Question for the pro Detailers

[jtford95]

Hey gang. What are you pro Detailers charging for interior vacuum on the mini vans with the fold down seats? I gave a 2016 Caravan and I find it a pain with all the extra space to vacuum. Really curious. Thanks. Joe

[ShaneB]

Just to vacuum??? Like... nothing else? Id probably charge like $10

[TheMeanGreen]

I`d know my hourly rate, and charge accordingly. If I`m doing a simple service the customer is still going to pay for it, taking 20 to 30 min to vacuum for $10 is a waste of my time.

[jtford95]

Shane, I’m talking about the stow and go seats. The compartments and all. 10$ isn’t enough IMO. That’s what I am curious about.
MG, what would you charge? Give or take? Nasty to not so bad?

[ShaneB]

Shane, I’m talking about the stow and go seats. The compartments and all. 10$ isn’t enough IMO. That’s what I am curious about.
MG, what would you charge? Give or take? Nasty to not so bad?

Sorry I misunderstood. If I`m asking $10, I`m making sure the customer is expecting $10 of work. I also detail with the mentality that if I have to scrub really hard, I`m doing it wrong. So I`m not ever trying to work miracles with a shop vac.

Lots to consider when i have to give a price. I don`t really offer just a quick vacuum for interiors, ill do it if a customer requests but its NEVER the primary reason I have contact with new clients. So if I`m already detailing the outside of the van and they ask for me to vacuum it for them real quick while I have it, sure $10 and kick it out the door, spend 5-10 minutes at most on it. They get what they get. I`m a detailer not a car wash jockey. If its a WRECK i may ask $15-$20 but that`s assuming ill need 20+ minutes to do it.

10 minutes is a reasonable amount of time to spend vacuuming a mini van if that`s ALL they want done. They want more than I can get in those 10 minutes then we are talking actually doing detail work and I would price accordingly.

[m54daboll]

I don`t do just vacuum`s. I`d at least do a quick interior detail. I charge $95 for a quick interior detail (or it`s included on all of my exterior packages). My quick interior is still very thorough, however. My full interior detail is $375 and covers absolutely everything. $575 is for a full interior with everything coated.

[ShaneB]

I don`t do just vacuum`s. I`d at least do a quick interior detail. I charge $95 for a quick interior detail (or it`s included on all of my exterior packages). My quick interior is still very thorough, however. My full interior detail is $375 and covers absolutely everything. $575 is for a full interior with everything coated.

I was originally dumbfounded by those prices until I noticed where you`re at. Still crazy to me as your prices are almost literally 4X what I charge here, and I still get people thinking I charge too much. And I`m not exactly in a low income area either (home values in my service area are upwards of $1M+)

[m54daboll]

I was originally dumbfounded by those prices until I noticed where you`re at. Still crazy to me as your prices are almost literally 4X what I charge here, and I still get people thinking I charge too much. And I`m not exactly in a low income area either (home values in my service area are upwards of $1M+)

I charge those prices both in Boston and San Diego, both very different income categories. I also have very few people that come to me for just interior. Most people will get an interior detail when the car is in for a correction or coating or just a regular exterior package. I also didn`t start with those prices. I started quite low and worked my way up after I got some brand awareness.

[Lonnie]

If you`ve ever vacuumed out a van or large SUV with short white cat hair, maybe then you understand why it took me 4 hours to do so. I use a Sears shop vac and a lot of swiping-and-wiping with rubber gloves, along with a bristle brush to dry brush and vacuum. Ended up using tweezers to hand-pick out visible white cat hair still deeply embedded in carpet fibers. You do need to have crevice tools to get everywhere. I also use a stiff-bristled tooth brush alone carpet and plastic trim seams to get the last of that debris that inevitably ends up there. I end up moving front seats back- and-forth or folding and moving rear seats to get at everything or taking out truly removable seats. It all takes a lot of effort and time. So asking how much a detailer should charge depends on how clean you want it and what kind of debris needs to be removed.

One thing that professional detailers use is compressed air to blow out debris from those inaccessible areas, like under and between seats. Beats brushing or forcing your hands/fingers into confined.

[ShaneB]

So asking how much a detailer should charge depends on how clean you want it and what kind of debris needs to be removed.

Nailed it

[Accumulator]

Interesting thread for me.. Other people do stuff so much faster than I do!

[David Fermani]

$100 which would include dry brushing and blowing out with compressed air.

[Lonnie]

$100 which would include dry brushing and blowing out with compressed air.

Mr. Fermani!!! Nice to see you posting now and then.
Your dry brushing methodology for cleaning interior, carpets floor mats, and fabric seats is a absolutely necessary step to cleaning an interior, and some thing I have learned from you. Somewhere there is a thread that you did on this very subject.
I will say that the type of brush makes a big deal and I use a small, stiff (very worn) nylon bristle and a stiff nylon bristled tooth brush for brushing carpets and fabric. Some might want to use a horse hair brush on softer seat fabrics , like alcantra , but each detailer can make their own choice. I have a tampico bristled brushes, but they tend to loose their bristles when used aggressively.

[jtford95]

Lonnie I try to keep a nice amount of brushes on hand when I do vacuum. I did make a nice a score on a vacuum. An older Tennant canister vac. Nice and quiet. Can’t half hear now because of the hours of vacuuming and polishing.

[Lonnie]

Lonnie I try to keep a nice amount of brushes on hand when I do vacuum. I did make a nice a score on a vacuum. An older Tennant canister vac. Nice and quiet. Can’t half hear now because of the hours of vacuuming and polishing.

Yup, know all about that hearing loss and impairment. I carry small foam ear plugs in my pocket so they are readily available and use them when I vacuum or use the leaf blower to dry a vehicle after a two-bucket wash. Just trying to protect the little hearing I have left (and it ain`t much!) Hearing loss is one of those "occupational hazards" of detailing, and until it happens to yourself, you do not think much about it or try to prevent it. And when it does happen, it is too late to bring back or "cure", short of hearing aids.

As a side note, "Huh? What did you say?" is probably the number one "complaint" and start of arguments in older couples. Just sayin`!...(but not hearing! LOL)