Cleaning door jams

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imported_pdsterns

New member
I just can not get comfortable with a method for cleaning door jams or when to do it. I feel that they should be washed but there is never a right time to do it during the cleaning. I dont like to open the doors while washing, I dont know how to rinse them without getting the interior all wet. I dont like to just qd them if they are dusty. How do you guys work this into your flow. Please give me your step by step to try out.
 
I'm not sure either, depends on the car. Some cars have very tight sealing from outside, so the door jams really stay quite clean i.e. my Volvo V50. I usually just wipe them with a damp cloth maybe with some QD. You can rinse the jams, low pressure works best for me, just be carefull.
 
I wipe them down with QD after a wash.

If needed, AIO while I'm waiting for wax to dry.
 
I like the EZ Detail brush to get in there every so often, though I keep on top of them so it really isn't a huge problem.
 
I always do interiors first. When done with the interior I mix up a bucket of APC and water (about 10:1) dilution and use a well saturated MF and agitate every area of the jams. When I wash the vehicle the rinse water washes away any residue (through the cracks or the doors) and when all done with the detail, I will go over them with a Spray Wax and/or polish.
 
Once I've finished washing my car with the traditional method (hose and bucket), I then use QEW on my door jams, underside of the hood, and trunk.
 
I am assuming that we are talking about "other" people's door jams and not our own. When I am detailing, I do the wheels and the door jams first, then mix up another bucket for the "main" wash. I spray APC 10:1 into the jams, agitate with a bug scrubber or MF sponge, then PW. Just be careful with the water and you will be fine. After I wash I wipe the jams down with a MF while drying, then typically I apply AIO topped with OCW or #16.
 
Man, I ran into a snag on the door jams too. How do you guys clean those door hinges(esp on the driverside, you see all those connector attached to the door) ? You just spray w/ APC or QEW into them? :idea
 
Good question Klnyc. I've been wondering that myself. Seems to me that you'd be throwing away a lot of towels when cleaning the greasy door hinges. What type of towels/products do you use for that?
 
White95Max said:
Good question Klnyc. I've been wondering that myself. Seems to me that you'd be throwing away a lot of towels when cleaning the greasy door hinges. What type of towels/products do you use for that?
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You can use a stronger degreaser (compared to APC 10:) to remove that "gunk" form the hinge. As someone mentioned above, the EZ detail brush can be used to agitate hard to reach areas. I then rinse with the PW. I use sprayway instant shine to dress the accordian style hoses in the jams.
 
Oh what about the very bottom of the door, where's the drain hole at? You guys actually use MF to wipe of those filty black crap? :(



edit: I didnt want to hijack this thread..Sorry.
 
klnyc said:
Oh what about the very bottom of the door, where's the drain hole at? You guys actually use MF to wipe of those filty black crap? :(



edit: I didnt want to hijack this thread..Sorry.
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The APC+bug scrubber+PW rinse takes care of most of it, then yes MF for the final wipe down while drying the vehicle.
 
I'll use a wheel or spoke brush in the door jams for better access. For worse areas, just make the APC dilution dwell a bit and go over it again.
 
If you clean and seal these areas once, they're easy to *keep* clean. Sometimes it pays to polish these areas, as factory paint is often less than smooth in out of the way areas; smooth paint retains less dirt. For regular cleaning (after I do the exterior/etc.), I use regular wash solution and a small BHB for most of it, MFs and swabs for the tight spots. I rinse by closing the doors *not quite fully shut* and being careful with the water. Sometimes I'll dampen my drying cloth with a little QD.



When doing someone else's car, where they are really dirty, I use scrap rags/paper towels and a degreasing solvent, or 3M Adhesive Remover. Then an all-in-one type product and finally a good LSP. Then I lube the hinges/etc. properly, with a pinpoint oiler that doesn't get lube all over places you don't need it. Excess lube retains dirt too.



I wouldn't use the EZ brush for this, too much risk of marring the painted areas- and polishing marring out of doorjambs is a pain.



Oh, and yeah, I'd sure clean the drainholes and related areas. Why risk a rust-out? I poke the holes with plastic, not something metallic that might scratch through the paint, not something wood that might break off in the hole.
 
I usually do the door jambs, trunk jamb, and underhood areas after completing a car wash. Sometimes I do it before I dry, sometimes I do it after (depending on how quickly the water evaporated on the car while washing).



I just use a terry towel dipped in the car wash bucket (always some suds and water left over). I know, it might not be the best for the paint, but I guess Im not insane enough to worry about if there is micromarring on my door sills :) I also do the door frame and weatherstrip in the same manner.



The hinges have always gotten me. I hate the fact that the dealer seems to put on WAAAAY too much grease for the hinges, and then the terry towel ends up spreading it all over the place without actually removing any of it. Once in a while I hit the jambs with a citrus APC, that seems to help break the grease down.



-Chris
 
I find the door jambs to be very easy on my car. Once a month I thoroughly clean them with QEW and MF. No rinsing is necessary with QEW so no worries about water in the interior. I then polish and seal the area. After I do this they only need a wipe down after my regular washes. When I rinse the car plenty of water gets in the area so I all I need to do is wipe down the area with a MF and it's spotless. I use Boeshield T9 or Triflow lubricant on the hinges. They are aerosols with a straw attachment and I can lube with very little over spray. The key is to keep up on the door jambs and they won't be a problem.
 
I just hit the jambs with a foaming glass cleaner, and then tire foam on the hoses. Works OK, I don't have the time to wax 'em on paid details.



On mine, I use Collinite #915, cleaned it with AIO first.
 
Accumulator said:
If you clean and seal these areas once, they're easy to *keep* clean. Sometimes it pays to polish these areas, as factory paint is often less than smooth in out of the way areas; smooth paint retains less dirt.
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:nixweiss I assumed everyone polishes/waxes these areas. I do. I pretty much treat them the same as the rest of the car. On my cars the paint on the door jambs is in good shape so I basically apply the same polish/sealant to the jambs as I do the rest of the car. As a result it's very easy to clean or QD them when actually cleaning the car. They look really nice. :2thumbs:
 
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