DIY Car Detailing: Secrets From the Pros

Learn the secrets of detailing your car. A car can be professionally detailed, but it’ll cost some money. You can do it yourself in just a few steps!

Do-it-Yourself Detailing at Home

Man detailing his car interior
Man detailing his car interior

I’ve taken my car in to get detailed a couple of times, but those times were when I really did need the professionals for the job: after leaving my window open during a pop-up rainstorm, and after accidentally leaving a bag of chicken in my car while it was parked at the airport, allowing it to permeate the cabin for nine days. The at-home remedies helped in both of those situations, but I needed complete detailing to get rid of those odors.

Usually, though, most car detail jobs can be done from the comfort of your driveway or garage. Washing and waxing was one of our suggested New Year’s Car Resolutions, but how hard is it? With the right equipment (brushes, sprays, cleaners, protectants, microfiber cloths, and vacuums) and a little bit of time, you can save some money, detail your car at home, and drive a clean car around. These tricks aren’t car specific, so they can be used on anything from a 2021 Ford F-150 to a 2010 Honda CR-V to a 1984 Chevrolet Camaro.

Exterior

Rinse Before Washing

Person rinsing off their car
Person rinsing off their car

There’s a simple reason for this step: not rinsing first will only grind the surface dirt, dust, and grime right into the paint finish, causing scratches. Professionals always start detailing with a rinse before proceeding with the rest of the cleaning.

Use the Right Soap

A lot of people use dishwashing soap, like Dawn, to wash their car, but they shouldn’t be. That dishwashing detergent is too harsh, soaking up important oils out of the vehicle’s finish. That can shorten the life of the car’s paint. Specific soap, like Meguiar’s Gold Class Car Wash, is a better option. Make sure to do a little research on the detergent you use before throwing it into a bucket and sudsing up your vehicle.

Consider a Microfiber Mitt

Wiping down car with a microfiber mitt
Wiping down car with a microfiber mitt

Sponges work when washing a vehicle, but the grit stays put, even when the sponge is wrung out. With the grit embedded in the sponge, you’re rubbing it back and forth across your vehicle. Obviously, you don’t want scratches on your vehicle, so, to protect the paint as much as possible, grab a microfiber glove. That material is much nicer to your car’s finish than a typical sponge.

Use a Microfiber Towel

Microfiber towels really are the way to go when detailing cars, whether wiping something down inside or drying on the outside. There are a few small things to remember when using a microfiber towel. Get rid of the tags (so there are no scratches) and come up with a color-coded system. For example, use blue towels for waxing and green towels for washing. Also, once you’re done washing and waxing, throw these towels into the laundry as a separate load. You don’t want to mix the wax from these towels with your daily clothes.

Use Two Buckets to Wash

Soapy car
Soapy car

When it’s time to wash, grab a couple of pales. One bucket should hold clean water. The other should hold the soapy water. Then, after each wipe, dunk the wash mitt into the clean water to swirl and rinse it. Dunk the mitt into the soapy water to get loaded up again. You know the rest: wash, rinse, repeat. We have a step-by-step guide on Car Washing and Waxing for any beginners.

Detail The Trim After Washing

Before moving on to polishing or waxing, take care of the trim. A little bit of trim protectant can repel polish and wax that could stain your trim. If you want to really go professional, you can use tape to protect the trim during waxing. The protectant will help, even if you’re not taping the trim.

Remove Scratches Before You Polish

After the wash, most people go to polishing, but before that, get rid of those scratches. If there are any knicks or door dings, use a scratch removal kit to cover that up. Then, when you do actually polish, you’ll get even more shine.

Get a Clay Bar

Auto detailing clay bar - amazon.com
Auto detailing clay bar - amazon.com

You may have heard of the clay bar system, but not be entirely familiar with it. Here’s why the professionals use it. Rubbing a clay bar on the paint can remove contaminants without impacting the paint thickness. It picks up different materials that a soap and sponge don’t. After using the clay bar, the paint surfaces are smoother, so the polishing and waxing is more effective. If you feel bumps or rough patches when running a hand over your vehicle, you may want to consider clay. Directions will be on the back of a clay bar or clay kit, but it’s not difficult. Start with the least aggressive clay, rub it over the paint surfaces, and then continue on with polishing and/or waxing.

Check the Paint Surface with a Grocery Bag

Once the clay bar has been used, remove all the dirt before sealing it with wax. A thin plastic bag actually works for this task. Put your hand inside an ordinary grocery bag, and run it over the body of the car. The bag amplifies any bumps left behind. This method won’t leave any greasy fingerprints on the surface. If there are any, you can go back and detail it again. Once the surface is smooth, continue on with polishing and waxing.

Get a Dual Action Polisher

Car polisher
Car polisher

If you’re really interested in doing a detailed cleaning, get yourself a dual-action polisher. It will remove layers of old wax and leave you with a smooth, even finish. A dual-action polisher runs at lower speeds, oscillating as it rotates. If you’ve never used one before, it’s not hard to get the hang of it. Just apply the polish to the machine’s pad and then run the pad across the paint. Also, remember to use multiple polishing pads instead of just one. Once a pad gets used up, grab the other one. You can worry about cleaning them all after the job is done.

Wax in a Shady Spot

Next up, it’s waxing. It’s better to apply the wax on a shady, warm day so that the wax sets in properly. If the direct sunlight is beating down onto your vehicle, the wax will bake right onto it. That can do more harm than good sometimes. It’s also very difficult to remove. After the waxing is done, it’s best to let it cure for 12 to 24 hours. If you’re doing a second coat, do it after the first coat is cured.

Interior

Blow Out the Vents

Cleaning car air vent
Cleaning car air vent

You can spray Febreze or use air fresheners to provide a nice scent in your vehicle, but there’s a simple step that can take it to the next level: cleaning out the air vents. You don’t need a giant air compressor. You can use that, but you don’t need one. You can use a small brush and shop vacuum as well.

Instead, pick up a can of compressed air. It will provide a better smell in the car, which provides a better overall driving experience. Moisture and dust can build up inside the vents, leaving a stale or musty smell when the heat or A/C are used. Deodorizing the vents with some compressed air can freshen up that smell. It may not capture that exact new car smell, but it’ll definitely help.

Brush the Carpet Before Vacuuming

Vacuuming the interior is an important part of detailing, but using a stiff nylon brush on the floor mats and carpet will agitate fibers, loosening up the dirt. That will make it easier to then vacuum up any grime that was hiding inside the carpet. Rub lightly, though, because doing it too hard can damage upholstery.

Removing Pet Hair

Dogs in the back of a car
Dogs in the back of a car

If you let your dog or cat ride in the back seat, then you understand the struggle of getting rid of pet hair. Even if they stay in the back seat, pet hair makes its way up front. Even if the pet isn’t even in the car, there is pet hair in your vehicle. The lint rollers used before leaving the house just can’t get everything. There are a couple of fairly easy solutions for that.

You can use a specific hair brush with rubber bristles, a rubber-tipped squeegee, or even rubber gloves to help pick up cat hair from the seats. Rubbing your latex-covered hand over the carpet will cause the static electricity needed to help loosen and pick up the hair. Static electricity isn’t what you want when you walk across the carpeted living room to get a spoon from the kitchen, but in this case, it’s useful. Whatever option you use, it’s that rubber that will help pick up hair embedded in the fabric and carpet.

Leave the Headliner Alone

The headliner of your vehicle is attached with adhesive to a fiberglass material. It’s not quite as simple as dousing it in spray and then wiping it down. Too much foam or cleaning solution can lead to it detaching from the ceiling. When it gets to that point, it’s not an easy fix. If you are going to clean the headliner, be sure to use microfiber cloths, a safe fabric cleaner, and a soft brush. Be sure to brush lightly and don’t overuse the foam, but if it’s not completely stained and dirty, it’s honestly best to just leave the headliner alone.

Let the Fabric Dry

Wiping down car seats
Wiping down car seats

Whether it’s the headliner, the seat, or the floor, using too much cleaning solution is not a good idea. Whatever amount you do use, be sure to let the fabric dry. Soaking into the material will leave moisture trapped and cause mildew or mold. If you have a leather interior, check out our how-to on Proper Leather Upholstery Care.

Clean the Glass Last

Professional detailers clean glass at the end, after all the dirt particles have been vacuumed up and after any cleaning spray has been applied to leather seats. Cleaning the glass first usually results in having to do it again at the end. Bonus tip for you: clean the interior glass in one direction and the exterior glass in another. This makes it easier to see if some of those annoying streaks you’re sure to find as soon as you finish wiping the glass down are on the inside of the vehicle or the outside.

Detail Regularly

Cleaning car windshield
Cleaning car windshield

This one doesn’t seem like much of a tip, huh? It’s an important one though. The best way to save money on detailing is to not let it get to extreme dirtiness in the first place. Running it through the wash helps. Wiping the interior down every few weeks helps. Maybe you paid a lot of money for your car and want to clean it more than that. Great! Just make it a habit of detailing before it’s way past needing it. You (and your guests) will probably enjoy being in your car more if it’s a clean one.

Of course, detailing is just one part of maintaining a vehicle. Our authors have provided a lot of other important insights, including: How to Change Your Oil Made Simple, How to Get Rust Off of Your Car and A Simple Checklist for Taking Your Car Out of Storage.

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Jesse Batson

Jesse Batson earned his journalism degree from South Dakota State University. No stranger to newsgathering and reporting, Jesse spent 13 years in TV news. 10 of those years were spent working in Charlotte, NC, home of NASCAR. A highlight of his time there was being able to take a lap around the Charlotte Motor Speedway. His interest in vehicles, starting with Matchbox cars, a Big Wheel, and the Transformers, evolved into taking photos of motocross events. Now, he puts his research skills to use on car culture, reviews, and comparisons.

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