• Although detailing a car, at its core, is washing your car, as the term implies, detailing is the next level up from the standard wash and dry routine. From vacuuming the carpet to touching up the headliner to painting the letters on your tires.

They say It's all in the details, they are absolutely right, even using a old toothbrush to clean the crooks and cranny's of the entire exterior or cleaning the engine bay and making all the black plastic shine with Armor All or similar. It may take a few hours to properly detail a car, but afterward, you will not only have a sparkling clean car both inside and out, but also the satisfaction, pride and attention that comes from a job well done.

• To detail your car you will need the following supplies:

1. A vacuum cleaner with an upholstery attachment, if no vacuum is available then stop by the closest pay vacuum, seventy five cents for fifteen minutes.
2. Package of rags.
3. One or Two Chamois.
4. towels Paper towels.
5. Lint free towels.
6. Cotton swabs.
7. If you have access to a air compressor great, if not consider using a leaf blower.
8. Glass cleaner.
9. Cleaner/conditioner designed for automotive interior's.
10. Wax or exterior treatment.
11. Car wash soap or dish detergent.
12. Toothbrush
13. Car washing brush or mitt
14. All-purpose cleaner and degreaser.
15. Bucket or similar to store soapy water in.
16. A water hose with high pressure nozzle.

• • Note: Ensure that any soaps, waxes, degreasers or brushes used to detail the car are safe for your car's finish.

• When it comes to the detailing process, there are no hard and fast rules to cleaning your car. After detailing your car a few times, you will likely develop your own method. However, as a general rule, cleaning from top to bottom is the most effective way of detailing, as it will prevent you from having to clean the same area more than once.

1. To begin the cleaning process use a vacuum to clean the floor, floor mats, seats and areas beside the seats. Slide the seats back and forth to vacuum the entire surface beneath the seat.
2. Clean the rear view mirror, the inside of the windshield and the windows with glass cleaner and paper towels or a lint free cloth.
3. Wipe down the dash, console and inside of the door using interior cleaner, other chemicals could damage the vinyl.
4. Use cotton swabs, tooth brush or compressed air if available to clean all the knobs, air vents and any hard to clean areas..
5. Now your ready to vacuum the car as any dirt, dust or contaminants have dropped onto the seats and floor.
6. Adjust the front seats all the way forward, vacuum around them, then adjust them all the way back and vacuum again
7. Vacuum the front and back seats, flip the front seats forward and vacuum the area where the seat-back hinges, flip the front seats forward and vacuum the rear of the seat base, continue to vacuum any remaining particles from the floor.
8. To extend the life of your dash and protect it from the harmful elements of the sun you can apply a conditioning protector to the dash, steering wheel and upholstery as desired.

• To keep the soap from drying on the vehicle before it can be rinsed off you should wash the car on overcast days or under a shade roof on coll days. Washing the car in the rain is another option, but we don't want you to catch a cold.

1. Using your hose, give the car a good once-over spray to remove any loose surface contaminants.
2. Mix up a bucket of soapy water and use the soapy sponge or cloth to remove any contaminants from the car's surface .
3. Start with the roof first, then all the windows. Continue to wash hood, trunk, doors, fenders, grill and rear fascia. Work in sections, completely cleaning and drying one area before moving on to the next.
4. If you are using a chamois or lint free cloth, rinse it often to avoid dirt transfer and reduce the chance of scratching the paint with gritty debris.
5. Rinse off any excess water
6. Completely dry the area with a chamois, lint free cloth, air compressor or leaf blower.
7. Repeat steps #5-7 for the front, back and side windows, hood, trunk, doors, front and rear quarter panels, rear of vehicle, grill assembly and mirrors.
8. Use a toothbrush or cotton swab to clean out the crevices around the lights and door handles. Wipe or rinse away any dirt you remove.
9. Wash your tires and wheels. For detailed instructions on doing so, refer to Mahalo's guide on How to Clean Car Tires.
10. Now you should apply car wax according to the product directions.