Strategies for Achieving the Best Results From Auto Detailing

Auto detailing is an important part of maintaining your vehicle's appearance. This article explains how to achieve the best results from your auto detailing.

If we know one thing about Americans, it's that they love their cars! Even so, 1 in 3 drivers say their cars are full of junk and that they hardly ever clean them.



Fortunately, if you need to deep clean your vehicle, we're here to help. Let's talk about some insider tips to get the best results from your auto detailing job!

Best Auto Detailing Supplies

Before we detail our strategy, let's go over supplies. Here are the most important ones to get started.

Air Compressor

If you plan to detail cars regularly, we strongly recommend investing in an air compressor. If this is a one-time job, a couple of cans of compressed air will do. Either way, compressed air is one of the most essential auto detailing supplies.

Compressed air is essential for blowing out hard-to-reach places within a vehicle, which can help remove a lot of dust and debris. Investing in an air compressor is well worth it if you intend to detail multiple cars, as they are also great tools for other purposes such as nail guns, inflating tires, and more.

Steamers

If you want to know the industry secret to removing stains and odors from upholstery, it's steam. Steaming your upholstery and carpets will make a world of difference to your interior.

Of course, buying a steamer for one job isn't always worth it. You can rent a steamer and get the job done, but they have other applications for your home, so you may consider buying!

Vacuum

A powerful shop vac is arguably the most important detailing equipment there is. How else are you going to clean out the rugs and upholstery?

Make sure that you have a long enough hose and attachments. Remember that the smaller the nozzle, the more powerful it will be, but the easier it will clog!

Detailing Cloths

Auto detailing cloths are essential, but did you know there's a secret color code to them? This is to prevent cross-contamination more than anything else, so make sure that you keep track of which cloth is used for each task.

Buckets

You'll need at least two buckets for a detailing job: one for the interior and one for the exterior. Still, it's better to have more available and not need them than to need them and not have them.

Environmentally Friendly Cleaners

You need to find interior and exterior cleaners that are environmentally friendly and pose no risk to the paint or finish on the vehicle. You can get these at your local auto shop, but do your diligence and look up the product before you purchase it. If you know the type of finish on your car, make sure they are compatible!

Important Auto Detailing Tips

Once you have your supplies, it's time to get to work. Here's how to detail a car!

Remove Any Trash

The obvious place to start is to remove any larger trash from the vehicle. If the glove compartment, consoles, and other parts of the vehicle are filled with useful items, bag them for now and get them out of the way.

From there, get anything else out of the way like rugs or seat covers. It's easier to clean these separately.

Don't Focus on What's Visible

Just because you can't see dirt or debris doesn't mean it isn't there. If you don't address it now, you or your customers will notice it after a few bumps in the road. Always remember to reach the undersides of your seats, dashboard, inside your vents, and all of those difficult nooks and crannies.

We strongly recommend doing these first. Otherwise, you may have to reclean what you've already done.

Blow It All Away

With your compressed air, blow out all of the corners, nooks and crannies, and anything you can't reach first. We all sweep before we mop, and this is the same logic. Get the debris out of the way before you wipe or soak anything.

Work Your Way Down

Using your wet cloths, steamers, or any other wet materials, remember to work your way down from the top. That means starting with the ceiling for the interior and roof for the exterior.

Thoroughly clean everything in circles with your eco-friendly cleaning solution. Remember to continuously soak the cloth to get excess debris out periodically.

Dry Thoroughly

If you've steamed and soaked the seats, you won't get the car fully dry in five minutes. That's perfectly fine.

However, you should get the bulk of the moisture out right away and then leave the windows open to allow the moisture to exit the vehicle. If it's raining, you should ideally bring your car to a garage and park it for a bit.

You can start getting the bulk of the moisture with your vacuum. Press down on the seats while you do this for better results. You can use a fan or a blower after to help speed up the process!

Hire Professional Auto Detailing Services

Instead of buying all of the tools necessary for one deep clean, you can spend less and save time by hiring professional auto detailing services. Not only do they have the tools needed, but they also have the experience necessary to get the job done correctly.

Make Your Car Shine Today

Now that you know some of the tricks of the auto detailing trade, you can put these tips to use and make your car shine bright. Auto detailing isn't too complicated once you have the right materials, but it is a lot of work. Fortunately, there's help available if you need it!

Stay up to date with Eclipse Tint & Accessories latest automotive tips, and don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or for help with your vehicle!