Interior & Trunk Detailing
The interior of a vehicle is important to the detailing process. The interior is the area where vehicle owners spend most of their time. This area should be free of dirt, stains and odors. An interior that is clean, certainly lends itself to a more enjoyable driving experience.
GETTING STARTED: To begin the interior cleaning process, open the interior and the trunk. Evaluate the condition of the interior, looking for problem areas that will need special attention. Remove the floor mats from the vehicle and set aside. For a thorough interior cleaning, removal of the seats will allow access to hard to reach areas.
INTERIOR PREPARATION: With the floor mats and the seats removed, use compressed air to blow out the interior. Concentrate especially on cracks and crevices where dirt and dust needs to be loosened. Sand particles in seat cracks for example.
Next, thoroughly vacuum the interior to pick-up loose particles that the compressed air may have dislodged. Use a firm bristled brush to loosen trapped dirt and sand that has become caught in the carpet. Don’t forget about the floor mats. Working back to front, top to bottom is a good routine. Using the same routine when detailing an interior assures that nothing gets missed.
CLASSIFYING STAINS:
Water Soluble Stains: These stains can be dissolved in cool water or loosened with water based cleaner. Coffee, soft drinks and chocolate are good examples.
Oil Soluble stains: These are stains that are comprised of oily or greasy substances which include cooking oil from fried foods and suntan oil. These stains can usually be removed with a dry-cleaning solution.
Combination Stains: These stains contain both water based and oil-soluble properties. Cleaning these stains require treatment with a petroleum solvent followed by water based cleaning solution.
Unknown Stains: Sometimes stains cannot be identified. Treat these stains like a combination stain. Clean with a petroleum solvent followed by water based cleaner.
STAIN REMOVAL USING OXIDIZERS: Some stains require bleaching. Do not use anything like regular laundry bleach. Hydrogen peroxide can provide color-safe bleaching action. Use patience when using oxidizers, as some will continue to bleach as they dry.
CARPET and UPHOLSTERY CLEANING: A good place to start is to clean the carpet, floor mats and upholstery. This method of cleaning the carpets and upholstery first, will allow the most drying time between cleaning and the finishing of an interior detail. Most vehicle fabrics are comprised of nylon or olefin. Leather and wool (natural fibers) require more delicate care, and will be discussed later. Carpet and upholstery can be cleaned using two methods; hand cleaning or machine extraction. The hand cleaning method remains most popular due its cost effectiveness and reasonable performance. To hand clean carpet and upholstery, apply cleaning product by spraying on the surface to be cleaned. Brush into surface to create foam. The foam will dissolve and suspend soils. Blotting and wiping using terry cloth towels now can remove the cleaning liquid. Cleaning interiors by hand is a time-consuming process. The machine extraction process is the choice of professional detailers. Extraction is faster, easier and more thorough. Hot water units offer better productivity, better results and faster drying times. Extractors also allow the ability to remove cleaning residues. Rinsed fabrics look cleaner and resist soils better. Extractors work like the hand cleaning process except they use a mixed solution that is sprayed from the machine in higher volume. The vacuum, removing the excess moisture and the grime, then immediately recovers it. Although these machines are not usually affordable for the weekend detailer to own, they can be rented for a small fee at a janitorial supply store. It is highly recommended to rent one for heavy cleaning where hand cleaning fails to remove heavy soiling.
CARPETED FLOOR MATS: Floor mats take a majority of the wear away from the interior carpet. However, this leaves floor mats with soiling as well as oily stains. Inspect for oily stains. Use a solvent-based spot remover to remove oily stains. Poring a small amount of cleaner onto a terry towel and wiping toward the center of the stain will remove the spot. Clean normal to heavy soiling as described above. Floor mats may get as wet as necessary to properly clean them. The rubber backing and the ability to relocate them to a warm place for quick drying aids their cleaning.
HEADLINERS: Headliners require special care and attention. Cloth type headliners are assembled with foam backing and usually glued to a fiber roof panel. If the headliner becomes wet, it can cause the head liner to delaminate and fall down. An aerosol glass cleaner must be used because of its fast drying properties. Spray onto a terry towel. DO NOT SPRAY DIRECTLY ONTO HEADLINER. Wipe lightly making sure not to leave headliner wet. Inspect and re-clean as necessary. It is better to clean twice, rather than to allow the head liner to get too wet. An alcohol based aerosol glass cleaner may also work for this operation because of its quick evaporation. Vinyl headliners may be cleaned with normal interior cleaners.
TRIM CLEANING: The interior trim consists of the dash, vents, hard plastic surfaces and vinyl trim. These surfaces all can be cleaned using a properly diluted liquid interior cleaner. Simply spray interior cleaner onto surfaces, usually a small section at a time. Agitate with assorted interior detailing brushes and wipe excess moisture with a terry towel. Follow by using compressed air to chase excess moisture and dirt from cracks. Wipe again with a terry towel. Repeat this process on all plastic and vinyl surfaces. Some panels that are heavily soiled may require several cleaning steps to reach desired level.
LEATHER SURFACES: Leather surfaces require more careful attention than vinyl and plastic. Regular cleaning of leather surfaces will extend the life of this covering. Sealed leather surfaces also referred to, as finished leather is the most common type of leather to be found in automobiles. Leather should be cleaned with a cleaner specially designed for this type of surface. Usually leather cleaners are pH balanced and designed not to dry out leather like harsh cleaners such as saddle soap. Spray or wipe cleaner onto surface and wipe with a soft towel to remove contaminates. Do not rub hard as this will grind dirt into the surface and potentially damage the finish of the leather. Never use a vinyl product on leather. Unfinished leather commonly referred to, as suede should not be cleaned with any amount of moisture. Water staining and shrinkage can result. Only clean suede with a cleaner specifically for suede.
Sealed leather surfaces require a leather conditioner to retain a soft condition. On most sealed leather surfaces, conditioning is recommended approximately once a month. Before conditioning leather, test in an inconspicuous area for compatibility or color excessive color removal. To condition, leather must be heated. It can be heated with a hot terry towel, hair dryer, or be warming in the sun for approximately a half an hour. Warming the leather will open the pores of the leather. Polish the conditioner into the warmed leather. Allow sitting on the surface and soaking into the pores. If needed, reapply as necessary to dry and neglected leather. Vehicles with older leather interiors require more attention. Apply conditioner as frequently as necessary to maintain a soft and flexible condition.
NEGLECTED LEATHER: Leather that has been neglected for a long period of time can become dry and cardboard like. Generally, most leather conditioners although excellent for maintaining, will not completely re-soften leather that has been neglected or exposed to the sun for years. It is common to find this neglected leather on headrests and upper seat surfaces. As leather dries, it continues to shrink, as this leather shrinks, it puts stress on threads that can lead to the leather tearing and splitting. The use of a leather reconditioning oil will soften the leather surface and replace oils lost over time. When using reconditioning oil, be sure the leather surface can be left undisturbed for several hours or even a full day. The longer the oil is allowed to dwell on the surface, the more absorption into the dried surface. In most cases, multiple applications will yield better and better results.
INTERIOR DRESSINGS: Vinyl dressings are used to achieve added gloss to interior and plastic panels. Dressings should be used sparingly and only to accent an interior. Always use a clean towel to remove excess dressing from dressed surfaces. Door seals are a particularly good area for vinyl dressings. By dressing these seals, it keeps them from sticking to the painted door jams and tearing the seals. DO NOT USE VINYL DRESSINGS ON PEDALS OR AREAS OF SAFETY CONCERNS. DO NOT USE ON AIR BAGS. Using dressings on air bags can change vinyl, and adversely affect its deploying. There are many vinyl dressings on the market. Choose a vinyl dressing that is water based or free of low quality silicone. Silicone is an active ingredient in sun UV amplification. As a low quality silicone dressing evaporates away, the silicone is left behind. The sun then amplifies these residues, and the drying process is accelerated. This results in premature cracking. Silicone dressings are available in liquid and aerosol form. Non-silicone dressings are strongly recommended for the owner who doesn’t routinely use dressings. Non-silicone dressings also provide a lower gloss leveland a more natural look.
INTERIOR FINISHING: The interior is now ready for some final touches. Waxing the door jams will clean smudges and allow for easier future cleaning. A carnauba wax will provide the best protection, however a spray wax will provide streak free results in a fraction of the time. A final vacuuming will remove any loose particles and dust from the carpet and fabric. Reinstall any removed seats and floor mats. Finally, make sure that all dash vents are aligned properly with each other.
TRUNK DETAILING: The trunk detail is just like any other part of the interior. Start by removing the lower carpet, spare tire and tools. Clean the spare tire using the exterior washing methods. Hand clean tools and jack, set aside. Extract or hand clean trunk carpet and allow to dry. Use a liquid interior cleaner to clean all plastic panels of the trunk. Scrub panels with detailing brushes and wipe clean with a terry towel followed by compressed air. Clean trunk seal. Wax trunk jam and dress seal with vinyl dressing. Dress plastic panels as desired to finish trunk detail by re-installing spare tire, tools and trunk carpet.
INTERIOR DEODORIZING: A clean smell interprets a clean and fresh interior. The smell of a new car has a special attraction to people. Interior deodorizers are available in several methods. The first is air fresheners. This method masks odors, but provides a pleasant atmosphere. The next method is called an ozone bomb. It works like a bug bomb for odors by killing the bacteria that causes the odors. To use an ozone bomb, set the bomb and close the doors. Allow remaining in the interior for one hour without disturbing. After 60 minutes has passed, open doors and air out for an additional hour. The ozone bomb also leaves a pleasant smell. Small sprits also have a great effectiveness for mild odors. Another type of deodorizing is achieved with an ozone generator. Ozone is created when O2 is changed to O3. Ozone is a molecule comprised of 3 oxygen atoms. These unstable atoms quickly oxidize compounds, thus killing bacteria causing odors. This is the most effective method for permanent odor removal. Most auto manufactures require this process as part of their certified used car program.
