10 Easy Points As Homemade Car Detailer for Maintaining Your Car

If you are thinking of showing your car a little love by cleaning it, you should first learn to make a homemade car detailer. Your car has been through a lot such as dusty roads, blankets of sand, muddy boots, and water. Now that it is dirty, you must perform an auto-detailing process on it.

Keep in mind that to clean a car, it isn't necessary that you should have a heavy wallet. There are many car washing liquids available on the market, but they are only a quick solution to car detailing.

Homemade Car Detailer

With a homemade car detailer, you will get the best results, and it will not harm your car either. Making a homemade car detailer is easy and saves money.

Different parts of the car need different washing liquids for cleaning. Following is the list of tried and tested homemade car detailers for different parts of your vehicle:

Car Wash Soap

You can make a car wash soap by using a few drops of liquid dish washing soap or liquid Castile soap and mixing it with any laundry detergent. You can make this mixture, add it to a bucket of water, and use a heavy sponge on it to clean your car.

Clean the water when it gets dirty and in the end, wipe the car with a clean cloth rather than an expensive microfiber cloth or chamois. You can also use the towels at your home and designate them for car washing only.

Window Cleaning

Your car's windows can be cleaned easily using a mixture of water and white vinegar. Use vinegar and water in a ratio of 50:50. Put this mixture in a spray bottle, spray it on the windows, and wipe them with old newspapers. 

Glass and mirrors are better cleaned with papers than clothes or towels and thus, it is better to use newspapers. You can also slightly increase the vinegar ratio if you want a powerful cleaning solution.

Tire And Rims Detailing

Tire and Rims Detailing

To clean the tires and rims, you can make a paste of salt, baking soda, and water. Use a bristle brush to apply the paste on the tires and rims so that all the dirt and grime can break down.

Leave the paste for a few minutes and then, scrub it off with the brush. Baking soda and salt both have the property of breaking down oil, grime, and dirt and thus, this paste is very effective in cleaning. After scrubbing, rinse the tires and rims with water.

You can also clean the chrome with this paste as it is very effective in breaking down the toughest stains and grime stuck on the surface. This portion of the car is exposed to lots of dirt and thus, it needs to be treated accordingly.

Carpet Cleaner

Carpet cleaning can be done with any detergent that is used for washing clothes. However, if you want to make a DIY solution for it, you can try the baking soda, salt, and water paste for carpets too.

Allow this paste to dry on the carpets and vacuum them when the paste has dried up. Nowadays, vacuum cleaners can also clean by spraying water and detergents, so you can try this to clean your car's carpet as well as upholstery.

Interior Detailing

Car Interior Detailing

The water and vinegar solution works well on different types of surfaces such as leather, glass, wood, chrome, and plastic. However, this solution is not suitable to be used on aluminum as it can cause oxidation issues.

You can use a detergent or some car wash solution to use it on the aluminum material of the car. If you are using a car wash or cleaner, put it on a towel or cloth to apply to the interior parts of the car as spraying is not recommended.

Car Wax

To keep the natural paint of your car protected, you need to keep it waxed. You can easily make a homemade carnauba wax by adding 2 tablespoons of beeswax, 4 tablespoons of carnauba wax, 1 cup of linseed oil, and ½ cup of vinegar to a pan and heating it till the wax starts melting.

Pour this solution when the wax is completely melted and allow it to cool. Apply this to your car with a smooth coat after washing and when the wax turns powdery, clean it with a towel.

What Are the Steps for Using a Homemade Car Detailer for Washing Your Car?

Before using any car wash or homemade detailer, you must consider a few factors so that your car can be washed properly. Following are some important steps to be taken for washing your car:

Examine Your Car’s Condition

The first and foremost step to washing your car is to evaluate your car's condition. A new car needs a simple wash for maintenance, but if your car is old, it will need waxing too. If your car has not been washed for months, this is the right time to wash it or else it will start losing its spark.

Read The Label On The Car Wash

Before using any car wash or solution, you must read its label. The application and usage of a solution may vary from brand to brand, and it is necessary to read the ingredients and the instructions on it.

For example, if you have a wheel cleaner that is designed for a chrome wheel, using it on an aluminum wheel might ruin it. Similarly, some detergents and car washes are meant for specific materials and using them on surfaces other than the mentioned ones can damage them.

Prepare The Homemade Car Detailer

To prepare your homemade car detailer for washing the car, you must have vinegar, baking soda, salt, a water bucket, a scrub brush, old newspapers, and towels at your place. Use the amount of vinegar according to the level of intensity you want for the car wash.

Start Washing Your Car

Start washing your car with a pipe or water bucket. When you start washing the car, all the dust, dirt, and mud will start coming off from the exterior of the car.

Always keep in mind that your homemade detailer shouldn't contain too much of the solute such as vinegar or baking soda or else it can harm the paint of the car. Rinse your car with water first, remove large pieces of dirt from it, and clean it with the car wash soap. After rinsing with water again, use a towel or clean cloth to dry it.

Check For Any Scratches, Bumps, and Swirls

Check For Any Scratches, Bumps, and Swirls

After washing, your car will be clean, and it will be easier for you to see the scratches and marks of oxidation on your car's paint. Run your hand over the smooth surface of your washed vehicle and if there are any bumps, you'll have to take some more steps after washing it.

To remove the bumps, bonded contaminants, and swirls on the car's surface, you'll need to use a clay bar. A clay bar will remove the wax coating on the car's surface too.

To make a clay bar, you'll need to knead it into a wafer and lubricate it using a detailer. Run the clay bar on the car's surface by keeping it on the palm of your hand. To remove the scratches from the surface, you can use a compound and apply it using a dual-action polisher or applicator pads.

Polish For Shine

This step isn't necessary, so you can leave it and proceed to the next step if you wish. However, if you try this step after washing, your car will get the shine it had lost. You can use a dual-action polisher to apply the polish and use conditioning oils to enhance the natural color of the paint.

Wax For Protection

The final step is to wax your car to protect it from dust and harmful rays. Waxing prevents fading of the color and is necessary if your car has become old.

You can make a carnauba wax or use a polymer one, as both are effective on the car's surface. After drying, wipe off the wax using a towel or clean piece of cloth.

Bottom Line

A homemade car detailer offers an easy and cheap way to wash a car. You can easily prepare car wash solutions for different parts of the vehicle including the car's interior, windows, tires, and rims.

However, you have to be extra careful while using the homemade detailer and not use it on pedals, steering wheel, or other places where it can cause slippage.

Using a homemade detailer can make your car shine like it was brand new, and the only thing you have to do is to learn how to wash your car like a pro. Using some common sense and doing a little research on using homemade detailers can make your task easier, and you can clean your car without having to spend huge amounts on it.

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