Welcome back to the Proje’ blog! A lot of people hear the words “auto detailing” and are put off by the word “detail”. They may think it’s not for them because it requires a lot of knowledge, or expertise, or specialist equipment. Or they may think that it’ll take too much time, so they should just take their car to a garage.
Well, guess what? They’re wrong! Auto detailing doesn’t have to be difficult – in fact, with most of the products, it’s easy, quick, fun and totally affordable! Don’t believe us? Here’s a rundown of some of the best how-to info for budding detailers out there!
1) The two-bucket wash method
What do you need a second bucket for anyway?! Well, it’s simple. If you wipe away dirt and then put your wash pad straight back in your soap bucket, you’re contaminating the soapy water with dirt, which will hugely reduce the effect of the cleaning solution. The two-bucket wash method ensures that you avoid this and get the cleanest possible finish. Ensure that you have separate buckets for water and your wash solution, so that you can rinse your wash pad in the water before you put it back in the solution.
So, when you’re using our Vital Car Wash Soap, get two buckets, a grit guard and a green microfiber wash pad. Then follow the steps on the vital car wash soap page – you aren’t even adding any time to the normal washing process, but you are making sure that no dirt and debris comes into contact with your paintwork, and that’ll definitely save you money in the long run! Trust us!
2) The clue’s in the color
Sometimes, auto detailing really is as simple as watching for color. We’re talking about our Redline Wheel Cleaner here. It’s a a powerful, all-purpose cleaner that gets right in to your wheel wells to break down all the toughest build-ups of dirt, brake dust and grease or contamination caused by the breakdown of surrounding metals at high temperatures. So, we want you to be sure it’s done the best possible job. it has finished working, the sodium in the formula turns red, signalling the time to wipe it away – no scrubbing required. This means that you can easily reach in to the most inaccessible of areas and rid your undercarriage of any growing problems without breaking a sweat. Spray, agitate with one of our wheel woolies, then chill out with a cup of coffee until the all-important color change.
It gets even better – it isn’t just the Redline Wheel Cleaner that uses color signalling. We’ve also done it with our Decon – go check it out for yourselves!
3) Use the correct brush or mitt
Sometimes, you just need the right gear. For a really professional looking shine after washing, a wash mitt is ideal because you can really feel the contours. For your wheel barrels, you need something big and firm like our barrel brush, but that isn’t going to do the job inside your car. So, for the little gaps between your buttons on your dash for example, use our easy reach crevice brush. Different tools for different jobs! Similarly, if you really want to get rid of sticky dirt that has worked its way into your carpet, go heavy duty with our carpet and upholstery brush.
The best thing about detailing is that the companies who really care – and we definitely fall into that category at Proje’ – have designed products and accessories that are great at doing specific jobs. This actually means that detailing is often easier than working away on your vehicle using generic or ill-suited equipment.
- Don’t be scared!
Sometimes, fear is the biggest barrier to success. This is especially true when it comes to processes like claying, where people are often far too scared to try. Guess what? It’s not as hard as some people might say!
To help our customers clay with confidence, we’ve produced Throwback Clay Lube. It’s specially formulated with wetting agents to increase lubricity and reduce friction, making your claying process more effective while ensuring you do not scratch your paint. Throwback Clay Lube also helps to extend the life of your clay bar by giving it the lubricants it needs to last for multiple applications. So this will work perfectly with products like our clay bar. Just move one panel at a time and remember: you can’t over-lube! So don’t be afraid of being liberal with this product!
And if you’re still unsure about using a clay bar, then why not try our clay mitt? This is the easiest way to remove contaminants. It removes airborne contaminants, overspray, water spots and more. Use with Throwback Clay Lubricator Spray to help extend the life of your mitt and increase effectiveness. Mitts are rubber-based and last longer than traditional clay bars.
The clay mitt is like a mitten; it fits directly over your hand, so you can move around flexibly and keep the mitt flat to the car surface. It also gives you that extra feel; you can tell when you’ve finished one area because the area will feel smoother to the touch and pass from within the glove! If you don’t have the time for a traditional clay process, this is the perfect solution, delivering superb results in less than half the time. You can also accidentally drop the mitt and the fact that the clay mitt works using a rubber design means it won’t be ruined by coming in to contact with the ground. It is also a great way for beginners to get in to the process of claying. Now you’ve got a choice – as we said before, this is often the key to detailing, and why it’s easier and more fun: Choice. You never feel like you’re approximating a job, because you’re using the right tools, the right accessories and the right sprays in the right way at the right time.
And remember: we put detailed step-by-step descriptions of our products on our site, so if you aren’t sure, just click!
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading this week’s blog – stay tuned for more tips and tricks next week.
If you have any questions about any of the techniques or products that I’ve mentioned in this post, just add a comment below and we’ll post a reply! Remember that we stock only the best auto detailing supplies, so why not click some of the links in this blog post, or visit our products page to find out more? From all of us at Proje’, Enjoy the Process!
