Folks, do you want your car to look spiffy and clean when you’re out on the road and when you give someone a lift?
Of course, you do!
None of us wants to look like dirty creeps…especially when we’re trying to impress people.
And that’s why you have to take the time to keep your vehicle clean.
Check out these 10 car detailing secrets and feel free to use them!
1. On the regular.
One thing every car detailer knows is that you don’t want to let too much time go by so your car gets dirtier and dirtier…until it’s totally filthy.
So the best thing to do is to clean up the interior of your car once a week with wipes to keep the nasty stuff from
2. Steam clean.
Use a handheld steam cleaner on cloth seats and carpeted floors in your car instead of paying a professional big bucks to do it.
There are handheld steaming systems you can buy for about $40 or less that will let you clean your interior like a pro.
One thing to keep in mind: always do the carpets and seats last after you finish the detailing the rest of your car.
3. The plastic bag trick.
This is a great tip, so pay attention: after your car is washed and before you apply wax to it, put a plastic grocery bag over your hand and run it over the outside of your car to see if there is any leftover dirt and bumps from your wash that you need to get rid of before you wax.
And you ca do it all without getting fingerprints on the car.
Genius!
4. Total blow out.
The air vents in your car can get backed up with dust and dirt, so it’s a good idea to use a can of compressed air (like you use on a computer keyboard) to blow out the vents.
Your car should start smelling better immediately after all the debris is blown out.
5. Don’t ignore them…
You can’t forget about your tires!
Buy yourself a tire cleaner and a wheel and tire cleaning brush, get on all fours, and scrub those babies until they glisten.
You’ll be the talk of the town with those shiny tires, we promise.
6. Pre-rinse.
You see a lot of people dumping soapy water onto cars before they do anything else, but that is a mistake, my friends.
You have to pre-rinse your car before you do anything, or you run the risk of grinding dust and grit from the road into your paint finish.
Always pre-rinse with water!
7. Use the right mitt.
It’s time to ditch the sponge and use a microfiber mitt to wash your car.
Sponges will hold grit even after they’ve been wrung out, and that can lead to a lot of scratches on your car.
You can pick up microfiber mitts for under $10 and when you wash your car with one, grit and dirt falls out as you clean.
8. Not one, but two buckets.
Okay, people, I want you to listen closely: when you’re washing your car, you need to use two buckets: one for clean water with soap, and the other one as a rinse bucket.
Dunk your microfiber mitt into the rinse bucket after each wipe on the car so the dirt and grime will fall off and then you’re ready to plunge into the clean soapy water so you can get back to scrubbing your beautiful car again.
9. Time to polish.
If you really want to work on your car like professional detailers do, you’re gonna have to buy a dual-action polisher like the one HERE.
That one runs about $80, but it’s an investment that is well worth it when it comes to keeping your car looking great.
If you use a polisher like this before you wax your car, you’ll see huge improvements.
10. Clean up the carpet.
And finally, don’t forget about your car’s carpet.
Yes, vacuuming the carpet alone does help, but if you use a stiff brush and you scrub the carpet as you vacuum, you’ll dislodge much more dirt and particles that will be sucked up and your carpet will be left looking like a million bucks.
So buy one of those brushes and suck all the junk up!