One of the things I like to do most is detail my car. I especially like to detail my car on a warm Spring day. Winters in Ohio can be hard on the car so as soon as possible I like to roll up the sleeves and remove any evidence that Winter was actually here!
Over the years I have developed a step by step process that takes about 3 – 4 hours to complete.
The first step for me is obviously to wash the vehicle. This is not your ordinary gloss over 
type wash. This is the full blown, sweat inducing, elbow grease effort wash that gets in all the nooks and crannies. This includes under the hood, the wheel wells – everywhere.
Next, the interior. First, I’ll vacuum the interior to remove the dirt. Secondly, off to the car wash to power wash the floor mats and watch the months of winter weather residue fall down the wall onto the wash bay floor. Then, shampoo the carpet in the car and scrub it with a scrub brush. Let dry, and then vacuum. Starting to sound like a recipe……
Once the carpet is complete it’s off to the seats, door trim and dash. I actually use a detail brush to get all the crumbs out. Once over with the window cleaner. Then, apply generous amounts of Armour All to the seats, door panels and dash.
Next, the windows. Again, the window cleaner but a twist here. I use newspaper to wipe the cleaner off of the windows. I learned this in my teens. For some reason, the newspaper leaves absolutely no streaks on the windows. By the way, inside and outside. Finish the job with Ozium air freshener – stuff is potent!
OK, back to the outside. Nothing beats a fresh coat of wax. My personal favorite is Meguiars. Some people will use a buffer – I use the pad provided and terry cloth rags to wipe it off.
Finally, shine the tires. Personal favorite is Tire Foam.
Once the job is complete, there is a real sense of accomplishment. And, somehow, it also makes the car seem newer and erases thoughts of trading and buying another one (Hello, my name is John and I trade cars often…..).
I think of backsplashes in the same light. In about the same 4 hours, you can transform your kitchen or some other area of your home, feel a sense of accomplishment and enjoy the new look of the area that you just (re)created.
How about you? Do you enjoy transforming things? Tell us about it!
