Tricks from the Detailers

In the world of car washing and detailing, the options for where and how you clean your vehicle are seemingly endless! We’ve discussed on our blog the various types of car wash and detail services – and there are LOTS! The majority of newer car washes you’ll see around your community are conveyorized tunnel car washes.

For most vehicle-owners, tunnel car washes like Snap Clean are the most efficient and cost-effective way to maintain a clean and tidy vehicle. We offer free vacuum service and spray cleaner so you can get the interior clean you love without the high cost of a visit to an auto detailer.

Want more clean? There’s nothing like a thorough detailing to help your vehicle feel fresh and new, so we’re rounding up a few tips, tricks and hacks for deep cleaning your vehicle like the detailers do. Here's how to elevate your regular car wash to the next level. Use our ideas to refresh after a vacation, get ready to sell your car or just to give yourself a clean start to your month.

Remove clutter and trash. Start with the most obvious and easy to remove trash and junk. Clear out the map pockets. Empty the cupholders. Slide the seats all the way forward and backward and remove the empty water bottles, trash, coins, stray French fries, coins, kids’ toys and straw wrappers that find their way under and between the seats.

Vacuum all surfaces. After removing all the large trash, remove the floor mats and thoroughly vacuum all the cloth surfaces and seats. Our high-powered vacuums will help you get most of the dust, crumbs, bits of pollen and dirt that gets tracked through your vehicle. Move your seats all the way forward and backward to remove as much as possible with our powerful vacuums! Don’t worry too much about the seat tracks and hard to clean spots. We will

Clean cloth, leather and carpet. You have options for removing stains from cloth seats and carpet, and some may already be lurking around the house. Windex or similar glass cleaner is a great stain remover. Ink stains may be removed with hairspray. Try out these cheap stain removing options by soaking the stain, letting the cleaner work its magic and then blot with a clean, dry towel. To refresh dingy looking upholstery, reach for an auto carpet cleaner like this one from the Chemical Guys. Dilute in a spray bottle filled with water, spray on stained or dirty cloth and carpet. Scrub with a stiff bristled brush and dry with a clean microfiber cloth. If your seats are leather, grab a specially formulated leather cleaner and conditioner to renew the look of your leather upholstery.

Dust surfaces and touch points. Use a microfiber cloth to wipe the high touch points and larger surfaces like door handles, the dashboard, rear dash, the top of the rearview mirror, the console and all infotainment system controls. Follow up with light soap and water or an all-purpose cleaner to maximize shine. A protectant like Armor All helps refresh surfaces and minimized the aged look.

High shine interior glass. There’s nothing that quite gives away a dirty car like smudged up glass. Window and glass cleaner like Windex works just fine for interior glass. You can clean these areas with paper towels or microfiber, whatever you prefer.

Infotainment system screen. Use a microfiber cloth and a spritz of distilled water. Avoid rubbing alcohol and harsh chemicals which can damage the touch sensitive surface of the screen. To avoid leaving streaks behind, rub the dampened cloth side to side or up and down to clean, not in a circular motion.

Deep clean crevices. Use a vacuum cleaner with a crevice attachment to reach beneath your car seats, between seat belts and the exterior frame, between car seats, and into consoles or crevices that are harder to clean with a larger vacuum. Next, lightly spray a microfiber cloth with an all-purpose cleaner and wipe down the runners that slide your car seats forward and backward. To clean the hardest to reach crevices, grab some Q-tips and some mildly soapy water (blue Dawn works great for this). Don’t over soap as you don’t want to leave behind a residue that will just attract more dust. Follow up with a spray of water and wipe it all up with paper towels. Use canned dust air for especially dusty spots like the gear shifter. Then wipe those down with a lightly dampened microfiber cloth.

Minimize future dust and debris. Protect your clean vehicle with rubber floor and cargo area mats. While these will not eliminate dust from being tracked into your car, they are easily removed and cleaned. To clean, spray with a garden hose and allow them to dry in the sun. Then replace them inside your car.

Spot clean exterior problem areas. Tunnel car washes can’t reach certain areas of your vehicle like the door frames and hinges. Use a specially formulated car wash solution to tackle these areas so that your paint job is preserved and the whole car looks and feels clean when you step into it. A clean microfiber cloth can be used to clean these surfaces.

And that’s it! We hope our tips help you make your next car wash even better. Stop by and see us today for your car wash service. We look forward to serving you soon.