As a car enthusiast, you love your vehicle. And there are probably only a handful of people you’ll let touch your car, let alone drive it. Fortunately, there is always one person you can trust when it comes to your baby—yourself. When it comes to automotive aesthetics, you’ll want to know how to properly detail your car yourself.
Remove the Trash
Start by removing leftover trash items from your car. Because you’re such a car lover, you probably don’t have much in here, but just to be on the safe side, do one final sweep. Take out any clothing or other items that did not come with the vehicle too.
After you’ve cleared everything out, take a microfiber cloth and start dusting the surfaces of the interior. Before you start spraying chemicals and gearing up for a deep clean, you want to remove the dust and crumbs inside. It will make the next few steps easier and more manageable.
Tackle the Flooring
Because this is where the feet go, the floor of your car will probably be the dirtiest area. Therefore, it will require the most attention. You might notice the mats are discolored and no longer look as they once did, so you’ll want to clean the car’s flooring and restore it.
Make sure you purchase the proper supplies to help restore the color of the carpets and the base of your vehicle’s floor. Don’t clean these carpets inside the car. Remove them so you can do a proper vacuum and focus on the problem areas.
Clean Interior Surfaces
Use a mild all-purpose cleaner and a microfiber cloth to wipe off the interior surfaces. Spray the surface areas and thoroughly wipe them down. Use an ammonia-free glass cleaner on the interior windows.
Next, you’ll need to clean or shampoo the seats. You can’t use the same all-purpose cleaner as before because your seats require different treatment. Shampoo cloth seats with an upholstery cleaner. If you have leather seats, figure out what the exact material is so you’ll know the safest cleaner to use.
Finish Off the Exterior
Now the best part for your automotive aesthetics, the exterior of your car. Focus on the problem areas and the sections that get the most action. Focus on the wheels first and use a degreaser on the rims. Let it sit in for a few minutes so it can take full effect and remove all that current buildup.
Next, use a scrub brush to clean everything off. Finally, apply a protectant spray to the sidewalls of the tire. Now you can turn your attention to the rest of the exterior—rinse it thoroughly first to loosen the dirt. Wash and rinse one section at a time before moving to the next so the soap does not dry.
It does not matter what year manufacturers made your car. It can look as new as the day you bought it when you detail your car yourself.
