Introduction to Car Valeting

By Doug Spain


Ever just wished there was a way to get your car into the same state it had been the day it left the showroom? Car valeting gives you the means to clean and reinstate your car to its top condition. With some know how, you can make your car look the best you have ever seen it. What should you know about car valeting?

What You Have to Know

To get full success through car valeting, you will need to clean, polish, wax the outside plus clean your wheels and tyres. The interior is the second step. You should begin with cleaning the engine, flooring, pads, windows and plastic as well as any kind of spills, smells or leather upholstery.

Cleaning

You begin by cleaning the outside of the car. Here, you need a top quality wash mitt to help you apply water and shampoo to your car. Whenever selecting a wash mitt, go for one made of real wool. They're the softest choice out there (so you do not scuff the finish), and they can also carry quite a bit of water and shampoo.

An incredible tip for washing your car is to use the two bucket method. Bucket one will include a shampoo and water combo and bucket two will just hold clear water for rinsing. Bucket guards ought to be used. These are placed at the base of both buckets to let dirt to pass through them, blocking you from carrying the debris back using your wash mitt.

It's not worth avoiding the more high-priced shampoos. Though it's arguable, less expensive shampoos will likely not possess the performance and protection of the more pricey solutions.

It is much quicker and efficient to dry your vehicle using microfibre towels. PVA towels may be used as a substitute. A jet nozzle is needed as a very last rinse after cleaning.

Polishing

Polish is designed to conceal any kind of minute defects in the car's paint. It does not harm the finish of the paint. The best results tend to be seen working with a fine polish to make a smooth and wet appearance. You can polish by hand, or you can make use of a buffer to perform the job. If you choose to use an electrical buffer, just be sure you operate the correct technique - overlapping movements at a relaxed rate.

Wax Process

Waxing is used in order to secure the finish, and is put on across the surface of your polish. It will help keep your "recently polished" look to the vehicle's paint. Natural wax such as carnauba needs to be chosen when possible. As a note, don't wax the front lights and taillight lenses - have a special plastic cleaner to eliminate discolouration.

Your Wheels and Tyres

Preparing your wheels and tyres is another important section of car valeting. Make sure you clean them well with shampoo and water, but you will need it twice the strength. You will also need a brush. Tyre dressing will be used to finish the task.

Your Engine

Cleaning up your engine requires that you've got a good engine degreaser, as well as a way of covering important devices and components during the process. Get a product to secure the engine after you have completed degreasing.

Your Interior

You need some extra items for the vehicle's interior. To start with, make sure you get a vacuum cleaner suitable for wet and dry cleaning. You will want a few attachments for it to get inside all of the gaps. A very good shampoo will help the vacuum cleaner clear away any dirt.

The inside of your vehicle involves numerous steps. Glass windows ought to be washed using a glass cleaning solution and then buffered with a decent towel. Many of the different surfaces inside your vehicle will have particular cleaners made for them, like the plastic and vinyl.

Use water as well as a neutral cleaning soap to take out any kind of stains you see. You can use a clean brush as well as a putty knife in a few instances to help you.

Finally, for those who have leather upholstery, you must clean it properly. You can get some great leather cleaners and specific brushes to complete the job.




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