If you’re like most people, you probably think of car detailing as a service that’s best left to the professionals. But did you know that you can do many basic detailing tasks yourself, without spending a lot of money? While there’s a cost to car detailing at your local detailer, you might be wondering if you can take a crack at it yourself.
Detailing your car can be a lot of fun, and it’s a great way to improve its appearance and resale value. However, if you’re not careful, the process can also be expensive and time-consuming.
In this blog post, we’ll share some simple tips for DIY car detailing. So whether you’re looking to give your car a quick clean before a road trip, or you want to give it a thorough deep-clean, read on for our top tips!
Vacuum…Vacuum…Vacuum
A Vacuum will be your best friend if you plan to do a DIY car detail. This means getting into all the nooks and crannies, as well as the more obvious areas like the seats and floor. The best way to do this is with a handheld vacuum cleaner, so you can really get into all the tight spaces. Once you’ve finished vacuuming, you’ll need to give the car a good once-over with a dust cloth to make sure you’ve picked up all the dirt and dust. Only then can you start the car detailing the process in earnest!
Give Your Mats A Good Slapping
Your car mats get the bulk of the dirt in your car, so before you clean them off with soap and water, give them a good slap against a wall to release all the small debris that you wouldn’t want to inhale while you’re cleaning them. After which, you can go ahead and give them a good scrub down.
Use a Detail Brush
Washing your car is one thing, but doing a whole detail job is another — and in the name itself, you need to be detail-oriented. Using a detail brush to get any fine loose debris or dirt on in your car makes a huge difference. It may seem like it’s doing nothing, but trust us, there will be those fine specs that you will see and bother you a lot on your black interiors or small tiny hairs that just fly around while you’re detailing.
Carpet Extractors & Brushes Are Key
A carpet extractor and brush are game-changers in giving your car a full detail. A carpet extractor is also a great tool if your seats aren’t made of leather, you can get off stubborn stains and whatnot with a few passes! A carpet brush will also help loosen up dirt and debris before you go in with your extractor. Just make sure you invest in a good model that is powerful enough to get the job done.
Use Clean Towels
There is nothing more annoying than seeing a detail job being done with once or twice used microfiber towels. If you really want to give your car that lux sparkle after a professional detail job you need to use the right and quality tools, and that sad old dirty rag you use most of the time will not cut it. Make sure that when you’re wiping things down, you are using a new or clean microfiber towel; if not, you’ll be wasting all the work you’ve done prior.
Spray But Don’t Drench
As much as that annoying stain on the backseat may be, don’t go on and just dowse it in cleaner; you could actually make it worst that way. Instead, use a spray bottle to spray on your cleaning products; this will assure you an even layer of product. If the stain doesn’t go away, give it a few more sprits instead of chugging the whole bottle on the area.
DIY General Car Detailing Tips
Professional Results Are Better Than DIY Attempts
A DIY detail is a great way to save money, but is it worth your time? Perhaps not. You might want to take a car to a professional for a detailing and do some spot care here and there yourself to save time and money overall.
So temper your expectations when you decide to do your detail job yourself. You may like the outcome, but nothing beats having a professional individual or team go in the nooks and crannies of your car and give it the tender love and care it needs. If the DIY job doesn’t work for you, there are tons of great cleaning and detailing companies out there to do the job for you, so check them out!
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