Our previous blog post, The Complete Car Detailing Guide, includes a great, step-by-step guide for detailing a car from start to finish. We recommend following those steps for comprehensive, professional-quality cleaning and protection, but, for the purposes of this article, we’ll just hit the high notes here.
Start by cleaning the interior, so carpets and seats have more time to dry as you work on the rest of your car. Vacuum and shampoo the carpets and clean all the upholstery. Use an interior detailer like Oxy Interior 1 to clean and protect all interior surfaces.
Move on to the exterior, starting with your tires and wheels. Use a tire and wheel cleaner like All Wheel & Tire Cleaner, scrubbing the rubber and metal surfaces with a brush or Wheel Woolie. Rinse your wheels and tires clean, then move on to the rest of your car exterior. Rinse your car from the top down, washing away all loose dirt and grime. Using a bucket (or two) of car wash soap and water, wash your car with a microfiber wash mitt. Start with the roof and then the hood and trunk before moving down and around the rest of your car. Clean one small, 2’ x 2’ section at a time until the car is clean. Rinse all the suds and soils away.
Check for bonded contaminants. Even new cars may have tiny particles embedded in their clear coats. Removing them not only gets your car cleaner but it also helps your wax or sealant layer adhere directly to the finish. You can read all about testing for and removing bonded contaminants in this article about using a clay bar.
If you see any scratches or swirls in your clear coat, now is the time to fix those also. For a comprehensive how-to on polishing your car, check out our step-by-step guide to paint correction.
Finally, apply a layer of high-performance wax or a ceramic coating. Using a good protectant is critical to keeping your car looking new. In fact, we recommend waxing your car every time you wash it. Spraying on a little Hybrid Solutions Pro Flex Wax takes only 5 minutes, and that’s time well spent.
