You've invested in a car you love and now is the time to take pride in keeping it in tip-top shape. This includes paying for maintenance, repairs when needed, and regular car washes. Getting your car detailed feels great. Your car looks wonderful, smells clean, and you feel like a million dollars when you drive it. However, car detailing can get expensive. Avoid the pricey fees of having it done professionally and learn to detail your car yourself. Below, is a list of ten car detailing tips that you can do at home. Use these the next time you want to have your car looking spiffy!
1. Best DIY Car Detailing Tip: Invest In The Right Tools
Having the right tools and materials to detail your car will make all the difference. Sure, it may be costly to invest in things like leather repair serum and wax sprays, but you will save quite a bit on car detailing costs in the long run. Having the right tools helps you to get the job done right in a smaller amount of time. This way, you will be more motivated to do your car detailing at home.
2. Use a Leather Repair Kit
If your car has leather seats, they are likely to be damaged at some point. Whether this is from stains, tears, or general grime, having dirty leather can make the rest of your car feel worn out too. Using a leather repair kit to address damage swiftly will help to minimize any permanent harm to the appearance of your leather. A leather repair kit will contain conditioners, creams, and all the things you need to clean and repair your leather as often as needed. If you do this regularly, it will not be such an overwhelming job every time you go to detail your car.
3. Brush Out The Air Vents
This may seem like a little thing, but it can make all the difference in the cleanliness of your car. Take a small, fluffy brush, like a makeup or paintbrush, and dust out the air vents. Getting rid of the dust and lint trapped here can make a huge difference in how clean your car feels. Plus, when you turn the air on, there are fewer things blowing around. This will help to keep the rest of your car clean, as well.
4. Polish Before Waxing
Most people assume that polishing and waxing are the same thing. That is not the case. Polishing is the process of removing imperfections on the surface of the car. Polishing helps to buff out the scratches and minor signs of wear, creating a nice shine process. Doing this makes the waxing more effective, as it adds further glossiness and protection to the surface of your car. Having a polisher also makes the process go smoothly and efficiently.
5. Choose The Right Wax
The waxing step should take place after removing surface imperfections through polishing. Waxing will fill in those gaps and make your car glossy and shiny. Coating your car with a layer of wax also protects its surface and keeps looking cleaner for longer. There are many different types of wax, from carnauba to polymer to synthetic. Do a little research into your car's paint color and the materials used to paint it. Then, choose a wax that works for you and one you will be able to apply properly.
6. Deep Clean Your Carpets
To get a proper clean of your carpets, you'll want to remove them from your car and shake them out. Vacuum the interior of your car and the carpets you have removed. Then, go to town on them with proper shampoo. Allow them to dry properly and make sure to give them a good scrub to remove dirt, stains, and grime. There are even small carpet cleaning machines to make the job even easier.
7. Wipe Down The Consoles
You know to clean your carpets, leather seats, and the exterior but don't forget about the dashboard and center console. This is one of the most used elements of your car. Therefore, it can get the dirtiest. Whether small crumbs or debris, eventually the tiny cracks will be filled with dirt and your car will look dirty. Vacuum in the cracks, wipe down any fingerprints or stains, and blow off dust. Once your center consoles are clean, your car will start to feel brand new.
8. Give Special Attention To Windows
Cleaning the glass of your windows is another important step in DIY car detailing. Your windows see their fair share of use, fingerprints, bugs, raindrops, and more will all leave their mark. Using glass cleaner like windex, take a cleaning cloth to both the exterior and interior of your windows. Having shiny clear glass to pear through doesn't just look better, it's safer too. Don't forget the top edges of your windows. This is the part that is tucked into your car when your windows are rolled up. Make sure to clean it first, and then roll your window back up and clean the rest.
9. Focus On The Wheels
Another seemingly unimportant task that makes a huge difference is the wheels. Wheels begin to look dirty and dingy after normal use. Brake dust, dirt, and off-colored water all begin to build up on your rims, making your car look much dirtier than it is. Luckily, this is a simple fix, just wash your wheels! After washing cover the tires in a nice polish finish. Keeping your wheels looking shiny will make the rest of your car feel brand-new too.
10. Repair Chips and Damage
If your car shows minor signs of wear, like chips in the paint, scratches, or more make an effort to repair those. Filling in the dents and getting rid of those small imperfections will make a big impact on the overall appearance of your car.