What Product/Tool brings your interiors to another level?

[XxBoostinxX]

Excellent point. It`s the only(and most expensive) thing that I`m missing in my arsenal. I live in Canada and with our rough winters it`s almost essential. Especially this time of year where EVERYONE wants their carpet shampooed. I must have rejected about 20 jobs in the past two weeks because I can`t properly shampoo carpets with calcium stains.

It is the only thing I am missing as well. Guess I better start saving!

What extractors do you guys recommend?

[RaysWay]

Excellent point. It`s the only(and most expensive) thing that I`m missing in my arsenal. I live in Canada and with our rough winters it`s almost essential. Especially this time of year where EVERYONE wants their carpet shampooed. I must have rejected about 20 jobs in the past two weeks because I can`t properly shampoo carpets with calcium stains.

It can really pay for itself quickly after a few jobs. Keep an eye out for our open box deals to save some money. I just sold a Mytee Lite III 8070 that was basically brand new at a great price. It`s rare for us to have big $ items like extractors or steamers on open box, but when we do you can save a lot of money on tools that are normally never discounted.

[Lonnie]

Since I am a hobbyist WITHOUT either a steamer OR extractor, my favorite tool(s) are:
Toothpicks and Q-Tips (AKA cotton swabs).
Go ahead and laugh: I go through DOZENS of them on vinyl seams, edges, cracks and corners, indented lettering on shift knobs/door panels/seats, radio knobs and ventilation controls, switches, and especially HVAC vents. Small things are what set the "average" clean from the OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Detailer) clean and owners of vehicles I clean can see it. Yes, it is just that: obsessive (according to my wife.) By the way, I do prefer Johnson & Johnson Q-tips® over bargain brands, as the winding of the cotton to the stick is of better quality. (I HATE it when the entire cotton tip comes of easily and gets stuck somewhere that I need to extract with a long medical tweezers)

[Accumulator]

Lonnie- I sure won`t laugh at toothpicks and swabs! I have a vast assortment of wooden sticks (orange wood seems especially durable) and I go through a dozen or more swabs every time I wash (let alone what I use when I do the interior).

And yes, I too find you often get what you pay for when it comes to cotton swabs. Wish the sticks on the Medical Industry ones were sturdier...

If/when I ever use up my current stock, I`m gonna look into Swab-Its. Foam swabs will never completely replace cotton for me, but for some jobs I think it`ll be a good upgrade.

[EXPDetailing]

Be aware that Q-tips come in specialty designed tips such as, pin-pointed tips wound super tight, etc.

[Accumulator]

Q for the guys who use compressed air: what happens to the dirt after you blow it loose from wherever it is?

I understand using air on things you remove from the car- take a mat out, blow the [stuff] loose, said [stuff] floats off and dissipates somewhere (in the shop, outside...*somewhere*).

When you use air to blow stuff *inside the car*, where does that dirt go? Doesn`t it just float around the interior and settle on some other surface, from which it then needs to be removed?

I`ve seen people post about using air to clean vents, but I`d *never* blow my dash vents clean as it`d just drive the dirt down into the ductwork, where I *DON`T* want it to go (lest it cause issues with all the flaps/bushings/etc. down in there).

I just don`t get the use of dry air....it`s like those little cans of it to clean stuff like keyboards- gotta do it outside or you just blow whatever`s in the keyboard all over the room and then you gotta clean *that* up.

[4u2nvinmtl]

For me it`s Meguiar`s D149 Detailer Quik Interior Detailer, this stuff just cleans so well and leaves a nice finish

[512detail]

For me it`s Meguiar`s D149 Detailer Quik Interior Detailer, this stuff just cleans so well and leaves a nice finish

Its a great product.
I use it on probably 95% of my paid jobs


Gallon is over a year old and feels half full still

[Accumulator]

The MEguiar`s QID *is* really nice stuff, but some of my interiors seem to respond better to 1Z CP so I find myself needing both.

[David Fermani]

Q for the guys who use compressed air: what happens to the dirt after you blow it loose from wherever it is?

I understand using air on things you remove from the car- take a mat out, blow the [stuff] loose, said [stuff] floats off and dissipates somewhere (in the shop, outside...*somewhere*).

When you use air to blow stuff *inside the car*, where does that dirt go? Doesn`t it just float around the interior and settle on some other surface, from which it then needs to be removed?

I`ve seen people post about using air to clean vents, but I`d *never* blow my dash vents clean as it`d just drive the dirt down into the ductwork, where I *DON`T* want it to go (lest it cause issues with all the flaps/bushings/etc. down in there).

I just don`t get the use of dry air....it`s like those little cans of it to clean stuff like keyboards- gotta do it outside or you just blow whatever`s in the keyboard all over the room and then you gotta clean *that* up.

I wouldn`t classify the stuff a "dirt" that gets blown out. It`s not like you`re making a dust storm cloud inside the vehicle. Air should be used to loosen up lodged up dust particles, crumbs and soiling that is wedged within and around trim. And 9 times out of 10 this stuff is dampened too. If you`re a smart blower, you`ll either blow from front to back or back to front and then final vac all the stuff away. It doesn`t create a larger mess than what`s already there and it does more good then harm. Stuff finds its way into places that a vacuum, steamer or a towel can`t access. Air will get it all!

[David Fermani]

Having a hot water extractors takes you up to another level.

On very unique jobs it certainly helps, but I`d say that being able to get comparable results to an extractor without an extractor takes you to another level.

[RaskyR1]

Q for the guys who use compressed air: what happens to the dirt after you blow it loose from wherever it is?

I understand using air on things you remove from the car- take a mat out, blow the [stuff] loose, said [stuff] floats off and dissipates somewhere (in the shop, outside...*somewhere*).

When you use air to blow stuff *inside the car*, where does that dirt go? Doesn`t it just float around the interior and settle on some other surface, from which it then needs to be removed?

I`ve seen people post about using air to clean vents, but I`d *never* blow my dash vents clean as it`d just drive the dirt down into the ductwork, where I *DON`T* want it to go (lest it cause issues with all the flaps/bushings/etc. down in there).

I just don`t get the use of dry air....it`s like those little cans of it to clean stuff like keyboards- gotta do it outside or you just blow whatever`s in the keyboard all over the room and then you gotta clean *that* up.

You`re basically blowing to an area where it can be removed with a vacuum or captured with a towel. Just a couple examples.

[Accumulator]

Be aware that Q-tips come in specialty designed tips such as, pin-pointed tips wound super tight, etc.

Really?!? Q-tip brand swabs come in variations? Never seen that, I can imagine lots of reasons to have an assortment of differently-tipped cotton swabs of high quality.

[Accumulator]

Maybe my interiors have/don`t different issues (despite the dogs) or perhaps I just go about it differently. Guess I`ll back off my position (except where the vents/ducts are concerned).

David Fermani- I suspect that you and I might define "dirt" diffferently Dust and dog hair are primarily what I deal with, and both can sure blow around, easily getting into places where they`ll cause me *more* work.

David & RaskyR1- Yeah, I was ASSuming that the stuff`d get blown into something like a damp MF whenever possible, or that other measures would be taken to trap the blown-off stuff as best as possible, but I can imagine lots of areas where that wouldn`t be feasible.

Maybe I`m actually *trying* to find reasons to disparage the idea, based on the vent/duct thing! Hmmmm....

So, eh, OK...I can see a greater benefit to it than I did at first (or third) blush, but still only in certain circumstances. Gonna be all open-minded about it and try doing it more often than I had (which sure wasn`t much) and see what I think. When both you guys think I`m missing something I`m not gonna ignore you.

[RaskyR1]

Maybe my interiors have/don`t different issues (despite the dogs) or perhaps I just go about it differently. Guess I`ll back off my position (except where the vents/ducts are concerned).

David Fermani- I suspect that you and I might define "dirt" diffferently Dust and dog hair are primarily what I deal with, and both can sure blow around, easily getting into places where they`ll cause me *more* work.

David & RaskyR1- Yeah, I was ASSuming that the stuff`d get blown into something like a damp MF whenever possible, or that other measures would be taken to trap the blown-off stuff as best as possible, but I can imagine lots of areas where that wouldn`t be feasible.

Maybe I`m actually *trying* to find reasons to disparage the idea, based on the vent/duct thing! Hmmmm....

So, eh, OK...I can see a greater benefit to it than I did at first (or third) blush, but still only in certain circumstances. Gonna be all open-minded about it and try doing it more often than I had (which sure wasn`t much) and see what I think. When both you guys think I`m missing something I`m not gonna ignore you.

You mean you don`t have gummy bears, gold fish, and french fries hiding between your seats and seat rails?

That dash vents are a "as needed" basis IMO. When you`re doing volume work and you have a vehicle come in that`s so trashed you really don`t have many options to get it clean in the short amount of time you`re given. Whether it`s steam or compressed air, some stuff still gets pushed down the ducts and out of sight. Thankfully I don`t have to deal with these anymore.