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465 Posts
Interior Detailing
Did you ever stop to think how much time you spend in your car? Air borne contaminants are contained inside your car and you are breathing them in constantly. Here are some simple steps I use during a professional interior detail. First thing you do is remove everything from the inside of the car, including the trunk. I set up a plastic tarp in my shop to lay the mats on. Would not make sense to put them on a dirty floor. Next step is you vacuum like you normally do, making sure you get under the seats, in between the console and in side door panel pockets. Now get out your Ultimate Leather cleaner and spray the dash, wipe down with a soft cloth. (Do not use micro fiber in the car; it doesn’t make sense to clog the fibers of such a high quality towel. Save them for the finish.) You can use a terri towel for the inside. Clean the dash/console/door panels and all plastic and vinyl with the cleaner. For the leather seats I like to use a horse hair brush, never use a nylon brush on the leather. Horse hair can be found at any janitorial supply store near you. (I can get you one if I get enough notice before you order supplies). What will really come in handy and is one tool I can’t do without, my air compressor. It doesn’t have to be a large unit, just a small one will do. Next step is you blow forced air in between the seats, under the back of the front seat, blowing junk up to the front floor area. This is when you will find the cheerios, gum wrappers, and other stuff hidden under your seats. Blow air in the console, dash, anywhere dust can sit and your vac cannot reach. You will be amazed at how many particles are flying around. What happens next? Yes, you have to vacuum again, picking up everything you just blew away from hiding spots. Now its time to dress and condition. Using my leather conditioner will prolong the life of your leather. Have you ever seen leather seats with cracks and splits? That happens as a result of not properly conditioning the leather. Apply a small amount of conditioner on an applicator pad (if makes sense to dedicate one pad just for this job in a zip lock baggie) and work into the seats, you will see the seats get new life. After you do the entire seat, remove excess with a cloth. Use my Ultimate Dressing on the dash, spray some on a pad, and work in it into the dash, then remove excess with a cloth. (Keep rags separated for each application so you don’t cross link products) You can then use the Dressing on the side door panels and the console area that is made of vinyl or leather. Take a Q-tip and spray some spray and shine on it, and clean the vents. You can use the same procedure along tight areas around the console where dirt gets trapped. Never spray anything on the plastic gauges, just use a soft cloth to wipe down. We save the carpet for last because with all the cleaning you are doing above, something is bound to fall on the rug. Just to make sure, I would do a quick vacuum. Cleaning carpeting is difficult if you don’t have a $2,000 extractor like I have. So here are some options. If you ever rent one of those carpet cleaners for the home, like many people do, when you get the stair attachment, you have an extractor. No matter how big of a shop vac you have it will not remove chemicals deep down in the carpet. Then what happens next is bad news. Chemicals lying dormant will create mold and bacteria that will spread and rot out your carpet; it will also melt the glue under it. What I suggest next if you don’t have access to the floor steamer is this. Take a bottle of all purpose cleaner and MIST--not saturate--the carpet. After you mist it lightly, use a nylon brush and agitate the fibers, mist again with plain water, then use your shop vac, and follow up with a terri towel and briskly rub creating friction to promote quick drying.
Remember this, we can walk on the moon but we can’t remove red juice stains from carpet. It actually dyes the material, so to correct you have to re-dye it close to the same color it was. Check your auto supply store for color dyes to match. www.perfectautofinish.com Gary
Did you ever stop to think how much time you spend in your car? Air borne contaminants are contained inside your car and you are breathing them in constantly. Here are some simple steps I use during a professional interior detail. First thing you do is remove everything from the inside of the car, including the trunk. I set up a plastic tarp in my shop to lay the mats on. Would not make sense to put them on a dirty floor. Next step is you vacuum like you normally do, making sure you get under the seats, in between the console and in side door panel pockets. Now get out your Ultimate Leather cleaner and spray the dash, wipe down with a soft cloth. (Do not use micro fiber in the car; it doesn’t make sense to clog the fibers of such a high quality towel. Save them for the finish.) You can use a terri towel for the inside. Clean the dash/console/door panels and all plastic and vinyl with the cleaner. For the leather seats I like to use a horse hair brush, never use a nylon brush on the leather. Horse hair can be found at any janitorial supply store near you. (I can get you one if I get enough notice before you order supplies). What will really come in handy and is one tool I can’t do without, my air compressor. It doesn’t have to be a large unit, just a small one will do. Next step is you blow forced air in between the seats, under the back of the front seat, blowing junk up to the front floor area. This is when you will find the cheerios, gum wrappers, and other stuff hidden under your seats. Blow air in the console, dash, anywhere dust can sit and your vac cannot reach. You will be amazed at how many particles are flying around. What happens next? Yes, you have to vacuum again, picking up everything you just blew away from hiding spots. Now its time to dress and condition. Using my leather conditioner will prolong the life of your leather. Have you ever seen leather seats with cracks and splits? That happens as a result of not properly conditioning the leather. Apply a small amount of conditioner on an applicator pad (if makes sense to dedicate one pad just for this job in a zip lock baggie) and work into the seats, you will see the seats get new life. After you do the entire seat, remove excess with a cloth. Use my Ultimate Dressing on the dash, spray some on a pad, and work in it into the dash, then remove excess with a cloth. (Keep rags separated for each application so you don’t cross link products) You can then use the Dressing on the side door panels and the console area that is made of vinyl or leather. Take a Q-tip and spray some spray and shine on it, and clean the vents. You can use the same procedure along tight areas around the console where dirt gets trapped. Never spray anything on the plastic gauges, just use a soft cloth to wipe down. We save the carpet for last because with all the cleaning you are doing above, something is bound to fall on the rug. Just to make sure, I would do a quick vacuum. Cleaning carpeting is difficult if you don’t have a $2,000 extractor like I have. So here are some options. If you ever rent one of those carpet cleaners for the home, like many people do, when you get the stair attachment, you have an extractor. No matter how big of a shop vac you have it will not remove chemicals deep down in the carpet. Then what happens next is bad news. Chemicals lying dormant will create mold and bacteria that will spread and rot out your carpet; it will also melt the glue under it. What I suggest next if you don’t have access to the floor steamer is this. Take a bottle of all purpose cleaner and MIST--not saturate--the carpet. After you mist it lightly, use a nylon brush and agitate the fibers, mist again with plain water, then use your shop vac, and follow up with a terri towel and briskly rub creating friction to promote quick drying.
Remember this, we can walk on the moon but we can’t remove red juice stains from carpet. It actually dyes the material, so to correct you have to re-dye it close to the same color it was. Check your auto supply store for color dyes to match. www.perfectautofinish.com Gary
