Step 1 – Vacuum
Before plugging in the vacuum and inhaling everything that comes in contact, you have to first remove the things that will go against your work like the mats, auto kits, etc. You must use a strong kind of vacuum. The small ones which run through rechargeable batteries will not be enough more so those that are plugged inside the lighter plug of your car. It is more advisable that you use something more powerful like your home’s vacuum cleaner. That would be perfect for the job.

Remove the mats and just do the cleaning separately. Vacuum everything in sight which includes those that will soon be cleaned with liquid cleaner. Use a brush for places inside your car that could get marred with any impact coming from solid edge attachments.

Step 2 – Do the vinyl
This is easier than vacuuming. Just use a vinyl cleaner like Simple Green which is pretty much available in automobile stores and the like. Dilute part of the concentration to water then go intense for stains that are stubborn. Drench the soft cloth inside the mixture then apply it in a liberal manner to the concerned sections. After applying, dry it up immediately using a towel made from microfiber. This is not advised to be used in metallic surfaces.

Step 3 – Innermost cleaning
If you have the strength for it, remove the car seats every time you do interior detailing. That is how thorough your cleaning should be. It will be easier on your part to clean the interior if you have no seats to hinder your cleaning although there are cars that don’t allow you to remove the seats so you have to work hard just to get the dirt out of the tiny spaces present on your car seats.

Step 4 – Floor mat cleaning
This is also easy. After removing them from your car’s interior, whale away then hose them and consider them as part of the wash job exteriorly. Majority who do this gets most of the dirt out but some may find it quite difficult. If the exterior washing doesn’t get the job done, then it is now necessary to apply a carpet cleaner then brush it.

Clean the part of the driver’s seat covered in vinyl with whatever chosen equivalent you have available. Never try treating the area with dressing for it will cause some problems like the driver getting slipped and may have difficulties in pedals.

Tough tip: it is always good to use hot or warm water whenever you plan on cleaning your interior. You can heat it up in a microwave although this strategy is only meant for those who are doing it at home because when it comes to professional car detailing, the model will be stronger. Other models will provide provisions for water heating.

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The vehicles we drive ideally would like to be at room temperature. So, when temperatures start getting in the 90′s, our cars and trucks may encounter some problems.

“Summer heat affects a lot of things. It affects your tires, it affects the viscosity of oil it affects the cooling of your vehicle and usually batteries tend to take a hit during the summer as well as in the winter,” says Bob Oien of Tires, Tires, Tires.

The summer heat will not only wear at your interior but it can also lead to some more expensive problems.

Driving with the A/C blasting on a hot summer day can really load the engine and can lower your gas efficiency.

“Some things you want to check just be aware of your oil, make sure it is full, make sure the viscosity is correct for summer because you’re idling and your air is on which tends to harm that motor when it’s not correct,” says Oien.

The hot sun isn’t the only thing that affects cars in the summer time but also things associated with season such as tar, tree sap and bugs can seriously stain or remove the finish of your paint job.

“You want to every once and awhile put wax on it or put the wax on that comes through the car wash and just wash your car often,” says Scott McCormick of Mac’s Speedy Auto Wash.

But with a little bit of TLC all of these problems can be prevented and you’ll be able to keep your car in mint condition.

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Here’s a solution. It’s called XENIT (zee-nit) and it’s manufactured by Stoner.

With XENIT, you’ll never again be frustrated trying to remove difficult gunk and grime from surfaces around your home, office, business, or garage. XENIT removes tacky, grimy dirt so well, in most cases you can simply “wipe it away.”

Hundreds of Uses In Your Home, Office, Garage, or Business.
XENIT is such an amazing cleaner, you’ll probably find yourself using it everywhere you live, work, and play. XENIT quickly removes labels, decals, and adhesives from glass, wood, vinyl, and metals.

If you have children, you’ll love how XENIT miraculously removes chewing gum from carpet and upholstery. XENIT easily cleans permanent marker, crayon and lipstick from walls, woodwork, and counter tops. It even removes dried latex paint if accidentally dripped on carpet, flooring, or furniture.

You’ll be surprised at how well XENIT removes shoes cuffs and heel marks from vinyl and wood flooring and greasy dirt from fabrics and upholstery. So, next time you have a sticky, grimy mess, don’t worry. Simply Clean it with XENIT!

Unique Cleaning Power
XENIT’s proprietary formulation does NOT contain soap OR water. You’ll be amazed how quickly and easily XENIT lets you remove the stuff that soap and water can’t clean.

XENIT contains more than five high performance ingredients such as Citrus 66, an all natural, highly refined extract of citrus fruit. Unlike most water-based cleaning agents that are designed to lift and carry dirt, XENIT is specially formulated to break down the complex molecules found in sticky materials. This unique MicroActive cleaning action gives XENIT unequaled abilities to loosen and dissolve difficult grime like tar, grease, gum — even adhesives.

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The April 28 story said bird droppings, bugs, pollen, flower petals and sticky tree substances can all damage a vehicle’s paint finish and owners should have them waxed, washed and vacuumed.

The newspaper said that the ideal time to have a car waxed is when the water stops beading up on the hood. Mike McCalmon, manager at Karmichael Auto Salon in Mukilteo, WA, said in the story, “If there’s no wax protection on there, it’s going to start eating through the clear coat and the actual paint of your car. The No. 1 thing you can do is keep a good wax on it.”

Wayne Rickard, owner of Wayne’s Auto Detailing of Marysville, told readers that a car should be waxed every six months, at least.

The article also said that bird droppings and flower petals should be washed off immediately or they will eat through the paint.

As for vacuuming, McCalmos said in the story, “We see the worst of the worst. We can spend, literally, an entire day just vacuuming a car. If you want to hold the value of your car, you’ve got to maintain that stuff and not let it build up so much.”

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Dishwashing detergent is meant to remove everything from the surface. That includes stripping the polymers off the paint surface… Many detail professionals and paint shops actually use dawn to remove the old wax before they do their work. The effect is similar to what dishwashing soap does to your hands. Too much will dry the skin. On the surface of a car, the same thing occurs; dishwashing soap actually accelerates the oxidation process when used regularly.

Dish washing soap is also very hard on the rivers and streams most storm water drains in to.

Most car wash soaps are now biodegradable and safe for the rivers and streams as well as your cars paint.

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– A good hand washing of your vehicle to check out the condition of your paint and make note of any scratches or chips. If you find minor paint damage, buy some touch-up paint as soon as possible and apply it to keep rust from forming.

– Clean the grease, salt and dirt out of your wheel wells and repair any rust.

– Check the windshield for any chips or cracks and repair.

– Replace worn out wiper blades.

– Check tires for wear and proper tread depth.

On the interior:

– If your car’s carpet is subjected to a lot of salty water during the winter, a rug shampoo can help remove salt from the carpet’s fibers and prevent rust from forming underneath.

– Clean your car’s vinyl with a vinyl treatment product to prevent drying and cracking.

– Clean your windows inside and out to improve visibility.

Of course, along with the spring cleaning and check-up comes the greasy mess from working on a car. But there’s one product, now available nationwide, that makes cleaning up automotive grease and grime easy.

Greased Lightning High Performance Cleaner and Degreaser works on heavy grease and grime build-up on engines, tires, tools and shop floors, but is also safe for grease-stained uniforms, upholstery and carpet. Originally formulated more than 15 years ago for use in detail shops, Greased Lightning has been well known in car shows and motor sports circles for years. Only recently has word been getting out to other users, most notably through a national advertising campaign that was launched in late March.

One customer wrote, “When I purchased my car, it was full of coal dust from the previous owner. Coal dust, can you imagine? The upholstery was supposed to be green, but almost all of it was entirely black. I tried everything to get the coal out, but nothing worked. I was extremely pleased when I tried your product and it actually worked. I used it on the seats, the carpet and the dashboard. Now my entire car is clean.”

Another pleased customer says, “I own a detail shop and can’t imagine cleaning without Greased Lightning.”

What’s more, after the car is clean, Greased Lightning will work on shop or garage floors, as well as on clothes and rags that become stained with grease. Just add to a load of laundry, and the grease disappears effortlessly.

Also available is Greased Lightning All Wheel Cleaner, made specifically for vehicle rims and wheel covers. It instantly dissolves brake dust and road grime, cleaning down to the original finish. It’s safe for use on rims made of aluminum, plastic and clear or coated chrome.

Greased Lightning products are available at most chain retail stores and at automotive specialty stores nationwide. For more information, visit www.greased-lightning.com.

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Why There Is No Single Machine for Auto Detailing?

Many people ask this question: Why do suppliers not provide a single machine that can be used to clean both the interiors and exteriors surfaces of an automobile? There is a simple reason for this. These two very different types of surfaces require different levels of cleaning power. A pressure washer used on the vehicle’s interior would damage upholstery and leave carpets too wet to dry in a reasonable amount of time.

On the other hand, carpet cleaners are inherently not suitable for cleaning hard surfaces of automobile parts and components. The extraction capabilities are designed to remove stains from deep within carpet fibers, an entirely different surface than an automobile’s painted exterior. Top suppliers often offer a combo promotion, allowing auto detailers to purchase both a pressure washer and a carpet cleaner at one low price.

If you are considering the purchase of a carpet cleaner alone, here are some useful tips to guide in you in finding the right machine

Know Your Requirements

You need to be perfectly aware of your requirements. Heated and non-heated carpet cleaners are available to handle applications with varying degrees of difficulty. For example, heated carpet extractors are ideal for the most challenging interior car cleaning applications.

Opt for Devices that Use Less Water

There are two important considerations for auto detailing. The first is the quantity of water used in the process and the second is the times required for the surface to completely dry.

The general rule is to use low quantities of water. This reduces wastage of water and frees the operator from the burden of finding a suitable place where sufficient facilities for water run-off are available. Moreover, using less quantities of water reduces the drying time required for the surface. For any auto detailing professional with limited storage space for vehicles to dry, drying time is paramount.

For ensuring that the quantity of water used is low and the drying time is as short as possible, one has to opt for a carpet cleaner equipped with low flow technology. This makes sure that very low quantities of water are used for auto detailing. As a result, wastage of water is low and the drying time is short — often as low as two hours.

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Also perfect for degreasing those grimy engine bays then follow up with Meguiars Hyper Dressing.

* Hyper concentrated formula – dilution rate 400:1
* Long-lasting suds for more effective cleaning power
* Biodegradable & environmentally friendly

Typical dilution rates are obsolete when comparing them with Meguiars Hyper-Wash. Using innovative techniques Meguiars has created a product that produces rich, stable foam at an unbelievable dilution rate of 400:1. Its biodegradable formula safely and effectively lifts dirt and grime off all surfaces.

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“Vehicles are a major source of pollution, and not just because of the CO² they emit. The services needed to keep our cars on the road and looking good release many toxic chemicals into our atmosphere and waterways,” said business owner, Rob Donegan.

“That’s why Trusted Detailing is stepping-up to make the industry more environmentally friendly. Our products are all non-toxic and non-carcinogenic, which is not only great for the environment, but much better for vehicles and their passengers.”

Traditionally, detailers remove existing wax from cars with a corrosive soap, which, when washed away, goes straight into community waterways. Similarly, highly toxic chemicals are often used to spray vehicles’ interior. Not only is this detrimental to the environment, but a potential hazard for any children or pets that happen to travel in that vehicle.

Trusted Detailing’s ‘New School’ Detailing method replaces these practices with ‘green’ alternatives. Natural products are used with a waterless hand wash system to remove existing dirt and grime. The engine, wheels and interior are cleaned with a powerful steam cleaner, which is a much safer alternative to acid or harsh chemicals.

Trusted Detailing’s innovative approach has captured the attention of car enthusiasts in the Spokane region, who agree that ‘green’ is best.

“I drive a 1967 Camaro and 2005 Audi S4, so when it comes to detailing, I don’t want harsh chemicals anywhere near my car. Trusted Detailing made my cars look better than ever, and didn’t leave a toxic smell behind. The ‘green’ approach is definitely best for my car, as well as the environment,” said enthusiast, David Overton.

“I hope that Green Week encourages other businesses to realise the effect they are having on the environment and consider green alternatives. But it is really up to the customer to make sure they support businesses that support the environment,” concluded Donegan.

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