Many car dealerships and mechanic shops offer car detailing. While these services are professional services, they are charged at a premium. You can easily replicate some of the car detailing down in shops at home with a little bit of creativity and elbow grease. These 7 DIY detailing tips are sure to leave your car on fleek and your pockets full.

Deep Clean Carpet and Upholstery

You can use a few different items to clean carpet and upholstery in your car. Instead of paying someone to do a deep clean for, you could purchase a carpet cleaning machine or a vacuum cleaner.

Use the vacuum cleaner to pick up an excess dirt or grit. Then you can use a carpet cleaner to clean the upholstery and carpet.

Polish The Finish

You don’t need to go into a shop to get a nice polished finish. A simple way to impress with your car is to polish it. Polishing your car will give it a nice gloss that shines in the sun.

But what if you don’t have the money to buy an industrial polisher. Well, you can make your own! To make a polisher you will need the following items:

• Drill machine
• Sponge
• Synthetic rubber adhesive
• Dent removal stems from pops-a-dent
• Spray can cap
• Screws
• Knife

To construct the car polisher, you can follow the “instructables” tutorial found here. 

Brush out Air Vents with a Feather Duster or Compressed Air Duster

Your air vents can collect dust dirt over time. To clean out your air vents you can either use a duster or a compressed air duster can. Both options are cheap alternatives to a professional clean and it is a blast to use a compressed air duster to blow the dust out of your car’s vents.

Apply Paint Sealant

If you have lived in a city for any amount of time you have probably seen how paint is constantly being chipped off the side of your car. Some dealers will try to offer this service to you for around $300 - $400but there is a cheaper more DIY way.

All you need to easily apply paint sealant to yourself is the following:

• Paint Sealant
• Microfiber Towel
• Foam

Simply apply the paint sealant to the foam, and spread the paint sealant around the body of your car. You can remove excess paint sealant with the microfiber towel.

Scrape off Stickers

Over the years you may have collected funny or ironic stickers. While the Star Wars family stickers are always a nice touch, maybe you find yourself wishing you had supported Star Trek instead. 

The following items will be necessary to scrape of stickers:

• Plastic Putty Knife
• Goo Gone

You can easily remove some stickers by taking the flat edge of the plastic putty knife, place it on the corner of the sticker at a 90-degree angle and life. If there is residue left you can use Goo Gone to get rid of it.

Cleaning the Nooks, Crannies, and Crevices

Why pay for an inside car detail clean when you can clean those crevices on your own? To get into the smaller areas on your console, dash, and glove compartment, you can use the following items.

• Dull screwdriver
• Cloth
• All-Purpose cleaner

Wrap the cloth around the dull screwdriver, and use the screwdriver to scrape out the grime. You can lay down the all-purpose cleaner to get rid of any excess gunk that is left behind.

Wash Plastic and Vinyl Consoles

Plastic and vinyl consoles can accumulate smudges, grease stains, and all other kinds of mysterious goo. These areas are highly visible by car passengers, and you don’t want dirty consoles if you are trying to impress.

Luckily you only need 3 items to detail your plastic and vinyl consoles:

• Small towel
• SEM Soap
• Scruff pad

You can apply SEM soap to the scruff pad and scrub away at your consoles. Finish by applying wiping away the soap with a warm, damp towel.

Remember Car Detailing Does Not Have to Be Expensive

The purpose of using DIY solutions is to save money and learn new skills. By using these DIY tips to detail your car you will have a car that is both spotless and fresh. With enough practice, you may even be able to open a small detailing shop on your own.