Interiors: Knowing When to Say When

[upon3]

Hi guys,

My business is a side hustle, working on cars on my weekends from April to November or while weather permits, which hasn`t been much lately. Since I re-opened for the season this year, my weekends have been packed with mostly interior only jobs. I used to not mind interiors, but I`m really sick of them already, having done 6 since mid March and I have 3 more scheduled in the next 2 weekends.

I charge a basic hourly rate, and my interior packages usually figure 3-4 hours of my time. By the end of the process, the cabin is almost perfect but I`m physically in knots and I always feel like I did more than I needed. My last 4 jobs have gone into OT, and I blame that only on my inability to stop when "good enough" is really good enough. Every minute I work more than I quoted I`m killing my hourly rate, and I need to stop doing that.

On a general interior job (not a deep clean—seats out, extractor on seats and floors effort), how long does it take you guys, and at what point do you stop trying to make everything perfect?

I have issues with getting every last particle out of carpets, and the fact that I can`t stop drives me crazy even while I`m doing it.


When do you say "when?"





doug

[WaxManRonnie]

I can`t tell you how much this means to me to read this post. You have no idea how many times I`ve been there. Interiors are usually what I do first. That way everything has a chance to dry out with the carpet, while I`m doing the exterior. I have a couple great wet|dry vacs that work the job perfectly. When it comes to mats in carpet, I normally increase my dwell time when I put the cleaner on it. I have dabbled with a few different types of cleaners in the past couple of years. I can`t see that there is one better than the other. I think it`s all in the system or you create. So my dwell time is important, before I start scrubbing. Inside details, Average-it takes me 3-4 hours on a sedan, 5-6 on an SUV.

I also invested in a very nice steamer. That helps out so much I can`t even tell you. It`s also good for those nooks and crevices in the car by the shifter, console, and vents.
Detailing is my side hustle to. Unfortunately for some of us, I have a real job that has to pay the bills. If you ever want to chat about ideas, let me know and I will PM you my number.

[jatleson]

Doug - good to hear you have some business going. I haven`t even brought up the supplies from the basement due to the crazy weather. Haven`t run any water because my pressure washer is on an outside wall, afraid it will freeze up.

I know for most of my clientele, my 80% is a 110% percent to them. I show examples of my car`s interior, it does look good, but I can see scratches in the trim, dye transfer in the seats and little specs in the carpet. They see a vehicle that is clean, doesn`t smell, clear windows and looks nearly new.

My goto interior tools (that I currently have):
Folex carpet cleaner (if needed) followed by Tornador Black filled with water followed by a Bissel capret cleaner to extract the solution.
Tornador Air gun to blow out all the crap - good for dirt tangled up in the carpet
Wet/Dry Vac
Pet Hair stone - I couldn`t believe the stuff it got out
I`m a fan of Griot`s leather stuff. Have the leather spray for a good wipe down. Bonus is the leather smell. Just got the new leather restorer, but haven`t had a chance to test yet.
Various brushes - nothing fancy

Contemplating a steamer - we`ll see how the season goes. One of these days we need to get together. We`ll have to find a good car show to meetup at.

[Mike lambert]

I did the same thing for years! You just have to explain to the client that perfect costs more. Believe me they will understand if you explain what it involves to go that extra and why it costs more. When they understand that and someone asks who did your car, they will tell them and are more likely to explain the process they purchased. You need to get paid for what you do. That being said I admit that even though someone is only paying for an exterior, I always do a thorough vac , wipe down the interior, clean the leather if it makes the job look better. That little bit of time makes a great impression and they feel as if we went above and beyond.

[Stokdgs]

Doug --

Thanks for your post..

I personally like doing Interiors because I see it as a "challenge" - me against the dirt, etc..

How well are you "reading" the Client, setting expectations, and getting an idea about how "critical" they are about their vehicle ??

What exactly is your process and what tools, and chemicals are you using ??

Sometimes, having the most efficient tools and then a really efficient process makes them not all that bad after awhile, except for those Mommy vans that have not been cleaned in years, etc...

We have all seen about everything there is to be seen in a dirty vehicle, under the seats, in-between the seats and the console, under the front floorboard up the firewall, that long strip of gunk that collects against the door edge molding where the carpet goes under it on both sides, molding to interior, and molding to outside, dirty as heck seatbelts, saturated with body oils, visors with greasy handprints, headliners with greasy handprints, all kinds of body stuff all over the dashboard and steering wheel, and on and on..

My only advice is to have the absolute best tool and machines support you can get, and this will for sure make the job go faster, more efficiently, and get you out of there as quickly as possible..

How about you tell us your process in there, start to finish? What do you do first, next, and so on???
What do you use in there? How do you bring it with you in there ?
How many times do you have to get out of there and go get something in a cabinet, workbench, etc.. ??

The idea I have learned is to make myself very, very, efficient, by having everything I need on a rolling cart, right next to the door of the place Im working in, and it follows me all the way around the vehicle... I dont have to get out for anything except when its time to move to another part of the vehicle..

I try to take no distractions while I am working, these slow down the entire process...

I am also a big fan of Steam (VX5000) and use it at the same time with my Mytee HP60 Extractor, and these 2 things alone make me much faster and efficient, with great results every time..

Also to prep all the work I use the biggest, longest, Metrovac with extra long hose and several tools including crevice tools, to absolutely get all the junk I can see out to begin with, including longer brush heads to carefully go over all the dashboard and pull out as much dust, etc., as possible before I ever begin the actual cleaning...

I hardly ever have to pull out seats, and hate that job anyway because they are so big and heavy and there is a chance you can nick something on the door, etc., going in and out with them... My steamer and extractor with a crevice tool can get about everything very well under seats, so that saves me a lot of time too... It always helps if the seats are adjustable so you can raise them way up and move them back and forth as you work front to back, etc...

I tell my Clients - "there will be NO Dirt in your vehicle Interior, Trunk, and under the Hood when I am finished, so I have to uphold that bar every time.. And they actually hear that, and that is one reason why they keep coming back and tell their friends about me..

And the next time, it is not nearly as bad because, I "Reset and Reorganized Everything back to Perfect", the first time...

So, to answer your question - when to say when? When I am happy with the result, vs what they paid for... It is always going to be a "Balance" for you/me in Detailing... We all want to do the best; we just need to invest into making that happen more quickly, balancing that expense with our overhead number for the year, etc., and making ourselves as absolutely - efficient- as possible, so there is no wasted movement = more time spent on doing nothing, etc..

Hope this helps,, looking forward to hearing about your process...
Dan F

[upon3]

Thanks for the responses, guys. Very helpful.

I have a couple of different exterior packages with interiors included (2 hours on interior), and interior only packages (4 hours on interior) that seem to be the only thing I`m doing lately. They tend to be very similar in terms of results, though I don`t touch the trunk on the 2-hour process. My difficulty is distinguishing the quality level between the two in my own mind, and knowing when to quit for both.

My process is fairly efficient (for me), though I don`t use a steamer. I pull the mats first and clean those to give them time to dry. I split the interior into 4 sections—driver front, passenger front, driver rear and passenger rear—in that order. I give 60% of the time to the front, divided by two, then 40% of the time divided by 2 for the rear seating area. This helps me for estimating and time targets while I am working. If the back seat is a hot mess, I will adjust as necessary, but that`s my general order. I work from the center console-out, then down the seat bases then backs, then to the floor carpet, to keep any dust or crumbs falling down as I work. I go between the triangle brush head and the crevice tool on my Ridgid vac, which works great. Move from the floor to the door pockets, door cards, then sills. Wipe down the A-pillar, B-pillar, seatbelts and the back seat console. My next step is a wipedown of the dash, steering console and steering wheel. Finally, interior glass followed by exterior glass is always last.

My time lost is almost always in the floors. It`s the spaces under seats, next to seat rails, down the sides of the seats and the particulates embedded in the carpet. I use compressed air, stiff brushes, and the Ridgid vac for the best results. I try to keep any fluids or water introduced to the absolute minimum, as I don`t like to have things drying while the owner waits. Like I said, I have 2 days a week to work, so time spent sitting and drying is time wasted.

As much as I am growing to dislike interiors, I am pretty good with them, and they are a solid money-maker. I just want to be more confident in stopping with certain parts of the process (carpets) sooner. I treat every interior like it was my car, and I`m sure none of my customers care or even notice the differences.


doug

[upon3]

I know for most of my clientele, my 80% is a 110% percent to them.

You nailed it, Jason. I just need to figure out where 80% falls and how long it takes me to get there.

[Stokdgs]

Doug,

Thanks for your reply !

I like to start at the Top of the Interior and work down, so that means the headliner if needed, the moonroof and glass, the inside windshield ( I start in front also), dash, and on down until the floors in front.. My idea is to do everything I can reach from each position and never have to go back inside again..

Yes, floors are always harder because they get everything on them especially dirt... tons of it... Every vehicle`s carpets I have every cleaned with Meguiars APC+ scrubbed in with a tuff shine brush or smaller ones, then steamed through a towel, and quickly extracted, using 2 different tools ( 1 floor, 1 crevice) always, always, leaves 3 gallons of black with dirt water in the recovery tank...
I find that the crevice tool on the extractor is best for getting all that crap out of those long door floor trim pieces I mentioned earlier..

I also vacuum all the same areas using similar tools as yours and I have worn out a couple of crevice tools already, because I have relied more on them than about anything else... They make extra long ones which I prefer because they can get into more places... Also like a triangular brush as you use, and have worn out a few of them over the decades...

Glad that you have figured out your time working - Its about what I do as well..

You just need to decide by looking at the Interior, what you will do for the 2-hr or 4-hr package and stick to it, to make it worthwhile..

And as you stand in front of the Client, set their expectations for both packages, and let them decide what they want, and go from there..

I would tell them, the Interior will be clean, the carpeting which takes the longest will be clean but not as deeply cleaned with the lesser Interior package, for example..

If they want it all really clean, it has to cost more, and then you have to set your parameters accordingly after looking at each of the 4 places and using the absolute best cleaning chemicals and tools, innovate the way to achieve that goal for that vehicle each time.. All are very different, so we all have to adjust on the fly every day we are out there..

You mentioned you have compressed air - have you experimented with putting a couple of couplers together, and plugging one end into the air line and using all that pressure to blow out the interior floor from one side to the other with all doors open???

This is what we did after painting a vehicle in the shops I worked in, after all the work was done and we were washing the car to get it ready for the Client to pick it up..
Had a vacuum also, but the initial work was done with compressed air.. Amazing how much dirt, etc., from under the seats came flying out from the interior that way...
Just have to be careful, as you well know... Just a thought..

Don`t know what products you are using for the carpeted areas, but find the best cleaning, low foaming cleaner and use that to help clean quickly with as little water as possible, and that should also help speed you up if you are not doing this already... Needs to low foaming which for me means less rinse water from the extractor or vacuum..

I like to use Einszett, 1Z,and now called Nextzett Deep Plastic Cleaner and Cockpit Premium for all plastics inside, because they are very efficient, remove about everything, and leave a nice clean scent with no rinsing.. Wipe on, scrub as needed, wipe off any dirt residue if needed, done..
Dan F

[Lonnie]

upon3:
One other piece of equipment that you may consider IF you cannot afford to invest in a high-quality extractor at the present time is an air mover fan, like those you see in entrance ways at stores for floor drying on rainy or snowy days. XPOWER is one manufacturer of these types of fan. Because they draw air from the side and not the back, like a box fan, they can sit on an interior seat and be pointed downward toward a carpet that has been hand-shampooed and wiped with an absorbent cloth. The residual moisture is much quicker to evaporate due to the air movement.

I hear your pain about the time it takes to PROPERLY clean an interior. I spend more time in the vacuuming process with the brush-and-vac method that you describe. The logic is this: it is MUCH easier to remove dry dirt that wet dirt. Sandy carpets, like those of road construction crews or avid outdoor sportspersons, are very time-consuming.

Another piece of equipment to have: pumice stones for pet hair removal. That long-haired dog or cat owner`s vehicle that they want you to clean will take FOREVER without this must-have tool. Cat hair is worse as it imbeds and clings into the cloth fiber, and it is nearly impossible to remove. This is especially true of white hairs in black fabrics or carpets because they are so easy to see, and yes, I have taken the time to use tweezers to pull some deeply imbedded hair strands, because I can see them and they drive me crazy, knowing they are there. I do not think that pat-hair combs "work" that well. I`ve used Playtex textured rubber gloves and "rubbed" off long pet hair from fabric as I vacuumed, and that has worked very well for me. But short hairs are almost a manual-pick-it-out removal process, even as I brush-and-vac that removed about 95% of them.

O yes, since, Stokdgs mentioned it, Meguiar`s is re-introducing a "revised" version of it formerly discontinued Detailer Line APC+, Citrus Power Cleaner Plus D107 that so many professionals used because of its low-foaming, carpet extractor machine-friendly formulation. You may want to check it out

[WaxManRonnie]

Lonnie, does the pet hair stone work better than those rubber bristle brushes autogeek sells?

[Lonnie]

Lonnie, does the pet hair stone work better than those rubber bristle brushes autogeek sells?

I think they do, BUT I use a Playtex textured rubber glove to wipe-and-vac long, embedded dog hair the FEW times I`ve dealt with pet hair.
The reason I use a Playtex rubber glove? It`s something I has on hand (no pun intended) at the time I needed it because I heard about it in this forum many years ago. It was suggested to use the Playtex name-brand because of both the texture design and rubber compound "grippiness" are unique and ideal for pet hair removal. As Accumulator always disclaims, "Your Mileage May Vary" (YMMV).

There are some videos on YouTube that show how "well" pet-hair removal stones work. My biggest "concern" is that they are an abrasive stone and need to be judiciously (IE carefully) used next to vinyl seat trim pieces.

[upon3]

Pumice stones can be found at Target in the beauty isle, and are exceptionally cheap. I keep one in my kit for pet hair, especially in trunk areas. I use the rubber dipped gardening gloves from Home Depot for pet and human hair on seats aand they work fantastic.

I`m also a huge fan of those inexpensive black Gorilla gloves, too. They get really tacky when wet, and are nice for working on wheels and engine compartments.

[LEDetailng]

Doug --

Thanks for your post..

I personally like doing Interiors because I see it as a "challenge" - me against the dirt, etc..

How well are you "reading" the Client, setting expectations, and getting an idea about how "critical" they are about their vehicle ??

What exactly is your process and what tools, and chemicals are you using ??

Sometimes, having the most efficient tools and then a really efficient process makes them not all that bad after awhile, except for those Mommy vans that have not been cleaned in years, etc...

We have all seen about everything there is to be seen in a dirty vehicle, under the seats, in-between the seats and the console, under the front floorboard up the firewall, that long strip of gunk that collects against the door edge molding where the carpet goes under it on both sides, molding to interior, and molding to outside, dirty as heck seatbelts, saturated with body oils, visors with greasy handprints, headliners with greasy handprints, all kinds of body stuff all over the dashboard and steering wheel, and on and on..

My only advice is to have the absolute best tool and machines support you can get, and this will for sure make the job go faster, more efficiently, and get you out of there as quickly as possible..

How about you tell us your process in there, start to finish? What do you do first, next, and so on???
What do you use in there? How do you bring it with you in there ?
How many times do you have to get out of there and go get something in a cabinet, workbench, etc.. ??

The idea I have learned is to make myself very, very, efficient, by having everything I need on a rolling cart, right next to the door of the place Im working in, and it follows me all the way around the vehicle... I dont have to get out for anything except when its time to move to another part of the vehicle..

I try to take no distractions while I am working, these slow down the entire process...

I am also a big fan of Steam (VX5000) and use it at the same time with my Mytee HP60 Extractor, and these 2 things alone make me much faster and efficient, with great results every time..

Also to prep all the work I use the biggest, longest, Metrovac with extra long hose and several tools including crevice tools, to absolutely get all the junk I can see out to begin with, including longer brush heads to carefully go over all the dashboard and pull out as much dust, etc., as possible before I ever begin the actual cleaning...

I hardly ever have to pull out seats, and hate that job anyway because they are so big and heavy and there is a chance you can nick something on the door, etc., going in and out with them... My steamer and extractor with a crevice tool can get about everything very well under seats, so that saves me a lot of time too... It always helps if the seats are adjustable so you can raise them way up and move them back and forth as you work front to back, etc...

I tell my Clients - "there will be NO Dirt in your vehicle Interior, Trunk, and under the Hood when I am finished, so I have to uphold that bar every time.. And they actually hear that, and that is one reason why they keep coming back and tell their friends about me..

And the next time, it is not nearly as bad because, I "Reset and Reorganized Everything back to Perfect", the first time...

So, to answer your question - when to say when? When I am happy with the result, vs what they paid for... It is always going to be a "Balance" for you/me in Detailing... We all want to do the best; we just need to invest into making that happen more quickly, balancing that expense with our overhead number for the year, etc., and making ourselves as absolutely - efficient- as possible, so there is no wasted movement = more time spent on doing nothing, etc..

Hope this helps,, looking forward to hearing about your process...
Dan F

Very well written post. Great advice. Especially the cart right at each door as you move around. I bet I would save 10 minutes a detail just in using a well organized cart.

[LEDetailng]

A great time saving tool and one of my favorite interior brushes is the Atlasta soft tip brush. It works so well on everything from cup holders, pedals, dash crevices, carpet, seat tracks, door panels. The bristles seem like they will last forever. I guarantee you will love this brush. It looks like a quintessential parts washer brush, but much softer. Not dust your piano black plastic trim soft, but soft enough for the majority of interior plastics

[House of Wax]

This is something I`ve always struggled greatly as well. My wife always gives me a hard time and tells me I`m picking at stuff that most normal people would never notice lol