There is nothing worse than a dirty car, inside and out.
Details can be expensive, and is it really worth it to get a car professionally detailed every time it gets dirty?
Many car owners ask, “How often should you detail your car?” and the answer is right here.
Read on for the answer, along with some tips for freshening up the car in between details.
How Often Should You Detail Your Car?
In general, someone who is a tidier person will have a cleaner car. Maybe they take their trash inside every time they get out of the car after driving somewhere. They wash their car more often.
This type of car would need a detail less often than one that belongs to someone who has several kids and allows passengers to eat in the car. Or someone who has many errands to run and spends more time in the car (presumably has less time to spend cleaning the car).
The general rule experts recommend is to get a car detailed every 3-4 months, which ends up being about three times a year. The more often a person vacuums out their vehicle or spends a little time dusting or cleaning the inside of the windshield, the less likely it is to need a detail as soon.
Self-Detailing in Between Professional Details
Detailing a car at home isn’t too hard. With an average vehicle age of 11.6 years, sometimes a home detail is exactly what a car needs to look new again.
If cleaning out the car is something that appeals to a person, there are several tasks to check off the list when self-detailing in between professional sessions.
Repair Seats
The first is to repair any tears in the upholstery, or recondition the leather.
Vacuum
Vacuum the car out, making sure to remove any floor mats. Vacuum the mats, the floor underneath, and the dashboard, as well as any cracks and crevices that are hard to reach with a dusting cloth. Instead, if a person has access to a canister of compressed air, blowing the dirt out of the cracks works best.
Wash Windows
Wash the interior of the windows and windshield. Fingerprints and other streaks can make it hard to see out, and using a window cleaner makes this easy.
Wash and Wax Exterior
Wash and wax the exterior of the vehicle. Try using two pails of water, one with soap and one with just water to rinse the cloth after it gets dirty. Carnauba wax is great but doesn’t last as long as a polymer sealant, so choose whatever works for your lifestyle.
Tires
The last step of an easy detail is to check the tires. Make sure they are fully inflated and still road worthy to ensure the safety of the driver and passengers.
Time to Drive
The more often a small cleaning job is done on the vehicle, the longer a person can go between details. With these ideas for how often should you detail your car, drivers are on their way to a cleaner car.
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