What is Car Detailing?

There’s a common misconception amongst Loudoun County and DC Metro area drivers that car detailing and car cleaning are one and the same. That’s simply not true. Car cleaning, or car washing, involves surface-level cleanup. Car detailing, on the other hand, is much more thorough, with a restorative focus. Car detailing often entails a focus on things like paint correction, scratch and dent removal, upholstery deep-cleaning and carpet shampooing, and more. MINI of Sterling has the details below!

Items Used For Car Detailing

If you’re looking for car detailing services in the greater DMV or Dulles Airport area, these are the kinds of items that your detailing provider will use to get your car to a squeaky clean finish:

• A variety of small brushes (such as a paintbrush)
• Upholstery cleaner
• Shop vacuum cleaner
• Washing mitts
• Microfiber cloths 
• Carpet stain cleaner
• Car-safe cleaner
• Window cleaner
• Surface protector for vinyl and leather surfaces

How to Detail a Car, Part I: Exterior Car Detailing Steps

How does exterior car detailing work? Here are some of the main steps:

1. Rigorous Exterior Wash: Avoiding household detergents, wash contaminants from the vehicle’s surface. Rinseless and waterless washes are becoming more popular between regular washes, but for the dirtiest of cars, nothing replaces a good old fashioned car wash! One important note: regularly changing out cleaning cloths or sponges is important, as dirt or sand on dirty cloths may scratch your vehicle’s surface. Once the vehicle is completely clean, dry it off with clean chamois towels.
2. Clean the Wheels: Using the solution you used to wash the rest of your car or a solution made especially for car tires, clean your vehicle’s wheels. To clean out the dirt from the grooves and hard to reach places, use a small brush.
3. Clay and Correct Paint: This step is missed by many amateur novice detailers, but the pros know to clay the paint after washing with a quick-detailer solution to remove baked-in contaminants. Paint correction, if required (made up of compounding and polishing) is next. 

• Wax the Exterior: Once the exterior is clean and as blemish-free as you want it to be, you can wax the vehicle to lock in shine. Once done, wipe off excess wax with a small brush.

How to Detail A Car, Part II: Interior Car Detailing Steps

Interior car detailing is often overlooked, at least by those car owners wanting a “show-car” shine outside. But shiny paint, as nice and as good for a car’s trade-in value as it is, isn’t everything. Interior car detailing is a hugely important step as well, being made up of some of these tasks:

• Carpet Cleaning: Vacuum carpeting and upholstery. If you have stains on the carpeting, use a stain remover and brush to remove them. 

• Interior Door Cleaning: Use a solution made of soap and water or a dedicated quick detailer to clean the non-carpeted part of your doors and dry them down with a cloth. Then, open your car doors to clean the metal and plastic parts of your door jambs. 

• Windows: Clean the inside of your car mirrors with a window-cleaning solution — preferably one that isn’t ammonia-based. Then, dry completely to avoid streaks. 

• Upholstery: After vacuuming your car seats and carpeting, remove any stains with a stain remover and brush. Pros use a carpet extractor or steam cleaner to deep clean. Once you finish cleaning your seats, let them dry with your car doors open to avoid mildew. 

• Steering Wheel Column: Remove dust and stains with a cleaning solution, dry, and apply a surface protectant. 

• Dashboard and Center Console: Use your small tools to clean cracks and tight crevices, then dry completely with a cloth.

Visit MINI of Sterling for an Expert Car Detail!

Ready to get your MINI looking like new in Sterling, VA? Schedule car service or detailing now with MINI of Sterling. For current car detailing prices, call 571-765-3931.