So, I recently started detailing cars for my summer job (I'm 17). I've had 3 cars this week so far and several more people want me to do theirs, so I'm quite happy with the amount of business I'm getting so far! (actually it's a bit overwhelming). One thing I've been having trouble with is removing bugs from the front of cars, and road grime and debris from the bottoms of the doors and bumpers. None of the cars I detailed were in great shape, and I ended up having to scrub them off. I know that's not an accepted practice, but it was all I could do :sorry: I'm going to be ordering some supplies in the next couple of days, and I'd like to know what you recommend for removing bugs and road debris, such as this: Another thing I've had to deal with is pet hair. All 3 cars had pet hair in them. Not tons of it, but dog hair has a way of embedding itself in the carpet. The worst was a 2006 Mazda MPV, the carpet held onto the dog hair and I had to vacuum the same spot over and over while using a brush to agitate the hair out of the carpet. This didn't damage the carpet any, but it was really time consuming, and once again I know there has to be a better way to go about this. Is there some sort of pet hair roller that you use to remove it? And another quick question while I'm asking stuff...Below is a picture of my wash mitt. I assumed it was sheepskin, but I'm not 100% sure. There are no tags or anything, I just found it in a box in our garage. Should I keep using it, or buy a new one while I'm ordering stuff? Thanks in advance for all the help! Clark
Having two dogs myself, A rubber bristle brush + vacuum is the most effective way to remove dog hair that is embedded. You can try a lint roller or tape, but I prefer the brush + vacuum.
as fars as bugs and tar go, you can try an apc and let it dwell a little bit: which should help, as far as other posible products zep citrus degreaser has worked pretty good for me; megiuars body solvent is supposed to be good as well, another popular choice is stoners tarminater, could be less cost effective though.
I have a couple bottles of Surf City Garage Road Trip Grime Destroyer which I like, but isn't the most economical. You can definitely dilute it, actually I'd recommend it, at least 1:1 but probably up to 3:1 would work fine. It has a nice cling time and cleans well. APC or Zep Citrus (both diluted) will definitely work to soften whatever grime is on there. Duragloss Bug Remover I think is LSP safe, or at least their sealant safe, and smells awesome (blueberry). I don't recall it having as good of cleaning power (it might have), but it definitely helps a lot. As far as pet hair goes, I find that using a nitrile glove helps 'rake' the hair into a pile for removal. Here's a cheap pet hair removal brush from ADS that should be nice. Cheap too. http://www.autodetailingsolutions.net/phb-1.html
Here is a nice 5 step process. 1. Get yourself a rubber DISH glove(normally bright yellow). 2. Put on Glove 3. Rub gloved hand over hair covered area in a sweeping motion. 4. Throw away all hair that has stuck to the glove 5 Repeat until no more hair. Otherwise, try vaccuming the area, then using a damp mf towel, wipe the carpet. A good short nap grabby mf will do a good job at pulling the hair out of the carpet.
Thanks for all the advice so far! I'll try out the rubber glove tip on the detail I do in the next couple of days, since I don't have time to order anything between now and then. As for using APC on those spots...I tried that. I used Megs APC 4:1, let it dwell, and it still required scrubbing with a sponge to remove the bugs and debris. Should I have to scrub the bugs and stuff off, or will a good enough cleaner remove it without much scrubbing? I'll try some of my MS SGS 2:1 that I normally use on tires and see how that works out.
check walmart for prep-all or prep-sol. should be around where they sell bondo and the like. its a wax and tar remover. follow the directions on the bottle. that should be of some help.
Sometimes prepall is in the paint section too. Just FYI. Some stores are laid out a little different. Like my local walmart. Stupid b*tches don't even have autoglym stuff yet.
MS SGS worked well at 3:1 to remove road grime. Spray it on and let it dwell for 5 or os minutes. If that does not work get some Surf City Grime spray from PepBoys or some 1z W99 as it is golden and really cuts through almost anything. You can also pick up a bug sponge, one of those sponges that have a net like fabric over them. Can find them at wal-mart, target, k-mart and makes it a little easier and if used wet and what not it will not mar.
For pet hair, i prefer to use, vinyl glove, meg lint removal brush, vacuum and a steel bristle brush. Find it more effective than lint roller, tape, velcro, wet sponge especially on uphostery. You might want to take a look at a pumice stone, I have not try that yet but looks promising.
If you've already tried APC for the bugs and road grime, I'd recommend trying Stoners Tarminator. Go to their site, they have deals if you buy in bulk. I tried it and liked it and bought a 5 gal pail. Try this for pet hair removal: Fur-Zoff - Environmentally-Friendly Pet Hair Removal Product
Thanks for everything so far I'm gonna try letting the APC dwell longer and use my stronger dilution of MS SGS (2:1, I use it on tires) as well and see how that works out. Once I've let it dwell, what should I use to remove all the debris? I'd rather not use my wash mitt...
You can use a bug sponge you can pick up at any store, a cheaper wash mitt (dread lock MF style mitt) or a plush MF.
