tips — now you know them too.
10. Spray Silicone Wherever Needed
If you want to do car detailing right, then you’ll need to also apply silicone on all weather stripping. During freezing temperatures, the rubber parts may bond to the metal ones, leading to complications, expenses, and more effort.
This is where a silicone spray would make all the difference as well as knowing how to winterize your car.
These are the top ten car detailing tips and tricks we thought you should know!
By following these — you’re bound to keep your car up to speed and yourself happy and proud.
And because not many people know about this, we thought we could include a bonus car detailing tip:
11. Protect Your Door Locks From Future Damage
We mostly take our car locks for granted until they simply stop working anymore. Adding graphite dry powder to these mechanical systems will keep them working smoother and more freely. Pump the tube once, and it should dispense enough graphite for the job to be done and your car lock to be protected from future jamming.
What Is The Fastest Way To Detail a Car Interior?
A full interior detailing session will take quite a lot of time if your car has seen a considerable amount of wear and tear. Think 5-8 hours, to say the least. This will include all the nooks and crannies, the unreachable spots, the overseen spots, everything in detail.
All these car detailing tips above help you do a great job — both at a macro and micro level. Deep cleaning is what most car owners want, but some want to get the results faster. So if you do want to speed up the process, let’s look at what you need to have at your disposal:
1. Upholstery Cleaner
Get a good quality one and use it on the upholstery of your car.
2. A Vacuum Cleaner
This should take care of all the dirt and dust. If you have any auto-specific brush attachments, add them to the main tube of the vacuum and go for the tighter spots too. Sometimes, the best car detailing tips refer to actions that become fairly obvious and completely efficient.
3. Microfiber Cloths
These cannot be bypassed as they are absolutely essential and will make a guest appearance whenever you come across car detailing tips.
4. A Dashboard Cleaner
A dashboard cleaner could see you through almost the entire task of cleaning the interior of your car while also leaving its dashboard spotless clean.
In just a few swift moves, you’ll be done with the interior of your car and have it looking tidy and clean. Of course, this is the super speedy and basic version that allows you to still get the results you want. But, it also enables you to benefit from the few extra free hours just for yourself. If you want to compress this process even more, then simply get an all-purpose cleaner.
These car detailing tips have a little something for everyone, and you’re bound to learn new tricks from them.
A Final Word About Car Detailing
Many people think car detailing is all about keeping your car on its toes and dealing with bad situations that have already happened. When really, all it is is addressing small issues as they arise: If dust settles, you wipe it off; If the windows are dirty, you wipe them clean; If the back seat is full of pet hair, then you remove it.
While this is what detailing addresses the most, when well done, these processes also ensure your car will be protected for the future.
When it comes to the exterior of your car, there are some powerful ways you can protect it and give it that special shine you’ve always dreamed of. Let’s see some more precious car detailing tips that would be a shame for you to miss out on:
Waxing
Waxing is the stepping stone to keeping your car looking brilliant and being protected.
Especially if we’re talking about the natural carnauba wax, you can rest assured that this extra layer your car benefits from gives it strong protection from contaminants and offers it a beautiful shine.
Ceramic Coating
Most people stop at waxing, and it’s really a shame. Ceramic coating is even more durable and stronger than wax. We recommend going with the Nexgen Ceramic Spray that lasts four times longer than its competitors on the market, thanks to its high silicon dioxide concentration. Apart from this, it also delivers a showroom shine that’s hard to come across. You can get 40% off here.
All In All
In the end, detailing your car is not hard work at all, and, as long as you arm yourself with these tips we’ve talked about, you’re bound to get fantastic results. Apart from this, if you’ll also get all the necessary detailing products for the job, you’ll soon become a very proud car owner.
If you have any questions at all regarding the detailing process, don’t hesitate to contact us. We will provide you with all the information you may need.
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