The process
With a working knowledge of all the materials and problems you can encounter in detailing the interior and a knowledge of the chemicals, equipment, tools and supplies needed to do the job, the next thing you need is a process that allows you and your employees to get the job done correctly and quickly without sacrificing quality.
The following procedures are intended to give you a step-by-step process to completely detail the interior of a vehicle. They are not intended to teach anyone how to detail, but simply to show you what steps to follow to avoid missing anything and wasting time and motion.
Interior cleaning procedures:
1. read a job service order for instructions on specific thing to do.
2. open doors and evaluate condition of interior.
3. remove floor mats (front and back and give to person cleaning trunk or clean/ shampoo immediately and place near the rear of the vehicle to dry).
4. Push front seat all the way back
5. use loose-items bag for loose items (front and back), use a separate bag for glove box and one for console. Set bags on rear seat.
6. remove ashtrays (front and back). Clean and dry them. before replacing, clean area around ashtray.
7. Flip down sun visors.
8. With the air blower, blow out the entire interior (front and back), concentrating on dash, panel, vents, under the seats and cracks and crevices in seats.
9. Vacuum the entire interior—carpets, seats, panels, etc.
10. Apply appropriate stain removers (front and back) to all heavy stains on carpets, seats, door panels, etc.
Cleaning steps:
11. Start on the driver’s side and clean headliner, front half.
12. Clean sun visors, visor mirror and rearview mirror.
13. Clean trim around doors and front window.
14. Clean/scrub dashboard.
15. Clean panel and steering column and glove box.
16. Scrub spots/stains on front carpets
17. Apply shampoo and friction-shampoo carpets (if necessary).
18. using extractor, extract all shampoo and dirt residue
Fabric seats:
19. remove spots/stains on fabric seats.
20. Apply shampoo and friction-shampoo seats (if necessary).
21. using extractor, extract all shampoo and dirt residue.
22. using Scrubbie, clean/scrub center console.
Vinyl/leather seats:
23. Scrub vinyl/leather upholstery with Scrubbie or rotary shampooer and wipe dry.
24. using Scrubbie clean/scrub center console.
25. Clean/shampoo front seat belts.
26. Push the front seat all the way forward.
27. Scrub spots/stains on front door panels.
28. Clean/shampoo door panels using either a Scrubbie, nylon scrub brush or rotary shampooer. Wipe dry and/or extract residue.
29. Spray door jamb and door edges with all-purpose cleaner and wipe dry.
Rear:
30. Place loose-items bag on front seat.
31. Clean the headliner, back half from front to rear.
32. Clean rear window deck (be sure to blow out dirt near window).
Fabric seats:
See steps 19 through 22
Vinyl/leather seats:
See steps 23 to 27
33. Clean/shampoo back of front seat following procedures for either fabric or vinyl/leather upholstery.
34. remove spots/stains on rear carpets.
35. Apply shampoo and friction-shampoo carpets (if necessary).
36. using extractor, extract all shampoo and dirt residue.
37. Scrub spots/stains on rear door panels.
38. Clean/shampoo rear door panels using either Scrubbie, nylon scrub brush or rotary shampooer. Wipe dry and/or extract residue.
39. Spray door jamb and door edges with all-purpose cleaner (as needed) and wipe dry.
Dressing/conditioning procedure:
40. Start on the driver’s side and move front to back, dressing all vinyl, leather and rubber in the interior. Wipe off with dry towel for satin finish.
Window-cleaning procedure:
41. Spray all interior windows and mirrors with glass cleaner.
42. using window towel, clean each window individually and dry.
43. Put all windows down and clean top edge, put up again.
Final inspection procedure:
44. make complete check of interior, looking for dirt on carpets, improper application of dressing, dirty/smeared windows and correct.
45. Do a final vacuum (if necessary).
46. Spray deodorizer under front seats.
47. Put in plastic floor mat, seat cover, litter bag.
48. Put in window sticker reminder (if used).
Keep in mind that this is my approach to interior cleaning. It is not the only approach and may not be the best, but it is a proven methodology that you might want to use that saves wasted motion and ensures everything is completed properly the first time.
