Interior Detailing Essentials

[AustrianOak82]

So far the cars I have detailed have been pretty decent on the interior, so I haven't had any challenging scenarios. I wanted to go over my current interior arsenal and see what else I need. I feel like I have nothing and I want to be prepared. Here is what I have:

Meguiar's Carpet Cleaner
Glass Cleaner
Meguiar's Leather Cleaner/Conditioner
Chemical Guys All-Purpose Cleaner
Meguiar's All-Purpose Cleaner Wipes
Oxy Stain/Odor Remover
Carpet Brush, Small Carpet Steam Cleaner, GG 6" W/Brush

What else do I need? I feel like I need more for the leather, like a separate cleaner and conditioner.

[Audios S6]

What you have is a good start. I'll list many things, none of which are necessary, but may give you some ideas of how to fill out your arsenal.

Steam cleaner
Tornador
Carpet extractor
Ozone machine
Compressed air
Various brushes
Soft brush for leather
Vacuum
Carpet spotter
Acidic fabric rinse
Fabric protectant
Dedicated leather cleaner
Dedicated leather conditioner/protectant
Interior dressing
Interior quick detailer
Glass towels
Foam applicators

I'm sure there's more stuff I'm forgetting, and clearly many of these are well beyond essential.

[allenk4]

You have all the basics


I see you have 4" Cyclo brush. I love mine. Blue on carpets, grey on upholstery. Have you tried it for cleaning tires yet?

[wdmaccord]

Echoing some of Audios' list (most here on AG):

vent brush
concours brush
leather brush (stiff bristles for extreme cases)
upholstery brush
glass towels
200 gsm mf towels for general cleaning, applying protectant, etc. (microfibertech.com)
interior protectant (303 Aerospace, BF interior protectant, etc)
micro tool kit for vacuum (cheap on ebay)

definitely recommend separate cleaner for leather (not cleaner/conditioner). CG Leather Cleaner has been great for me and dilutes 1:6 (not sure why AG nor CG websites mention this...I didn't know until I got the bottle and read the label). For conditioner I like CG also (can get a bottle of each for $20 total on CG website right now). Most of the time I only need to use interior protectant on leather (see above). Many times I will use the conditioner on the outside bolsters of the driver's and front passenger seat since they are high friction areas and typically crack/dry out first.

I use CG Fabric Clean for floor mats because I use a hose. For carpets, CG Lightning Fast or Folex are good and are low/no foaming so they work well with a Little Green Machine or extractor.

Hope this gives you a few ideas

[BrianMcLeod]

Glad you created this thread I was about to creat one my self! Thanks don't mean to hijack btw

Also I like folex works wonders I did this with folex 30792 and steam - used the steam to disinfect and also for spots etc

[BrianMcLeod]

definitely recommend separate cleaner for leather (not cleaner/conditioner). CG Leather Cleaner has been great for me and dilutes 1:6 (not sure why AG nor CG websites mention this...I didn't know until I got the bottle and read the label). For conditioner I like CG also (can get a bottle of each for $20 total on CG website right now). Most of the time I only need to use interior protectant on leather (see above). Many times I will use the conditioner on the outside bolsters of the driver's and front passenger seat since they are high friction areas and typically crack/dry out first.

So is CGs leather stuff pretty good I used Lexol but wanted to try something else? Is it good for regular maintenance?



I use CG Fabric Clean for floor mats because I use a hose. For carpets, CG Lightning Fast or Folex are good and are low/no foaming so they work well with a Little Green Machine or extractor.

How do you use a hose for floor mats would love to know!

[Audios S6]

How do you use a hose for floor mats would love to know!


I use the 'flat' setting on my sprayer. Basically a tiny pressure washer. Then spot clean, extract and and hang to dry or leave in the sum

[Dogfather]

For me, Megs Leather Cleaner/Conditioner was a very disappointing product.
Far better to use a separate cleaner and good protectant. For a while I've been using a very nice conditioner, but when I run out I'm going to give Optimum's protectant a try.

[AustrianOak82]

For me, Megs Leather Cleaner/Conditioner was a very disappointing product.
Far better to use a separate cleaner and good protectant. For a while I've been using a very nice conditioner, but when I run out I'm going to give Optimum's protectant a try.

Yeah, I am not a big fan. It smears pretty bad and the sheen and overall look is never uniform.

[SameGuy]

On my car's reconstituted leather (Mercedes calls it "Leather 2"), the sheen is uniform, but it doesn't really clean well and certainly doesn't condition well at all. It feels like I've just rubbed Armor All into my leather. This ain't 1973!

[Audios S6]

On my car's reconstituted leather (Mercedes calls it "Leather 2"), the sheen is uniform, but it doesn't really clean well and certainly doesn't condition well at all. It feels like I've just rubbed Armor All into my leather. This ain't 1973!


The best or nothing? Perhaps having nothing would be an improvement from leather 2.

[SameGuy]

LOL yeah, but a $30K Benz isn't exactly top-shelf, eh?

[Kengo123]

Id add a small air compressor to your list of tools. Like 3-6 gallons for blowing out cracks and crevices. After using air for a while, i find it very necessary to clean worse than average interiors

[AustrianOak82]

Id add a small air compressor to your list of tools. Like 3-6 gallons for blowing out cracks and crevices. After using air for a while, i find it very necessary to clean worse than average interiors

Yeah, I left off some stuff that I have. I think my compressor is a 3 gallon. It's a lot of fun to use in the interiors!

Other question, I have the softest CG leather brush to fit my 6" GG. Can I spray the CG leather cleaner on the seat and then clean it with the brush head? I read somewhere that the CG can discolor the leather but maybe the guy didn't dilute it ?

[SameGuy]

I don't (yet) own a steam cleaner or Tornador. Easiest way to de-goo cup holders and coin slots? Micro tools on W/D vac and liber amounts of APC? I do have a variety of taped paint brushes and detailing brushes, but none seem right for these areas.