DIY Auto Detailing
Cleaning Made Simple
Taking care of your vehicle and having it look good all the time can be hard work. You could spend hundreds of dollars for a professional auto detailer to do the job, or you can put in the effort yourself. It’s probably about 90 percent elbow grease and 10 percent product when you’re detailing your car yourself. Here are some tips for making your car look its best.
– Use two buckets when washing your vehicle. Have one bucket for the soap and another to rinse your sponge or cloth. This ensures that the dirt you’re trying to wash off doesn’t end up in your clean soapy water, eliminating the chances of that dirt being reapplied to your vehicle’s surface and scratching the paint.
– Use a microfiber cloth to dry. First, remove all the tags so that they won’t harm the paint. Then use the microfiber cloth to wipe the excess water off the surface in long strokes. Bonus points if you use another microfiber cloth to follow up the first attempt at drying. Squeeze the water out of the cloths every so often. Remember, though, that when you’re throwing the cloths into the laundry to clean them, wash them separately so that they don’t pick up other contaminants or fibers that can scratch paint.
– Use a clay bar to rid your body’s surface of contaminants. You don’t have to do this every time you wash your car—and you probably shouldn’t—but it’s ideal for a smoother surface. It also helps wax adhere to the surface better and makes treatments last longer. Be sure to use some sort of lubricant when using the clay bar, and don’t keep using a piece if it falls on the ground.
– After using a clay bar, wax. Use a buffer to apply the wax to the surface, and then a dry, soft cloth to remove it. You’ll get an even coat of wax this way, along with zero swirl marks.
– Dry interior glass one way (vertically or horizontally) and exterior glass the opposite way. This way if you see a streak, you’ll know which side of the glass you need to work on.
