Car Cleaning Professionals in Huntsville, AL
Car Cleaning Professionals in Huntsville, AL
It's all about the details when it comes to interior car cleaning. There is a variety of surfaces and materials in cars, and all cars are different. We use our discretion that's built up after several years of experience in automotive detailing. The process is always the same - inspect, try, repeat, then try something else. For example, a seat that can just be wiped with a leather cleaner and cleaned to perfection is best left untouched by a power cleaner.
At Huntsville Auto Detailing, our job is to restore your interior to the same as it was when the car was new. Seats can change a couple of shades when we are done with them. Light-colored plastics in the car will look much brighter and have a matte finish. call us today! (256) 253-1280
Most surfaces will end up having a matte finish - that's the finish of a very clean car interior. Dashboard polishes are loved by some car owners, so we put on a dressing liquid on it when we are done. This makes the surface resistant to stains and makes it much, much easier to clean. But the stuff evaporates in the heat and gets on your windshield. It spreads evenly across the surface, so it is hard to know your windshield is dirty. But if you slide your finger across it, the finger will come out oily, and you'll need to use some glass cleaner again. |
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Interior vehicle detailing is a delicate art which requires a lot of patience. You may have felt anger when you had to retrieve a piece of fried chicken from the underside of a seat - it's infuriating. At Huntsville Auto Detailing, we take pleasure in the process and pride in our impeccable results.
Interior detailing involves some basic preparation. We first open all the doors and trunk of the car and set aside any garbage. The owner's belongings are bagged and kept separately. We also remove the mats and clean them separately. Then we take an air gun and blow it into every dark and dingy place, and over every surface in the cabin. This is an effective way to dislodge dust particles. It also disperses them all over the car, so all of it is vacuumed up. We spend extra time on cloth seats and carpets since these surfaces can trap a large amount of dust. We vacuum after using the air gun because this way the vacuum has less work to do. When the cabin is dust-free, we move on to the detailing bit.
Interior detailing involves some basic preparation. We first open all the doors and trunk of the car and set aside any garbage. The owner's belongings are bagged and kept separately. We also remove the mats and clean them separately. Then we take an air gun and blow it into every dark and dingy place, and over every surface in the cabin. This is an effective way to dislodge dust particles. It also disperses them all over the car, so all of it is vacuumed up. We spend extra time on cloth seats and carpets since these surfaces can trap a large amount of dust. We vacuum after using the air gun because this way the vacuum has less work to do. When the cabin is dust-free, we move on to the detailing bit.
Cleaning Cloth Car Seats
Cleaning Cloth Car Seats
Cloth seats are hard to clean, especially when they have stains on them. We deal with the stains first - we put some fabric cleaner on it and let it sit for a bit. We then agitate it with a brush and wipe with a cloth. Stains may require less mild detergents to remove. We do the same thing to the rest of the car, using mild soap and a detailing brush. A microfiber towel is a good wiping cloth because it can absorb quite a bit of the liquid.
Cloth seats in an old car must be cleaned with a soft brush, but tougher cars and tougher seats can be cleaned with a bristle brush and a scrubbing pad as well. We employ a light touch when going with the scrubber because it can wear the surface down.
If the seats have developed an odor, we also use a steam cleaner on them. This is also good for sanitation. Cloth seats are hard to get dry, so we try to get as much of the water out as possible. Dabbing with a microfiber towel and using a vacuum cleaner are both acceptable methods for cleaning the car.
When using a steam cleaner, it is important to cover the jet stream with a microfiber towel. The towel stems the flow of water and distributes the heat and steam over a larger area. Seams in the seat are the hardest parts to get to, but a thick bristled brush can be used to pull out dust particles. This step is important because any debris in the seams will tear at the seat fabric whenever somebody sits in the seat. It is easy to see that most cars' front left or driver's seat is usually the worst one in the car. All cuts and tears happen here. Not only does the debris get sat on, but it also gets rubbed into the fabric. This eventually erodes the seat surface, making it prone to tears.
Cloth seats in an old car must be cleaned with a soft brush, but tougher cars and tougher seats can be cleaned with a bristle brush and a scrubbing pad as well. We employ a light touch when going with the scrubber because it can wear the surface down.
If the seats have developed an odor, we also use a steam cleaner on them. This is also good for sanitation. Cloth seats are hard to get dry, so we try to get as much of the water out as possible. Dabbing with a microfiber towel and using a vacuum cleaner are both acceptable methods for cleaning the car.
When using a steam cleaner, it is important to cover the jet stream with a microfiber towel. The towel stems the flow of water and distributes the heat and steam over a larger area. Seams in the seat are the hardest parts to get to, but a thick bristled brush can be used to pull out dust particles. This step is important because any debris in the seams will tear at the seat fabric whenever somebody sits in the seat. It is easy to see that most cars' front left or driver's seat is usually the worst one in the car. All cuts and tears happen here. Not only does the debris get sat on, but it also gets rubbed into the fabric. This eventually erodes the seat surface, making it prone to tears.
Cleaning Leather Seats
Cleaning Leather Seats
Leather seats have two problems - cracking and general wear. Seats get dirt, oil, sweat, and grime from the people who sit in them. You can see the dirt by just looking at an old leather seat - it'll have a stained, shiny finish. Dirt wears down the seat surface, especially when the car is baked in the sun for years. A cracked seat will need to be reupholstered, but a weary-looking intact seat can be cleaned using a leather cleaning liquid. We apply it to a detailing brush and slowly work the surface in small circles. All the dirt and oil collects in the foam, which we wipe off. This process is used on all the seats. This is the safest method and it has the least potential for damaging the seats. Old vinyl or leather seats need to be cleaned this way to prevent tears in the thin upholstery. For newer seats, we can get the same results using the following methods in less time.
Using a power tool and a soft brush head makes the above process much quicker. We make sure that both the head as well as the seats are well lubricated with the cleaning liquid, and then work the surface, going back and forth. Whatever stains remain after this step can be removed by lightly rubbing with a lubricated scrubbing pad. The pad isn't advisable for leather that is decades old and worn thin. Seams still have to be cleaned by hand.
The last step is steam cleaning. We use a towel tied to the steam jets and dab it along the surface. The heat from the steam cleaner opens up the pores in the leather. A few gentle wipes with a microfiber towel ensure a deep clean.
The result is a dry surface of the original colour that the car came with. We follow-up with a light coat of leather conditioner. The conditioner makes the material soft and supple and more resistant to tears.
Using a power tool and a soft brush head makes the above process much quicker. We make sure that both the head as well as the seats are well lubricated with the cleaning liquid, and then work the surface, going back and forth. Whatever stains remain after this step can be removed by lightly rubbing with a lubricated scrubbing pad. The pad isn't advisable for leather that is decades old and worn thin. Seams still have to be cleaned by hand.
The last step is steam cleaning. We use a towel tied to the steam jets and dab it along the surface. The heat from the steam cleaner opens up the pores in the leather. A few gentle wipes with a microfiber towel ensure a deep clean.
The result is a dry surface of the original colour that the car came with. We follow-up with a light coat of leather conditioner. The conditioner makes the material soft and supple and more resistant to tears.
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Maintaining the Headliner
Maintaining the Headliner
Most modern cars come with felt headliner. A quick way to clean this is to use a steam cleaner. We cover the steamer head with a towel again to make sure the felt lining doesn't get wet. Felt headliners are usually one piece with hard plastic backing, and we can use some force while cleaning them. This type of headliner can also be removed completely to be cleaned outside the car, but it has to be attached in place again. Old cars with vinyl tops which are stuck to sound deadening foam have to be cleaned very gently with a controlled temperature. Otherwise, the headliner detaches from the glue and sags. Sometimes all it needs is a twist and a push with a finger to do that, so we have to be very careful. A sagged headliner has to be reupholstered. A detailing brush, some soap and elbow grease works wonders. We apply the same technique on boot floors and trunk covers.
Vehicle Carpet Cleaning
Vehicle Carpet Cleaning
The carpet collects more dirt than any other flat, upward-facing surface in a car. Another vacuum after the first one will pull up even more dirt. Once our professionals are satisfied, they take care of any stains with soap and brush. We follow this up with a steam cleaning, if necessary. This step is crucial to curb microbe growth. High temperature kills them. The steam condenses while going into the surface, dissolving dust particles and other dirt. A vacuum pulls all the dirt up.
The ideal way to clean anything that's cloth in a car would be to wash it. That's what we do with the mats, after giving them a good beating to knock the dust out. Most mats are robust enough to take the force. Older mats can be cleaned with an air gun, then vacuum, and lastly, a steam cleaner.
The ideal way to clean anything that's cloth in a car would be to wash it. That's what we do with the mats, after giving them a good beating to knock the dust out. Most mats are robust enough to take the force. Older mats can be cleaned with an air gun, then vacuum, and lastly, a steam cleaner.
call us today! (256) 253-1280
The ideal way to clean anything that's cloth in a car would be to wash it. That's what we do with the mats, after giving them a good beating to knock the dust out. Most mats are robust enough to take the force. Older mats can be cleaned with an air gun, then vacuum, and lastly, a steam cleaner.
Trim Bits, Dashboard, & Steering Wheel
Trim Bits, Dashboard, & Steering Wheel
Car manufacturers like to put in different materials in the cabins of cars to instil a feeling of luxury, but most cars have a lot of plastic. Shiny surfaces may be prone to scratches, so we clean those first. We spray on some cleaning liquid, then wipe it off with a microfiber towel.
We scrub all plastic surfaces with the detailing brush. The method is the same as that for other parts of the cabin - spray some soap onto the brush, then work the surface in small circles, generating suds. The suds are wiped with a paper or microfiber towel to reveal a clean and dry surface.
A worn, sticky steering wheel can also be cleaned with a brush. The middle part of the wheel, where the horn is located, can usually be cleaned with a spray and wipe.
We scrub all plastic surfaces with the detailing brush. The method is the same as that for other parts of the cabin - spray some soap onto the brush, then work the surface in small circles, generating suds. The suds are wiped with a paper or microfiber towel to reveal a clean and dry surface.
A worn, sticky steering wheel can also be cleaned with a brush. The middle part of the wheel, where the horn is located, can usually be cleaned with a spray and wipe.
Window Cleaning
Window Cleaning
When your car is exposed to heat, the plastic and leather release gases and vapors which are bad for you. Besides, these vapors condense on the inside of your front and rear windshield. When we clean an interior, we start with these first, so that if we put any polish or protectant on the dashboard, it doesn't dirty our hands or the cloth or worse, the glass. We spray some glass cleaner on a microfiber towel and wipe the entire windshield, concentrating on the edges. The bottom edge of a windshield is usually the hardest to clean, except if you use the back of your hand while sitting backwards in the seat. The rest of the glass is cleaned the same way. Hard-to-reach places can't be ignored, because on an otherwise clean car these become even more visible.
The interior of your car is your primary interface with the vehicle. This is where you sit and drive, where you seat your friends and family. It gets all the dirt and debris that comes from you and your activities. The curse of the American drive-thru restaurant is that our cars get dirty from our meals and grimy hands. A bit of the same dirt and debris that gets on the exterior of your car also finds its way inside the car, and it goes in all those places which you rarely clean yourself. Even if you drive with the windows up and never eat in your car, there's the dirt from you which gets in it - humans shed dry skin every minute of the day. Sweat and oils get on your seats and there is grime in every place you touch.
It is important to routinely rid the vehicle of these issues, not because we are germophobes at Huntsville Auto Detailing, but because these germs keep multiplying until someone intervenes. Most cars you see on the road are biomes on wheels, populated by millions more than the dude in the driver's seat.
With our years of experience in dealing with humans, their offspring, and all the effluents they release into their vehicles, we understand what areas might be problematic. The cabin of a car is full of carpets and felt linings. These are traps for dust. Within a few years, these can become health hazards and start giving you allergies. If you or a loved one start sneezing upon entering a vehicle, give us a call and we'll clean and disinfect it on your driveway.
The interior of your car is your primary interface with the vehicle. This is where you sit and drive, where you seat your friends and family. It gets all the dirt and debris that comes from you and your activities. The curse of the American drive-thru restaurant is that our cars get dirty from our meals and grimy hands. A bit of the same dirt and debris that gets on the exterior of your car also finds its way inside the car, and it goes in all those places which you rarely clean yourself. Even if you drive with the windows up and never eat in your car, there's the dirt from you which gets in it - humans shed dry skin every minute of the day. Sweat and oils get on your seats and there is grime in every place you touch.
It is important to routinely rid the vehicle of these issues, not because we are germophobes at Huntsville Auto Detailing, but because these germs keep multiplying until someone intervenes. Most cars you see on the road are biomes on wheels, populated by millions more than the dude in the driver's seat.
With our years of experience in dealing with humans, their offspring, and all the effluents they release into their vehicles, we understand what areas might be problematic. The cabin of a car is full of carpets and felt linings. These are traps for dust. Within a few years, these can become health hazards and start giving you allergies. If you or a loved one start sneezing upon entering a vehicle, give us a call and we'll clean and disinfect it on your driveway.