15 cleaning secrets only car detailers know

DIYers usually start by vacuuming the carpet. That just pushes dirt from the dash, seats and door panels back onto your freshly cleaned carpet. Professional detailers start at the top and work their way down to the carpet.

Use a small detailer’s brush and shop vacuum to remove dust and dirt from all the nooks and crannies on your dash and console. Hold the shop vacuum wand near your brush to suck up all the crud as you work your way down to the floor.

Automotive carpet doesn’t like to let go of dirt. If you just vacuum it, you’ll leave plenty behind. To remove more dirt, detailers use a stiff brush and scrub the carpet as they vacuum. You’ll see the dirt particles bounce to the surface so you can suck them up with your shop vacuum.

Silicone dashboard protectant sprays leave a slick film on your dash that actually attracts more dust, so you’ll have to clean it more often. Plus, a shiny dash reflects into your windshield. That reflection and glare can reduce your vision, especially at night. That’s why professional detailers use non-silicone matte finish protectants. They still look great and they reduce glare.

You probably wiped off any door seal lubricants when you cleaned the door. Detailers make it a point to re-treat the seals with silicone spray. Spray some on a rag and wipe it around the entire door seal. The silicone prevents the seal from sticking in summer and in winter.

If you cleaned the inside of your windows before you cleaned the dash and applied vinyl protectant, you’ll just have to clean them again. That’s why detailers save glass cleaning until the very end. Cleaning the windows at this point removes all cleaning and vinyl treatment overspray and leaves you with sparkling clean windows.

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Source: RD.com