Washing Inside and Outside

[Tlyke1983]

I'm going to try and wax my car myself for the first time, (I usually have other people do it) and was wondering what products are recommended. I've heard of Zaino but it's a bit pricey. A while ago someone mentioned a cheap alternative available at Walmart but I can't remember the name. I also would like to wash/clean the inside. I use my car for a volunteer service and as a result there are a lot of new stains in my honey. Basically I'm looking for a good car wash and wax. I've tried looking through the threads but there are a LOT of them and all mention Zaino products.

Thanks

Tamara

[dogfriend]

You might be thinking of NuFinish which is available at Walmart. I have been using NanoWax which is also available at Walmart. It is easy to apply and it seems to be holding up well so far. Its available in Liquid with a pump and also as a spray-on/wipe off version.

You should use a Car Wash product; don't try to use dishwashing liquid unless you are purposely trying to remove previously applied wax. Dishwashing liquid is too harsh.

On the inside, you might try Simple Green (dilute per instructions on bottle with water) to get any stains out.

Lots of different choices for cleaning / waxing products.

[Godiva]

I use Meguiar's.

It's not so much what you use but how you use it.

Don't use old towels and T-shirt as they may be dirty and swirl your paint.

Wash the wheels last for the same reason.

Stuff like that.

I love the Absorber for drying my car. It's amazing.

I use mostly Meguiar's NXT line. I also own a dual action polisher but most don't go that far.

Use two buckets, one for clean soapy water and one for the dirty rinse water. Don't use dishwashing liquid; use a real car shampoo.

[1fixitman]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tlyke1983 @ Aug 14 2007, 05:30 PM) [snapback]495613[/snapback]</div>

I'm going to try and wax my car myself for the first time, (I usually have other people do it) and was wondering what products are recommended. I've heard of Zaino but it's a bit pricey. A while ago someone mentioned a cheap alternative available at Walmart but I can't remember the name. I also would like to wash/clean the inside. I use my car for a volunteer service and as a result there are a lot of new stains in my honey. Basically I'm looking for a good car wash and wax. I've tried looking through the threads but there are a LOT of them and all mention Zaino products.

Thanks

Tamara
[/b]

I recently cleaned the interior (cloth and carpet) of my Nissan Sentra that is up for sale. I used carpet stain remover for house carpet for the really bad stains. The Bissel brand I think and something called OXY ????? in a spray bottle. You will find it near the carpet cleaner stuff and other cleaning supplies. Or you can mix up some oxy clean in some really hot water to allow it to dissolve and put it in a spray bottle. The spray bottle you can usually find in the gardening area in communist walmart or kmart if you actually still have one of those around. I have one of those water hose sprayer nozzles that has a mist setting on the nozzle that I purchased from lowes/home depot. I chose an area to clean, lets just say drivers side carpet area. I lightly misted the carpet with the sprayer nozzle to get the floorboard area moist. I then sprayed some carpet stain remover on the heavy spots then sprayed 409 cleaner on the rest of the area in general. I let it sit for about 2 minutes. I then used a long handle scrub brush to scrub the area. This brush head is about 2 inches by 2 inches so it gets into some small areas. Instead of a scrub brush on the seats I used a wash rag that was already moist/wet. If it is does not bubble up/suds up a little bit then add a little more mist/water and or cleaning solution. Then I used the shop vac/wet dry vac with 2 inch suction hose (with the dry filter removed) to remove the soapy solution. If you do not properly rinse the area to be free of soap then it will get dirty very quickly when it dries as soap is kind of sticky if it stays there. I took the mist sprayer water hose and sprayed ahead of the vaccum and instead of lightly misting I deliberately got the carpet really wet. If you vaccum directly behind it then it will not soak into the floor beyond the carpet. You will figure out how to hold the sprayer and the vaccum hose at the same time to be the most efficient with this.If someone helps you it is a little easier but I did this by my self. It takes some work but the results are amazing at the least. I used this regiment for the entire car from seats to carpet. it looks brand new. You will have the smell of 409 in the car for at least 3 days and it will take about 1.5 days to dry in this heat. You should keep the windows slightly cracked to keep the heat in but to vent moisture out.

Warning: Before using any product on your vehicle fabric upholstery, carpet, or vinyl, test for color fading (colorfast) by cleaning a small, inconspicuous area. Do not use the product if it adversely changes your fabric’s color or texture.

This should get your interior clean.....it is not for the weak at heart. You will sweat and it takes lots of work. I can not help you on the outside as I use Zaino and it works wonders. Little pricey but it is a top quality product. At minimum please get some claybar for the outside as it removes stuff that a general car washing by hand leaves behind. Any carnuba based wax will not last very long...hence the Zaino
I hope this is very helpful for you as it took me forever to type it all. LOL

[doubleg2005]

Personally, I'm fond of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap

it's really mild and can be used for just about anything. I use it as body wash, dog shampoo, dishwashing liquid, car soap, carpet cleaner...etc.

[Tideland Prius]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tlyke1983 @ Aug 14 2007, 02:30 PM) [snapback]495613[/snapback]</div>

I'm going to try and wax my car myself for the first time, (I usually have other people do it) and was wondering what products are recommended. I've heard of Zaino but it's a bit pricey. A while ago someone mentioned a cheap alternative available at Walmart but I can't remember the name. I also would like to wash/clean the inside. I use my car for a volunteer service and as a result there are a lot of new stains in my honey. Basically I'm looking for a good car wash and wax. I've tried looking through the threads but there are a LOT of them and all mention Zaino products.

Thanks

Tamara
[/b]

Here's my ammo:

- Sundance Car Wash
- Microfibre cloth to dry the car. Make sure it's Made in Korea. Those are the best ones.
- Mother's Claybar Kit (will switch to Meguire's cause Mother's kit comes with a wax and I don't need it)
- Mother's Pre-Wax Cleaner (probably not necessary if you have the claybar kit)
- Mother's Sealant/Glaze (needed if you want depth and shine)
- Mother's Pure Carnuba Paste Wax (pure wax, no additives)


I also have Mother's Pure Carnuba Cleaner Wax which you can use if you want to skip the pre-wax and S/G step. It's basically an all-in-one if you don't have the time or don't want to spend the money. It works well but again having that pure carnuba wax layer will probably make you want to spend the extra time and money especially on a darker colour car.

I've also heard good reviews about Klasse AIO (All-In-One) so you might want to look into that. I have no connection to the Mother's brand, they just happen to be the most accessible brand at Canadian Tire.



For the interior, I use a swiffer cloth for dust and a damp cloth soaked in "Dettol" solution for anti-bacterial cleaning. You can use the equivalent if you want (Lysol or Febreze or what have you).