Ultimate DIY Car Detailing Guide

Time to hit the open road! The summer months mean it is time for family vacations and road trips. With warmer temperatures and longer days, many people tend to opt for DIY cleaning rather than going to a professional car detailing service. There are two types of people – pre-road trip detailers and post-road trip detailers. At Rug Doctor® by BISSELL® rental, we say do both! Paying for car detailing before and after a road trip could potentially cost you hundreds of dollars and cut into your road trip snack budget. We put together this guide to help you do a great DIY auto-cleaning job. Pair this guide with our rental machines to help you deep clean your car inside and out!

Detailing the Inside of Your Vehicle

Before getting started get all of your materials needed to start cleaning.

You will need:

• A Vacuum cleaner
• Microfiber cloths
• Window cleaner
• A Rug Doctor® by BISSELL® carpet cleaning machine with the upholstery tool add on

Use our Store Locator to find a carpet cleaning rental near you. If you are only cleaning your car, consider looking for a location that rents a portable deep cleaner. Looking to do some more cleaning? Rent the upright carpet cleaner and upholstery tool, you can deep clean carpets, rugs, upholstery, and your auto interior with a full-size machine and the upholstery tool add on. We recommend pairing your rental with our spot & upholstery cleaning solution and even a pre-treatment if you have tough-to-clean stains. Cleaning solutions can be found in store at the rental racks.

Once you have everything you need, follow this easy step-by-step guide to deep clean the inside of your vehicle.

1. Prepare your vehicle for deep cleaning
   Remove the car seats from the vehicle. Check your car seat’s manual for how to remove the cloth covering and wash it in the washing machine. While the cloth covers are in the wash, wipe down the outside of the car seat with a wet cloth. You don’t want to tarnish a beautifully, newly cleaned car with a dirty car seat!
   
   Check all nooks and crannies in your car to remove all trash and other clutter. Take this time to go through anything you want to store in your car so that it is easier to organize later.
   
   Remove the floor mats and lay them across a bench or on cement. Do not lay them on the ground. You don’t want to get the bottom of them dirty and then place them back in your newly clean car.
   
2. Vacuum
   Now that the mats are out of the vehicle, vacuum the entire car. Most vacuums come with a crevice tool. Use your crevice tool to vacuum between the seats and the doors and between the seat and the middle console.  Don’t forget to vacuum the floor mats you removed too!
3. Deep clean with your rental machine
   Now you are ready to deep clean. Follow the instructions as listed on your machine. See a quick overview of how to use our rental deep cleaners here (link to our general how to use page). Start deep cleaning with your floor mats so they can dry while you clean the rest of your vehicle. Lay the floor mats on swept concrete or over a bench in the sun to dry. Move on to the car seats and then shampoo the floorboard of your car. You can also do the trunk or storage space areas. Our machines are designed for soft surfaces only, do not use them on leather. Reference your vehicle’s manual for instructions on how to clean leather seats.
   
4. Wipe everything down
   Use a microfiber cloth to wipe down the interior of the car including the dash, steering wheel, doors, and console. Don’t forget to wipe down the seatbelts, air conditioning vents, and cup holders, too.
   
   Spray window cleaner directly into the microfiber cloth and wipe down the inside of the windshield and windows.
   
   Spray interior protectant directly onto all hard surfaces and buff with a clean microfiber cloth. An interior protectant helps to keep your dash and other areas from cracking and fading.
   
   After the interior soft and hard surfaces are dry, return your floor mats and the other items you have removed to your vehicle.

Detailing the Exterior of Your Vehicle

You will need:

• Pressure washer rental
• Water
• 5-gallon bucker
• Soft Sponge
• Microfiber cloths
• Window Cleaner
• Car wash soap
• Wheel Cleaner (optional)

Check the weather to make sure there is no rain in the forecast on your cleaning day. Use the filter on our Store Locator to find a location that has pressure washers available to rent.  

Never used a pressure washer? Click here for instructions.

1. Start with the wheels
   Wash your wheels using either soap and water or wheel cleaner. Be sure to clean the front face and inside the wheel’s barrel.
2. Prepare our vehicles for cleaning
   Pre-rinse your vehicle with the Pro Electric Pressure Washer.
   IMPORTANT: Keep the end of the spray wand at least 4 feet away from the vehicle, use a low pressure nozzle and avoid spraying in areas with paint defects or deep scratchers to prevent damage to the paint.
3. Wash your vehicle!
   Add a small amount of soap to the 5-gallon bucket and fill it with water. Use your soft sponge to clean the entire vehicle moving from top to bottom. Move the sponge in a small circular motion.
   
   Use the Pressure Washer to rinse from top to bottom. Make sure to check the wheels and all over the vehicle to rinse off all the soap.
   
   Use the microfiber towel to dry. Be sure to dry along the window edges, between the hood and windshield, around the windshield wipers, and the roof.
4. Wipe down your windows
   Pull your windshield wipers out. Spray a microfiber cloth with glass cleaner and wipe down all windows. Push windshield wipers back in. You can also use this on your headlights and taillights.

Put your car back together

It’s time to put all the clean dried seat covers and floor mats back into your car and admire your hard work!

Clean the Rental Machine(s)

Now that your car is sparkling inside and out, it’s time to do the same with the rental machine. Empty both dirty water and clean water tanks.  Make sure to check the brushes on the machine and the upholstery tool if used. Wipe down the outside of the machine(s). Once they are cleaned, return them to the store you rented from. Returning a machine late or dirty can result in additional charges.

Keeping Your Vehicle Clean While on the Road (Hacks)

Whether you deep clean your car before you leave on a road trip or not, there are steps you can take while on the road to help limit the amount of post-road trip cleanup. Use some of these hacks during your next road trip to keep your vehicle clean while on the road.

• Have a potty-training toddler and don’t want to backslide into diapers? Place puppy pads in the bottom of the car seat to help prevent accidents from soaking through to the car seat covering.
• Keep small trash bags in the vehicle and any time you stop, fill one up and toss it.
• Don’t let stains set in. Keep a stain cleaner on hand and use it for spills or other stains before they are set. We recommend one of our Oxy Spot & Pre-treat sprays. They are great at removing stains and odors from food, coffee, tea, juice, soda, and other road trip essentials.
• If traveling with a pet, keep a lint brush on hand and give your seats or pet area a once-over with it at every stop.
• If taking a long trip, every so often run your vehicle through an automatic car wash. This will keep bugs, dirt, and debris from building up.
• Keep a couple of small caddies or eating trays on hand to make fast food dining less messy.

Don’t Stress and Have a Great Time on Your Road Trip

While a clean car can feel good, quality time with those you love feels even better. The most important tips we can give you are to drive safely, eat all the snacks, and have fun! No matter what spills or stains you collect along the way, there is no need to stress. Rug Doctor® by BISSELL® rental machines will be here to help when you get back from your epic adventure!