How to detail a car: Tips for detailing your car like a pro

How to detail a car

Car detailing and cleaning is an important process for any car lover. We know how difficult it can be to keep your car looking as good as when you bought it, but occasionally, giving it some well-needed TLC can help keep it looking like you've just driven it out of the showroom. 

Car Detailing vs. Car Wash

Although visiting the car wash or cleaning your vehicle every once in a while can help remove any build-ups and keep your paint job in good condition, there are plenty of other areas you'll need to maintain properly. And a thorough routine like this is frequently referred to as detailing.

Whether you neglect your windows and windscreen, can't seem to get that dirt out of your carpets or think your car's exterior needs a polish, it's worth knowing how to detail your car yourself. In this guide, we will be sharing tips for how to do all of this.

You can get everything you need to detail your car thoroughly in our car care section.

We'll cover:

  • What Is Car Detailing?
  • Why Detail Your Car?
  • How Long Does It Take to Detail a Car?
  • What Do I Need to Detail a Car?
  • Complete Guide on How to Detail a Car
  • How to Detail and Clean Your Car Exterior - 7 Simple Steps
  • How to Detail and Clean Your Car Interior - 7 Simple Steps
  • Complete Car Cleaning and Detailing Know-How

What Is Car Detailing?

Car detailing (also known as auto detailing) is a thorough top-to-bottom deep clean of your vehicle. It involves maintaining the interior and exterior of your car to restore it to a factory finish level, or at least the original condition you bought it in if it was second-hand.

Compared to the simple car wash you do every couple of weeks, car detailing ensures that all imperfections are buffed, polished or vacuumed. Therefore, the most significant difference is that a car wash is a more superficial clean, whereas detailing is more thorough and restorative. And, while this can cost hundreds of pounds when done professionally, it's possible for you to detail your car yourself at home.

Why Detail Your Car?

Good detailing can help preserve many elements of your car, including the paint job, seats, wheels, and more. Not only does this mean that your car will look great for longer, but there are also many other advantages, including:

Health Benefits

Your car's interior is a breeding ground for bugs and microorganisms, which could cause respiratory problems like asthma, allergies, and other ailments. So, it's essential that you tackle these with a deep clean of your seats.

Improving Your Safety

Driving with dirty windscreens, wipers, and headlights can get you into trouble with the law, but it can also make you more vulnerable to road accidents if you cannot see or be seen properly. In addition, brakes that are caked with mud can be ineffective, so overall car cleaning will give you more control of your car.

Reduces Expenses

Detailing your car regularly can help you save a lot of money in the long run. This is because preserving and protecting your car from the outset can reduce the likelihood of any problems. Plus, car cleaning allows you to spot any current minor issues before they become more significant problems, which could cost you hundreds or thousands of pounds to repair.

Maintains the Value of Your Investment

When you've spent a pretty penny on your vehicle, you'll want to maintain its value, and detailing it is a sure way to do this. Not only will keeping it looking new be a benefit, but if you choose to sell your vehicle down the line, you could get more money for it.

How Long Does It Take to Detail a Car?

The time taken to detail a car is not set in stone; instead, it depends on the condition of your vehicle. At the very least, a car detail can take half an hour if your vehicle is in nearly new condition, but this can extend to a good few hours for cars that will need a significant amount of restoration work.

What Do I Need to Detail a Car?

Car detailing involves a lot of different processes, which means that your car detailing kit may need to be quite extensive. But, while it may vary for various makes and models of cars, there are some auto detailing kit basics you'll need:

Complete Guide on How to Detail a Car

Detailing your car yourself can save you a significant amount of money along the way, and it is a relatively easy and technical task to do, even for the most inexperienced car owners.

But before you get started, we'd like to share our top tips.

Don’t Wash the Car in Direct Sunlight

Where possible, you need to avoid direct sunlight. This is because many detailing products perform better without the sun's rays or on a hot surface. In addition, the sun will speed up the drying of any water, and while this might sound like a good thing, it can result in water spots and streaks occurring before you've had time to buff them out.

Avoid Using the Same Sponge Across Tasks

Although it might seem like a little bit of dirt, the cloths you use can damage your car if you're not careful to remove any grit or debris. This means that it's vital to use different cleaning sponges for different areas, especially when you're going from soiled areas like the tyres to cleaner ones. Your supplies should also be kept separate when you're done with them.

Work From the Top Downwards

Starting with the top of the car will ensure you don't muck up the bits you've just cleaned, as you would if you started with the lower areas. However, there is an exception for cleaning the tyres and wheels, as these are the dirtiest parts of your vehicle and should be done first to avoid transferring this dirt to other clean areas.

Use Specialist Car Products

It can be easy to panic and grab the nearest alternative for your car detailing products, but by doing this, you risk damaging your car rather than preserving it. A specialist car shampoo is imperative as it'll perform a thorough enough clean but won't strip away your paint. However, making your own cleaning solution with grease-cutting washing-up liquid might work.

Now we've covered those, it's time to learn how to detail a car step-by-step.

How to Detail and Clean Your Car Exterior - 7 Simple Steps

It doesn't matter whether you detail the interior or exterior of your car first, but as the outside is more susceptible to dirt and grime from the elements, it could be a good idea to tackle this part first.

Step 1 - Set Up the Equipment

Before you get started, it's essential that you set up all the things you need including your car detailing products. This will make your cleaning time more efficient, but acting quickly when cleaning the exterior can reduce the likelihood of water marks and spots.

For this, you'll need 2 buckets (one for rinsing and one for washing), a few microfibre cloths, two or three wash mitts and a scrubbing brush for your tyres.

Step 2 - Prewash the Car

Hosing or lightly pressure washing your car down before cleaning it with sponges and car shampoo can make your job easier. This is because it can remove any loose dirt or debris, cutting down the time you need to thoroughly clean. Plus, prewashing reduces the sponge marks or scratches that may occur while cleaning.

Step 3 - Clean the Wheels and Tyres First

As the dirtiest part of your vehicle, it's crucial that you clean these first to limit the spread of contaminants like brake dust from being transferred onto other parts of your car. To clean the wheels:

  1. Spray a wheel and tyre cleaner and leave to sit for at least five minutes (this may be more if your wheels are heavily soiled)
  2. Hose this off and scrub your tyres in a circular motion with a cleaning brush.
  3. Create a water solution and mild washing-up liquid, and use a sponge to wash around any corner areas.

Step 4 - Create a Two-Bucket System for Washing

Two buckets can make a massive difference to the cleaning: one should be filled with a car shampoo solution and the other with water for rinsing. You can then begin cleaning by following these steps:

  1. Fill one of the buckets two-thirds of the way with water and add the recommended amount of car shampoo according to the manufacturer's instructions.
  2. Fill the second bucket with water – that'll be used for rinsing your wash sponges.
  3. Work in sections from the top downwards, in overlapping straight lines rather than circles, and regularly washing your sponge in the rinsing bucket.
  4. After each section is complete, hose it off immediately to ensure the soap doesn't dry onto your car's paint and stain it.
  5. Empty the rinse bucket and refill it with clean water if it becomes too dirty.

Clean your windows after you've washed your whole car. Spray the windows with glass cleaner and use a microfibre cloth to wipe it away, going in a vertical pattern and then horizontally.

Step 5 - Dry the Car Thoroughly

Wipe down all the surfaces you have washed with a microfibre cloth (you may need a couple for this). Ensure you don't leave any standing water, which can create rust.

Step 6 - Use a Clay Bar

Using a clay bar over your car's paint job and before a polish can make a world of difference to the look of your car. But, this should only be done once annually or bi-annually. To use the clay bar effectively, follow these steps:

  1. After washing your car, spray it with a clay lubricant spray and gently wipe the bar back and forth until you no longer feel any drag from the bar across the car.
  2. Wipe each clayed area with a microfibre cloth to remove any residue from the bar.
  3. To check if you've clayed the area properly, feel the recently clayed part with your fingertips and compare it to one which hasn't been done yet – the clayed part should feel slicker.
  4. Repeat this process until you've clayed the whole of your vehicle.

Step 7 - Polishing

Polishing and waxing your car's paintwork can enhance its overall appearance, so you should dedicate some time after claying your vehicle. Be aware that darker-coloured cars are more vulnerable to swirling the paint when you polish the car, so you'll need softer pads and compounds for these.

  1. Apply a small amount of polish to your cloth or foam pad and spread it evenly around your paintwork.
  2. Begin working the polish into the car's paintwork in circular motions, following its contours and rubbing the polish until it goes transparent.
  3. Leave the polish to cure (if the instructions require you to do this). Run your fingers across it; if they come away clean, it's time to buff it off.
  4. Use a clean microfibre towel to buff off the polish residue. Continually fold the cloth to ensure you're always using a clean area.

How to Detail and Clean Your Car Interior - 7 Simple Steps

While giving your car a quick vacuuming every couple of weeks is great for minimising the amount of dirt, debris and crumbs becoming embedded in your carpets and seats, there is more to maintaining your car's interior than this.

To keep your car's upholstery in top condition, you must deep clean these twice or three times a year

This could include:

Step 1 - Vacuum the Upholstery

For this, you'll need a couple of vacuum attachments, depending on the space inside of your car. Although the way you clean your car isn't set in stone, we recommend doing it the following way:

  1. Remove your car mats and shake them outside to remove any loose debris. Use an upholstery attachment (usually 4") to meticulously vacuum your mats.
  2. Push your back seats forward and use a crevice tool to get into all of the tight areas to vacuum between the cracks of the seats between them and any carpeted areas. Pay special attention to the seat tracks and door panels.
  3. Repeat step 2 for the front seats, ensuring you vacuum around the seat tracks and the pedals.
  4. Use a 4" attachment to vacuum the carpet in the foot wells.
  5. Use a round dust attachment to vacuum the console, air and heating vents, and the door panels.

Top tip: To get the deepest clean, it can help to pat your seats firmly with the palm of your hand to release as much dust and debris as possible.

Step 2 - Care for the Carpets and Floor Mats

Once you've thoroughly vacuumed your car's carpet and floor mats, you can get stuck in with the cleaning process.

You may need to remove the front seats using an Allen or socket wrench to do a complete job. However, if you don't need to, apply your carpet cleaner and a little water directly onto the carpets and use an upholstery brush or a cotton rag to scrub.

Once you're done shampooing, use a dry microfibre cloth to dab and absorb as much water as possible from the carpets.

Top tip: You should use as little cleaner and water as possible to get the job done to preserve your carpets and allow them to dry as quickly as possible.

Step 3 - Maintain the Car’s Dashboard and Console

Your dashboard and console are the elements of your car you'll notice the most when driving, so it's nice to have them in good condition and make it part of the car cleaning interior process. Plus, as these parts are more exposed to sunlight than others, they must be maintained to prevent cracking and fading.

You should wipe these down with a damp, microfibre cloth every time you wash your car and treat them with a vinyl or leather protector once a month. To do this, use a foam applicator pad and spray your vinyl protector onto this rather than the dashboard or console, and then work it in thoroughly. You can also use this on your steering wheel, turn signal levers and the gear stick – spray the protector directly onto the areas, leave for 3–5 minutes to soak in, and then buff the product in with a soft and dry microfibre towel.

We also recommend investing in a UV protector for your dashboard and console to reduce the effects of the sun.

Step 4 - Clean the Interior Vents

Your vents are particularly vulnerable to dust and debris, which can blow out into your car when trying to heat or cool it. This can irritate or cause allergies or respiratory problems.

To clean these out, you can use a small detailing brush and turn your vents onto a blow cycle where any loose dirt can easily come to the surface and be cleaned. However, if you suspect your vents are packed with dirt, using a cotton bud to wipe inside of these can help. Team this with a vinyl protector; you'll have sparkling vents in no time.

Try using a toothbrush and a dry microfibre cloth for tight spaces. This can also be used around buttons and dials.

Step 5 - Clean and Treat the Interior Door Panels

Door panels are made of many materials, from fabric to leather, so you'll need to determine the best products for your car. General-purpose cleaners or specialist vinyl and plastic ones can help remove scuff marks from shoes, while leather ones require other specialist products.

When cleaning these areas, remember to:

  • Clean around door handles and window cranks using a toothbrush and warm, soapy water.
  • Clean and dry the speaker grilles as well as any armrests.
  • Clean storage pockets in your door panels with a damp sponge or cloth to collect dirt.
  • Clean around the door frame and sill with a sponge or cloth that's dampened with soapy water.
  • Dry all these areas with a clean microfibre cloth or towel and treat them with a vinyl, fabric, or leather protectant.

Step 6 - Detail the Vinyl and Plastic Components

Vinyl and plastic are very durable interior materials, so they're widely used in car interiors. However, they still need frequent cleaning as they generate static and attract a lot of dust.

To clean these areas, you must invest in an excellent interior detailer cleaner suitable for vinyl and plastic.

  1. Spray your vinyl and plastic surfaces with the cleaner and work it into all the nooks and crannies of your car's seats.
  2. Scrub any small crevices with a toothbrush.
  3. Wash the vinyl and plastic surfaces with clean water and a microfibre cloth (only if your cleaner states it'll need washing).
  4. Dry your vinyl and plastic upholstery with a microfibre cloth.
  5. Apply a vinyl dressing according to the product instructions.

Step 7 - Cleaning Leather Upholstery

Your leather upholstery is susceptible to wear, especially when you add dirt and oil from your skin into the mix, so it's essential you know how to properly maintain these if you want your car in top condition.

Leather is best cleaned when you do it in smaller sections before moving on to the next. And the colour of your leather upholstery can dictate when you should clean it. For example, light beige coloured leathers will show dirt and marks more efficiently and therefore will need cleaning every 3 months. In contrast, you can wait a little longer to clean darker-coloured leathers – around every 6 months will be adequate.

To clean your leather:

  1. Apply your leather cleaner to your seats one section at a time and work it in with a clean sponge.
  2. Use an upholstery detailing brush for any areas that are heavily soiled.
  3. Wipe any soap away with a damp microfibre cloth.
  4. Repeat the above steps until you've covered all of the upholstery.
  5. Dry the upholstery with a dry microfibre cloth.
  6. Apply a leather protector one section at a time and work it in thoroughly.
  7. Allow the leather protector to soak in for 2 minutes.
  8. Buff off with a dry microfibre towel.

Complete Car Cleaning and Detailing Know-How

There you have it! A complete guide to detailing your car. Hopefully, the tips here have shown you that you can save money for car cleaning and maintenance and that it's possible to do it yourself.

Here at GSF Car Parts, we stock many car cleaning and maintenance products, so you'll find what you need to help get your car back up to scratch. Not sure which will be suitable for your vehicle? Our helpful product-finding tool will help. Simply add your registration number into the box provided on the home page, and you'll find everything your car needs – read our buying guide for more information.

Shop Detailing Products at GSF Car Parts Online and In-Store

All our detailing products are from trusted brands in the motoring industry, so you can count on them to be reliable and of excellent quality. Plus, our low-price promise means you can always expect great value, too.

We offer free UK delivery on all online orders over £25, plus 60-day returns*. We also know you want to get your car up and running as soon as possible, which is why we offer a Click and Collect service that allows you to get your new detailing products in just an hour.

So, buy detailing products from us with confidence today. Or if you're close to one of our 180 store locations across the UK & Ireland, drop by. Our experienced staff will be able to direct you to the correct part for your vehicle.