How to Detail Your Car by Doing It Yourself
With the price of cars today, they have to last and hold their value for as long as possible. Detailing a car keeps it looking good and protects your investment, not to mention the money you save by doing it yourself. Car-detail products fill shelves from parts stores to grocery stores. Finishing off the job with automotive toppings such as wax and protectants add shine and help the detail to last.
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Things You'll Need
- Wash bucket
- Car sponge
- Concentrated car wash
- Tire dressing
- Interior cleaner and protectant
- Small detail brush
- Wheel-cleaning brush
- Tire brush
- Lambskin chamois
Instructions
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Wash the car using a concentrated car wash product and water mixed in a clean bucket. Mix the amount of car wash per gallon of water as instructed on the label. Mix the solution well and foam it up with a jet spray from a hose-end sprayer.
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Wash one section of the car at a time with a clean automotive sponge or car wash glove. For example, wash the driver's side front fender and then rinse the soap off completely with the hose. Wash the entire car in the same manner.
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Clean the wheels with a wheel brush, using the same soap mixture. The brush will help get to brake dust and road grime in hard-to-reach areas. Rinse each wheel with the hose before moving to the next. Try to clean all four wheels before the car completely dries.
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Spray tire cleaner onto all four tires before brushing each tire with a hard-bristled tire-cleaning brush. A tire-cleaning brush should not be used on any other part of the vehicle. Rinse each tire with water after cleaning.
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Dry the car body and glass with a lambskin chamois. A high-quality chamois will dry the car body and glass without leaving behind lint or swirl marks. Ring out the chamois each time it gets saturated with water and continue drying.
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Detail the inside of the car by removing the rugs and vacuuming the interior. Wipe the interior down with a cleaner and protectant, using a clean, lint-free rag. A small detail brush works on air conditioning vents and hard-to-reach areas. Apply a quality vinyl protectant for interior cleaning and shine
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Clean the interior and exterior glass with a glass cleaner and old newspaper. Standard newsprint works well on glass because it doesn't leave behind lint, and it's rigid enough to clean hard water spots and sun-baked grime.
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Apply a tire dressing to the tires. Spray the tire dressing on a sponge or rag and wipe it onto the tires. Spraying the tire dressing directly onto the tires will allow overspray onto the wheels, causing greasy spots. Do not wipe excess from the tires but allow it to dry to the touch.
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Tips & Warnings
Wash your car in a shady area to prevent dried-on soap.
Run excessively dirty cars through an automatic car wash before detailing.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit car wash image by Photoeyes from Fotolia.com
