Auto Detailing For Women

Not just reserved for men, Auto Detailing for Women is a great place to start for all you women looking to make sense of an industry built and dominated by men.

Heck...most men are confused by this subject that is not only expansive, but full of bad information and bad opinions!

I have developed this page to dispel the many myths of proper cosmetic car care, and put it into terms that are familiar and understandable from a woman's perspective; after all, men are men and women are women.

We do have very different perspectives in which we view the world. Having grown up in a house full of women (4 sisters and a mother) , I do possess a certain understanding that is unconventional to most men.

Detailing Made Simple

Let's break auto detailing for women into two categories:

1. Paint care.
   
2. Interior care.
   

Follow along as I simplify the process into the basics. Most people get bogged down with too much information as well as conflicting opinions. Feeling overwhelmed from the start, many people are turned off quickly and therefore resort to doing nothing. My goal is to start you off with the bare essentials in a way that appeals to a woman's sensibilities and provide you with a foundation you can build upon if you choose. This site is filled with more information than 99% of the men out there know themselves!

Car Paint Care

Due to modern day paint with their protective clear-coats and advances in paint technology, cleaning and maintaining the health of your car paint is easier than ever. But with that said, nothing is truly maintenance free and you are still required to perform basic requirements.

• Weekly washing (this is simply like taking a shower, but now we are showering your car to remove superficial dirt)
  
• Detailing clay (this is like exfoliating your skin; but done to your car paint)
  
• Car waxing (visual enhancement and protection for your paint)
  

---

Washing Your Car

While there are those occasional moments where spending an hour or so washing your car might sound appealing, I have found that many people get caught-up in this basic chore of car care.

The problem I have found that most people over-think this basic step and consume most of their time and energy into the simple chore of washing their car to remove what is referred to as superficial dirt.

The net result is a clean car of course, but more often than not, a car owner that is now too tired to do anything else to their car. 

For this reason I always recommend people outsource this part of cosmetic car care to the local, quality car wash. You don't have to go crazy here; just find a quality 100% cloth or hand car wash.

If all you have access to is the automatic wash tunnels with the big plastic brushes, then pass on that and do it yourself. Otherwise, save yourself the time and effort and outsource this basic requirement.

Car Washing Check Points:

• Weekly is the preferred frequency.
• Outsourcing to a local quality car wash. (saves your time and energy for more important things of cosmetic car care)
  

---

Detailing Clay

If you are not familiar with the clay bar, or surface prep bar, this process would be the equivalent to exfoliating your skin prior to any application of creams or make-up.

Airborne pollutants collect on your car paint or will build-up over time due to exposure to the elements of weather. These pollutants can be felt on the paint surface in the form of a gritty, bumpy feel when sliding your hand across a freshly washed car.

The clay bar will not be necessary everytime you wax your car, but it will be part of ongoing maintenance. I will not go into detail here on clay bars themselves, but just know it is a critical step in the process of taking care of your car paint.

Clay Bar Check List:

• See clay bar process for a complete understanding.
  
• See clay bar kit for beginners all-in-one detail clay kits.
• You will need to use at least once on any car (even your brand new car.
• Will need to use occasionally as new airborne pollutants collect on your cars paint. (this may be as little as once a year or as often as every other month; only you can decide based on where you live and how demanding your expectations are)
• Use on a freshly washed car, prior to any application of wax.
• Use on your car windows to remove same airborne pollutants and to make your car windows easier to clean.

---

Waxing Your Car

Every car needs protection on the paint in the form of wax and/or sealant. To simplify the moment; wax generally refers to a wax product formulated from a base of carnauba wax. Sealants refer to synthetic ingredients and are generally called sealants. Most products today are hybrids and contain elements of both natural and synthetic ingredients. You needn't get hung-up on the differences when first starting out. 

Spray waxes in my opinion are the winning combination when choosing an auto wax. Advances in chemical engineering have made the car waxing process much easier. Gone are the days of spending all weekend washing and waxing your car. A quality spray wax can be applied and taken off in minutes, not hours.

Car Wax Check List:

• Use a quality paste wax as your foundation of protection and visual enhancement.
• Use a spay wax/detailer as a wax extender as often as you like for that just waxed look.
• See best car wax review for my top combination picks of car waxes.

Interior Car Care

Interior auto detailing for women can be just as simplified as paint care. It simply requires a few basic tools many of you will already have around the house and one simple product of your choosing called an all-purpose cleaner. Yes the industry would have you believe you need a special, and dedicated cleaner for every type of material found within your car's interior; but you don't. See my car upholstery cleaner for my specific picks to simplify your duties.

Interior Detailing Tools

The good news is that most people already have these items around the house. 

---

Interior Cleaning Steps

1. Vacuum First.
2. Spray area to be cleaned lightly with spray bottle containing All-Purpose cleaner diluted to proper strength.
3. Scrub area with choice of scrub brush.
4. Mop up dirty area with cloth.
5. Repeat as necessary.

If you have a brand new car, cleaning the interior can be as simple as vacuuming, dusting with the make-up brush, and wiping the interior surfaces down with a pre-dampened cloth with cleaner on the rag. This can take about 2-3 minutes tops. Areas of high use can simply be lightly shampooed anytime you have an extra moment or so.

The basic steps from above will work on virtually any material or surface you will have to clean within your cars interior including but not limited to the following:

• Carpeting, floor mats, velour and cloth upholstery.
• Vinyl/plastic door panels, entry door plates, seat hardware, etc.
• Headliners of all kinds.
• Even your car leather upholstery.
  

If you have a car that has been neglected for a long time, your chore will require far more effort the first time around and might be wise to break the interior down into sections so you don't overwhelm yourself. My experience has shown that once you see how easy it can be to spruce up the cars interior with these simple tools and cleaner, you will become more and more motivated to work your way through the entire car!

Auto Detailing for Women Summary

Let me summarize the essentials of what the take away should be from this page:

• Dirt is as bad for your cars paint and cars interior as it is in every other area life; meaning, the longer you allow dirt to linger and hang around, the more damaging it is to the material. The point is be consistent with your cleaning efforts so your cleaning efforts are more about maintenance, rather than restoration.
• While many car enthusiasts love to hype-up the need to wash your car by hand and never trust your car to a car wash, by out-sourcing to a quality car wash you will gain back critical time and energy that can be better used to do more of the critical parts of car care like waxing and detailing.
• Washing your car once a week is ideal; obviously you will just have to figure out what works in your world. With my wife's car, we use the car wash next to the gym we go to and kill 2 birds with one stone. Then I simply do the other required maintenance and detailing at home after the car has been cleaned. The reality is that most of us are not driving around show cars. It is a pet peeve of mine when someone disparages using a car wash on one hand, but then lets their car build up 2 months worth of dirt because they can't seem to find the time to wash it themselves...just doesn't make sense people!
• Every car will need the use of detailing clay (also commonly called the clay bar, surface prep bar, etc.), even your brand new car. Until you have experienced just how smooth and clean this amazing little slab of clay can make your car paint feel, it is hard to imagine! Not only will the next critical step of waxing be easier, but your car will stay cleaner longer and look better after regular washing. It is like my wife's hair after going to the salon; her hair looks better and is more manageable for longer periods of time.
• You could spend days researching website after website trying to find the best clay bar, wax, or interior cleaner; trust my experience here and simplify your life. If you do decide to do "research", one thing I can promise is you will find endless opinions and you will walk away more frustrated and confused than ever!
• The detailing clay should be used initially to prepare your paint for wax. Use it on a freshly washed car and preferably on a shaded and cool paint surface. Depending on your area of the world you live, you will need to repeat the exfoliating (detailing clay) process every 6-12 months. Garage kept cars will need it far less often than cars kept outdoors at night.
• Use micro-fiber towels to apply and remove the spray wax. Follow manufacturers directions of use.
• If you lack the motivation or time to attack the interior, simply vacuuming and wiping your cars interior down regularly with a cloth pre-dampened with cleaner will go far to keeping your cars interior looking great. Don't forget to use the make-up brush to quickly keep the vents and gauges dusted.

1. Home Page
›
2. Detailing Tips
›
3. This Page