For Fabric Upholstery
If vinyl is easy to clean although it is difficult to keep it cleaned, fabric on the hand is the most difficult to detail, to clean and to keep it cleaned. Why? Two reasons, it easily stains and it easily soils and fade. With this reason you may think choosing fabric upholstery for your car’s interior is just impractical but the comfort it provides makes it just as the best choice for most car owners. But this is not the post I will discuss the other benefits and advantages of a fabric materials for car upholstery, this is a post in continuation on how to detail car’s upholsteries.
When cleaning your fabric upholstery, you have to seat at least two to three hours to get it done. Unlike vinyl that would only take less than 30 minutes to wipe off the dirt and clean it dry. But with then right cleaning materials and learning the very basic method in cleaning it, that two to three hours time could be cut in half.
What is the best product choices left to your option?
- Spray cleaners. Either the foaming or non-foaming type, these type of cleaners are easy to be applied. It sinks in the fabric lifting the dirt and stains off to the surface so you can just wipe it away. This comes in strong solution so the stains are easily removed since it gets deep into the stain. When using it for the first time, apply it in hidden area of your upholstery. Observe if it changes its colors or affected its texture. If the answer is yes, do not use this anymore and try another cleaner that is less concentrated than it.
- Shampoo. Or a homemade laundry soap solution. By using this, you are just washing your fabric upholstery like ordinary clothes. But you need to use brush or sponge along with it and you must rinse it thoroughly to avoid moldy smell. Shampooing up your fabrics could be a very good and effective way to clean it but you need to put much detail on rinsing it. The secret lies in rinsing that all soap remains must be removed. Vacuum dry the fabric also after shampooing for a quick dry to ensure it well smell good. You can also use a blow-dryer if you don’t have a vacuum with you. Blow dryer could be use especially if you’re cleaning under a very good sunny weather where you have the sun to help you dry your fabric fast.
7 Easy Steps To Clean Your Fabric Upholstery
- Get one small bucket and pour enough warm water in it. Keep an extra galloon of clean water for rinsing.
- Using the spray cleaner you have, spray directly over the soiled areas. If using a shampoo, mix it with 4 ounces of cleaner in the bucket of water for a more concentrated solution.
- Grab your scrub brush and rub it in circular motion to thrust the cleaner solution in the fabric evenly. Spray water over the solution constantly so it will not stick and remain on the fabric.
- After rubbing it, wipe the solution with a sponge or damp cloth or micro fiber towel but soak or dip the cloth into the water from time to time.
- Throw away the soapy water in the bucket and replace it with clean warm water. Use this new water in rinsing your fabric upholstery by using another damp cloth. Dip the cloth in the water if it’s getting dry again or it has soap on it already.
- After rinsing, get you vacuum and dry the fabric up or use blow dry to extract ang wring the excess rinse water out.
- Apply a fabric protectant when it dries already.
Even if you take a poll, most of us spend more or less a couple of hours every day inside our cars, so that makes us spend over 9 – 14 hours each week in our cars. With this, it is just proper to keep our cars interior clean and tidy. After all, it is only us that will succumb whatever our interior welcomes us. So what to do? The upholstery of your car should be also your top concern when it comes to maintaining your car’s interior neatness. This upholstery from seats to consoles is the vehicle parts that we relax and become in contact each day. If only we could find time at least five minutes every day to clean it but busy schedule is there to hinder us or give us difficulty from doing so. Besides, it is common in cars to have different type of upholstery that needs a different demand of cleaning method. There is the vinyl, leather and fabric. Whichever of this three needs special way of cleaning so it will not get damage or it doesn’t easily wear out.
So, for this post I will detail ways on how to clean this different upholstery material. This will help you in cutting much of your time since you will exactly know what to grab for a cleaning material and what to do. Is brushing good for this material or not? Is a cleaner okay with fabric or leather? What is the best solution to clean out vinyls? These are the question you will easily have the answer so just read on:
FOR VINLY UPHOSTERY
It is true that vinyl is the most durable and less expensive upholstery available but don’t you know that it is the type that is difficult to maintain its cleanliness as compared to others? This is because the surface of vinyl is static that makes it a dirt magnet. Being a dirt magnet, it is just normal for it to easily accumulate dust, dirt and grimes. However, even though it is difficult to maintain cleanliness on it, cleaning it is very easy on the other hand. In choosing the best cleaner for vinyl, always opt for solvent based that is safe for plastic or vinyl. Do not use concentrated solutions, even regular household detergent soap can fade the colors of your vinyl and its natural shine will permanently remove if you use this.
So having the right cleaner in your hand, follow these easy steps in cleaning your vinyls:
1. Spray your vinyl with the cleaner you have. Just the right amount so it will not drip over. Do not over spray it for it will cause uneven splotches on its surface. Spray first on the seams, edges and seats.
2. Using a scrub brush, brush the solution over it. You can also use small pointed brush to reach the deep sections and small crevices.
3. Rinse the cleaner solution with a towel that is constantly dipped in a bucket of water.
4. Grab another dry towel, using this dry towel, follow the surface where you have rub your damp towel.
5. After making sure that the vinyl has already dried up, apply a vinyl dressing for an extra sheen and that impressing clean-look. You can also apply protective finishes that is resistant to stain and damage due to direct exposure to the sun.
** You may want also to vacuum it first if you have a vacuum cleaner with you. Vacuuming it will come loose any debris so it will be easy for clean it using only cleaner and cloth.
You have a vacuum alright, and you know how to operate it, but you know the proper way to vacuum your car that will eat up only a minute of your time? Of course you don’t have to be a genius to know this but additional tips are surely useful to those who wanted to find ways how to keep anything at ease including me. You also know that a vacuum has a crevice attachment and a dust brush attach to it; if your vacuum missed any of this part then you need to replace it.
Moreover, the crevice should be made from plastic or that it doesn’t have any damage on its tips otherwise it will scratch or wound your vehicles metal panels as well as your leather and vinyl upholstery. It also recommended that the vacuum you will use in your car has a long and small crevice since it will be more effective when reaching deep consoles, under seats, seams, crannies and nooks including the areas around the seat beads.
When reaching behind the pedals and other tight or deep areas, a nice fitting crevice will help you clean it. You may also need a brush to use before and after you vacuum especially on your carpets. Here is one give away tip in vacuuming your carpet, beat your carpet or lift the section where you will point your vacuum hose or crevice. This way, the dirt accumulated in the thrust of the carpet will fall down or would come loose.
Proper Way to Vacuum:
- The proper way to vacuum you car’s interior is to know where to start. This way, you will not repeat the process again and again. Start from the rear upholstery and carpet by pushing the front seats forward. With the crevice, vacuum the cracks and in between spaces of the seats and carpet areas. You have to use the dust brush for the door panels since vacuuming it will not enough. After brushing it, vacuum it again to ensure all dust and dirt are removed.
- You have to pull out your floor mats and liners before you vacuum the inside of your car since this is typically made from rubber. Rubber and vacuum don’t go together. Floor mats and liners should be washed or brushed off when cleaning although you could vacuum it as well using a 4 inches crevice.
- After vacuuming the rear section, push the seats back on its proper arrangement or you could also push it backward on the rear‘s direction. Like the way you vacuumed in the back, do it as well on the front section targeting the areas and crack of the seats and the surface behind the carpeted areas and seats. Vacuum the gas and brake pedals including the gear shifts and dashboards. Use brush when vacuuming console, door panels and vents to loose all the dirt accumulation.
- For the fabric upholstery, use the round brush attachment also when vacuuming it, but make sure to be gentle and not to rub it off heavily, you can would or destroy the fiber on your fabric upholstery.
Using a vacuum properly will make cleaning your car’s interior and upholstery easier and faster. If you follow this proper way to vacuum your car, it will make your cleaning double easier and faster!
Wait for my next post about detailing your car’s upholstery be it a vinyl, leather or even fabric. Like me, I; sure you always want your car especially its interior to be always looking new and smelling fresh. Who doesn’t anyways, right? Good Day!
So, when is the perfect time to clean your car’s interior? Let me help you to determine a systematic way of cleaning your car’s interior from a weekly to a monthly routine. There are also parts in your interior that only demands at least four times a year to be cleaned. Knowing this method, you will surely save yourself from overdoing it.
For a Weekly Routine
You will just need a damp cloth or a micro fiber towel to clean you car’s interior, Washing would be just enough to keep your car clean on a weekly basis. This is to prevent dirt and dust accumulation that if not controlled would lead to bigger problem of cleaning your car.
Here are the things you can do to in cleaning your car weekly:
- Wipe all your vinyl and upholstery except the fabric ones with a damp cloth or using a micro fiber towel. Micro fiber towel is more effective in wiping off dirt and dust fast.
- Wash your floor mats like an ordinary laundry by pulling it out and brushing and hosing off the dirt.
- Wipe your door handles, jambs and sills with damp towel as well. Include your window switches or handles.
- Be sure to pick up all trashes and dirt on your vehicle especially in the back seat where you consider sometimes as your large waste basket. Paper, peels, candy wrappers or any thrash you happen to throw inside your car.
- Wipe your window glass, mirrors, windshield, door glass and rear window glass with damp towel as well. But make sure that it will not leave any splotches of water residues on the glass. You may need a dry cloth to avoid this.
***If you take at least five minutes out of your time to do this weekly routine, cleaning the full interior of your car on a monthly or quarterly basis will be less daunting and bickering.
For a Monthly Routine
Your may need vacuum and towel during a monthly routine of detailing your car. This is basically a follow to your weekly routine. On the other hand, if your periodically had the time to do the weekly routine for cleaning your car’s interior, you can skip doing this monthly routine aside from vacuuming the carpets and seats.
Here are the things you can do to in cleaning your car monthly:
- Provided that you maintain the weekly routine, you don’t have to wash your upholsteries and glasses of your car. You can directly grab your vacuum and vacuum the dirt off your interior carpets and console. Vacuuming is very effective way to completely get rid of any dust and dirt on your car.
- Applying any car protectants should also be done monthly. This way, you will continuously protect your car and at the same time protecting from early wear and fades. If you do this on a weekly basis, it will also fade your car’s upholstery especially the vinyl and leather. Apply protectants on areas that is most exposed to sun. UV rays radically damage your car’s surface including your car’s interior.
For a Car Detailing Routine (Every 4 months is recommended)
You may need to visit your local auto shop and car wash to do this. There are also car detailing professionals that are experts in detailing cars. But you can also do it by yourself provided that the stains over your carpets and upholsteries are easy to remove otherwise you really need someone to do it. This time, you have to clean your seals, trunks, cargo areas as well as your other accessories like seatbelts and consoled. During this routine, you also have to get your dashboard detailed.
When you say car detailing, it entails a systematic way, steps or manner in taking care of your car. Taking care also includes the protection you could give and that daily maintenance you do to keep your car clean and shine. I’ve search over the net to find all the possible detailing tools that can be use in cleaning cars, thoroughly. That’s it, not the expensive types use in auto shops like carpet extractor, gas pressure washer, generators, air compressors, electric pressure washer and well, you get my point. What I am referring to are those tools that our pockets could afford and that we can use it right in our house vicinity.
So here are the tools I found that you could use at home:
- Polishing pads
- Brushes
- Vacuum or blowers
- Drying tools
- Sponges & mitts
- Spray
- Buckets
- Hose and water jet nozzle
- Dusters
- Microfiber products
The interior of your car should be spotlessly clean and mould-free smell. You could do a regular vacuum to prevent accumulation of sand, dust, salt and other grimes that will damage the floor panels, carpets or liners. Wiping off the dirt from the dashboards, seats and parcel shelf should be included.
On the other hand, the exterior should also be well maintained since the first impression of a properly maintained car is seen here. It also defines the resale value of the car. You must take car detailing seriously on your exterior especially if you live in coastal places where salt presence is high. Regular car detailing and servicing is the key to achieve total maintenance and protection.
Friendly and Useful Tips in doing a DIY car detailing at Home:
- If you are a smoker, try not to smoke inside your car. The nicotine and smoke sticks to the glass applications in your car which are too hard way to remove. Also, the smell sticks heavily especially if you have a fabric seats.
- Try to choose the best air freshener that will compliment your car and especially yours. Some air freshener’s causes dizziness and that it also sticks its fragrance to your car’s upholstery so better choose the one you best like.
- Keep a weekly maintenance routine to keep the color of your car crisp and sparkly.
- Avoid using streak towels since it causes damage to your paint.
- Sponge is the one of the best tool you can use to wash your car. It allows a rich lather while it ensures a smooth and non-abrasive texture.
- Shampoo or hair shampoos are a good and cheap solution you can use to wash your car. It comes economical and easier to find that other washing liquids.
- Why did I include micro fiber cloth because of its capacity to dry clean your car fast and smooth after washing. Be sure to stock enough of this in your garage.
- Make sure to wipe your car immediately after you drove it under heavy rain. The dirt accumulated during the rain if left to dry will de difficult to remove so better wipe it off before its dries.
- Cotton cloths are the safest and most effective tool to clean your windshields and windows off.
- If you don’t regularly use your car, make sure to at least switch the ignition on for at least five minutes to ensure its engine will not rust into decay for not being used.
- Since summer time is here, one good tip to keep your car shiny and maintain its paint quality is to immediately wash it off after you have gone to the beach. As I said, salt is the number cause of rusting in your car.
For my last post, I have discussed about how to check you car paint’s condition. It was some sort of requirement that your car’s paint must meet or must have undergone before you could say that your car has the perfect and smooth shine! But this time, I will share with you simple and easy to follow instruction on how you can achieve that perfect shine, hence the title of this post. I’ve discovered that you do need to have professional skills to actually make your car shine like you wanted it to shine.
Here are the steps for your way to that perfect shine you desire:
1. Wash it & Dry it Clean.
It is recommended that you wash your car twice consecutively using a car wash solution. You can even use a shampoo since this has shining effect already. But if the dirt of your car needs more than shampoo to get it done, use a dish washing liquid instead. Make sure that you rinse your car well to avoid soap blot formation.
2. Detail it with clay system.
You can check the smoothness of your car’s paint after cleaning I through your hands. If its squeaks when rob, then it’s not yet completely smooth. Your car’s paint maybe contaminated still with dust, dirt and acid rain residues and other road grimes that’s why it’s not evenly smooth. Clay system of detailing is one of the most effective ways to get rid of these contaminants. Clay detailing gently smoothes your car’s paint to leave a slick and shiny afterwards with just simple step of applying it that comes in liquid or in bar.
3. Inspect it for Paint Damage.
When you are done cleaning and detailing, inspect for minor paint damage. In most cases, minor damage in your car is not noticed unless it is cleaned since it could be concealed by the road grimes. If you find scratches and blemishes, use a restore polish to repair these flaws. You need a good rubbing compound to do this like sandpaper. If doing it by your self is not enough, bring to your local auto shop for a machine or electric drill buffing work.
4. Rejuvenate it.
You can do this by applying glaze on your paint. Glazing brings out your car’s full potential to shine and gloss. This is recommended especially if your car has minor damage of scratches and blemishes. If you’re car’s paint is already in its good condition, you can skip this step since there is nothing to rejuvenate in the first place.
5. Protect it.
You cannot do this unless you are sure that your car’s paint is already totally cleaned or detailed. Protect it using the tried and tested cleaner you always use in your car. If you don’t know any brand, start with the safest solution of organic type of cleaner. But for longer period of protection, most auto shop use synthetic solution and cleaners since it is known to last longer that the organic one.
6. Seal it.
By sealing, this simply means you need to wax it as the final step. This is like applying the finishing touches of your masterpiece. Waxing provides a luxurious depth of clarity, color, smoothness and shine! This step is the greatest factor to bring out the full potential of your car’s paint to just rise and shine. Most experts suggest that the carnauba wax meets and even exceed your expectation of shininess and clarity. I could attest to this fact but sometimes I opt for the synthetic wax for long lasting effect although it does not give what a carnauba could offer.
Cleaning your car paints is one of the best ways to actually preserve it. But if cleaning is not properly done, it will make your car’s paint surface odd with blotches and scratches rather than a smooth, shiny and polished surface. The secret lies on the type of cleaner you will use and the method on how you will clean it. But no matter how hard you clean your car’s body paint, it will not be considered as “perfect” if the following criteria are met. I have learned this from my service mechanic who is now quite getting famous for always having a job well done. Mr. Hoover, you’re the man. I salute you for your expertise.
Well, you know Mr. Hoover here is not selfish for sharing up his knowledge. So, I don’t want to be accused of selfishness so here are what this impressing mechanic had told me.
For you to know that your car’s paint is already perfectly cleaned and its finish carries smoothing shine, check these following factors:
1. How is your paint’s condition? Mr. Hoover said that the life of the car paints last for the first 12 months, or 18 months to the most. So, if your car is getting near to its couple years of life here on earth, better have a check on its paint already. But if your car is just new, maybe a couple of months old, regular washing and protection will make cleaning your paint less bickering since oxidation is ensured to be kept in minimal. Recommended washing must be done at least once a week.
2. Is it polished regularly? This is one of the most important things you have to do with your car. Through polishing, minor scratches, marring, marks and blemishes are guaranteed to be removed leaving your car smooth and shiny. If you left your car thirsty for a polish, expect that minor scratches to transform into large and unappealing paint damage.
3. Is it waxed? When cleaning or detailing your car’s paint, waxing it should be done last and by that, it means that its application should be properly done. Mr. Hoover recommends the use of more organic and natural wax like the Carnauba (see my previous post for info) to be safe and avoid any marring and abrasion on your car paints since other type of wax has high concentrate of chemicals.
4. Is it contaminated-free? By contamination, this means that your car’s paint must be free from any grime formation, dust, tar, oil, insects, and other miniscule road debris that are thrust in the surface of your car’s paint. Include also in your list the bird’s dang, pedestrians intentional or unintentional contribution to get your car paints dirty. You must removed this completely first since it is impossible for you to get a great waxing result if your car is contaminated still.
5. Is it glazed? Glazing is synonymous to restoration. So, typically glazing is a process of applying treatments on your car’s paint especially if has scratches and blemished. If you want you car’s paint to have a perfect shine, be sure to glaze it once in a while especially if there are areas that needs glazing already.
6. Is it protected? There is a lot of protectant available in the market that serves as the final coating that will protect the paint sealing it from contaminants. If in waxing the best choice would be the organic, you must choose synthetic coating for protection. This polymer based synthetic coating offers more durability and longevity than the natural one.
So there, did you answer yes to all this questions? If no, better make something about it if you want to achieve and feel a perfectly smooth car finish.
You regularly used car cleaner products but do you know what or where it is made from? Read on the following and discover what’s inside the container of that car cleaner you have in hand!
WAX. This could come as organic or synthetic. These two types are made from different solutions. Most organic wax is made from plants and natural substance like beeswax, fruits, vegetables and other plants like the carnauba. On the other hand, the synthetic are made from petroleum sources like corn products and other man-made wax.
To be specific, the following are types or sources of wax used in making car wax:
- 1. Bayberry Wax – as the name implies, this comes from the berries of bayberry. This is used in making candles too so this is most likely a good kind of wax.
- 2. Beeswax – produced by beeswax is the wax that bees use to make hives. Like the bayberry, this is also a good raw material for candle making, polishes, make-up, crayon and many more. So this also makes a good car wax as well.
- 3. Wool wax – this wax are sourced from animals which is popularly known as lanolin. This is manufactured to be a good polish for leather shoes and furniture. Some soap is also made from this.
- 4. Carnauba wax – produced from the leaves of carnauba palm tress typically found in Brazil. This is a good source of organic wax called candelilla which is brown in color. It has great properties of wax; in fact it is used in making candles, floor dressings, and phonograph records and especially as car wax.
- 5. Polymer wax – this is made from compounds of petroleum sources which includes Teflon that is patented by DuPont. Most commercially available car wax are made from this since it offers lot of advantages plus it is widely available since it has continues production being synthetic and controlled by man.
- 6. Petroleum wax – this is a more concentrated solution of polymer wax. A by-product called paraffin used in making petroleum jelly and others. It has active compounds of hydrogen, carbon, chlorine and oxygen. This more widely used than the polymer based although both comes popular solutions.
CLEANER. There are also two types of cleaner, a friction and chemical. The first type which is the friction is made from either silicate or clay particulate. This cleaner thrust into the paint’s surface for a clean, smooth and shiny surface. The chemical cleaner on the other hand is more of the abrasive type of cleaner that sink into the car paints deeply to remove stains, tars, bugs and old wax. You probably ask more information about this type of cleaner since it could ruin you car paints.
POLISH. Of all the products you can apply on your car’s paint, polish are normally has the non-abrasive solution. It is after all, based from nutrient oil matrix.
GLAZE. Glaze has an emollients essentials and lubricating oils and contains small amount of mild cleaners that is effective in removing scratches and marks. It also leaves a smooth and shiny finish on the car’s paint.
CLEANER & WAX COMBINATION. There is available car paint cleaner that is already a combination of two or more products like this one. But be cautious in thinking you are actually having a great bargain with this since as far as fact is concerned, cleaner and wax has different properties and method of use so probably, you have to think about this.
DEGREASER or STAIN REMOVER. This is more the concentrated type of a chemical cleaner that is formulated to remove road contaminants like tar and bugs that had leave the paint’s surface with unappealing stains. Read the ingredients before buying one, some are made from petroleum distillates and some are citrus based. Obviously, the citrus based is milder than the petroleum type.
