Start from the top and work your way down. Dust or dirt that has accumulated up top could fall down; dust or dirt that has accumulated at the bottom will rarely fall up.
Make sure to try to get as much dampness from the fabric as possible. Any excessive dampness may promote molding and/or mildew, which does not fall in the definition of detailing a car.
Warning: Always ask the owner of the car for permission before doing this step. If you want, have a sample repair that you can show the owner of the car of what the process will look like. If it’s done well, this sample will be reassuring.
Cloth interiors: Interiors with nylon or other cloth can be shampooed with a wet-vac extraction machine. Cloth should be adequately dried after extraction has taken place. Leather or vinyl interiors: Interiors with leather or can be cleaned with a leather or vinyl cleaner and then hit softly with a leather brush. Cleaner can be wiped away with a microfiber cloth afterward.
Stick with microfiber cloth when you’re washing and wiping. If not microfiber, use a clean, lint-free cloth. You don’t want to leave fibrous residue all over the inside of the car in the process of cleaning up.
Acid-based cleaners should only can be used on rough-textured alloy wheels, if needed, but not on polished alloy wheels or clear-coated wheels. Gleam up chrome wheels with metal polish or glass cleaner.
Tip: Use two pails — one with sudsy cleaner, the other with water — when you clean. After you dip your cloth into the sudsy water and clean a portion of the car, dip the dirty, sudsy water into the pail with water so that you don’t contaminate the cleaning pail. Dishwashing detergent strips the polymers off the paint surface and accelerates the oxidation process. Work from the top down, washing and rinsing a section at a time. Do not allow soap to dry. Take the spray nozzle off the water hose before doing a final rinse to minimize spots. Use a chamois or terry cloth towel to dry; do not let air-dry or soap spots will form.
Polish is for a glossy look. Wax is a protectant. Use in length-wise sections. Do not move the machine in a circular pattern. Pay attention to doorjambs, around door hinges and behind bumpers, which you will need to do in a circular motion by hand. Let it dry to a haze. Then finish the auto detailing by buffing with the machine. The hard-to-reach areas can be buffed by hand.
