Beginner's Guide to Car Detailing in Calgary

This beginner’s guide to car detailing in Calgary walks you through a full detail, along with all the tools you’ll need, the steps, mistakes to avoid, and how to maintain your vehicle going forward.

Detailing has a lot of steps and it takes time, but the right system makes it a bit easier. Start with the interior, then move to the exterior, and take your time along the way.

What Detailing Your Own Car Actually Involves

Washing and detailing are two different things.

A wash is extremely simple. You rinse your car, wash it, and dry it, and that gets the majority of the dirt off. For the interior, it’s just a basic wipe-down and vacuum.

Detailing is about getting into nooks and crannies, doing each step properly to reduce the risk of scratching, and finishing with protection. You’ll be working on areas that are easy to miss, such as between and under the seats, the buttons, the vents, the headliner, and many more.

The Beginner Detailing Kit: What to Buy First

You don’t need professional equipment to start, but stay away from household products. Here are the must-haves and the things that can wait until later.

What You Need to Start

For the interior:

Wet/dry shop vac: To vacuum the interior and suction light amounts of water, with attachments that reach into cracks and crevices.
Detailing brushes: For brushing the buttons, the vents, the seams, and hard-to-reach areas.
Interior detailer: Cleans and protects your interior surfaces.
Upholstery cleaner: For cloth seats, carpets, and fabric floor mats.
Stiff brush: For scrubbing the rubber and fabric floor mats.
Microfiber towels: For cleaning and wiping the plastics, vinyls, seats, carpets, and glass.
Spray bottle: For spraying a little water on the fabric mats and on your towel for the screens.
Ammonia-free glass cleaner: For the interior windows.
Drill brush (optional): Speeds up scrubbing the mats, carpets, and upholstery.

For the exterior:

Hose: For rinsing the car and the mats.
Two buckets: For the two-bucket wash method, one for your car soap and one for your rinse water.
Grit guards: One for each bucket, keeping the dirt at the bottom and off your wash mitts.
Wash mitts: For washing the paint.
pH-neutral car shampoo: Won’t strip your paint protection.
Wheel cleaner: Cleans the wheels, tires, and wheel wells.
Tire brushes: To scrub and clean the tires.
Wheel brushes: To scrub and wash the face of the wheels.
Wheel well brushes: For scrubbing the wheel wells.
Drying towel: Dries the car after the wash.
Ammonia-free glass cleaner: For the exterior windows.
Microfiber towels: For the exterior windows and buffing off the wax.
Spray wax or paste wax: Protects the paint.
Applicators: One for the tire dressing and one for the paste wax.
Tire dressing: Adds shine and protection to the tires.

Choose your wax based on how much time you’d like to spend on your vehicle. Spray wax is the quicker option, and it lasts about 2 to 4 weeks. Paste wax takes longer to apply and lasts up to about 3 months.

What Can Wait Until Later

Pressure washer: Makes it easier to rinse the car and clean the mats.
Foam cannon: Covers the car in foam before the wash.
Blower: Blows water out of the seams and mirrors before you towel dry.
Steamer: For deep cleaning seats and upholstery.
Extractor: For deep cleaning seats and upholstery.

Where You Can Wash Your Car in Calgary

In Calgary, you can only use water when you wash your car in your driveway or on the street. The Stormwater Bylaw doesn’t allow soap of any kind, not even biodegradable soap. If you’re caught, the fine is $3,000.

Storm drains carry water straight to the rivers. That’s why we recommend a car wash, as the water goes to the treatment plant instead.

You can go to a self-service car wash, where a lot of the things you’ll need are provided. Bring your own wash mitts and avoid using their brushes, as they can cause micro scratches.

If you decide to wash at home, we recommend using the rinseless wash method.

Shade and Drying

Whenever you wash, work in the shade and keep the car out of direct sunlight. The sun dries products and water quickly, which can leave streaks and water spots. If not treated right away, those spots can etch into the paint.

Calgary’s water is hard, with a lot of minerals in it. When those minerals dry on the paint, they create water spots. A lot of car washes use filtered, spot-free water with most of those minerals taken out, so it’s less likely to leave spots. Either way, dry the car right away instead of letting it air dry.

The Order to Detail a Car In

Start with the interior, then the exterior.

With the interior done first, the doors stay shut while you wash, so no water drips inside. You also don’t want debris from outside getting into a clean interior.

If you start with the exterior, the clean car sits with its doors open while you work on the interior, and dirt from inside can end up on the paint.

Interior Detailing Steps for Beginners

Remove personal items: Take everything out of the car first so nothing is in your way and important things aren’t accidentally vacuumed up.
Clean the floor mats: Take out the floor mats. Rinse rubber mats with water, spray them with your interior detailer, and scrub hard with your stiff brush. Rinse them again and leave them to air dry. For fabric mats, vacuum first. Apply a little upholstery cleaner and scrub it in with your stiff brush. Then use your spray bottle to rinse out the cleaner with as little water as you can, and pull the water back out with your wet/dry shop vac.
Vacuum the interior: Vacuum the entire interior, including the seats, between and under them, and all the cracks and crevices.
Clean the seats: For leather seats, apply your interior detailer, agitate it with detailing brushes, then wipe it. For cloth seats, apply as little upholstery cleaner as possible. Agitate it with a soft drill brush or a microfiber towel, and blot the dirt up.
Clean the carpets: Apply as little upholstery cleaner as possible to all carpets. Agitate with a drill brush or a microfiber towel, and blot the dirt up.
Clean the plastics: Spray your interior detailer on the towel or brush, not directly on the buttons or vents. Wipe and brush all plastics, including the crevices, vents, and cup holders. Wipe the steering wheel, the gloss or piano black trim, and the dash. For screens and gauge clusters, spray a clean microfiber towel with water, then clean them.
Clean the headliner: Avoid using too much product, as it can affect the glue. Apply a little interior detailer to a clean microfiber towel and gently rub the headliner to lift the dirt without smearing it.
Clean the glass: Spray the towel, not the glass, and clean all interior glass until streak-free, including the rear-view mirror.
Put the mats back: Ensure the floor mats are dry to the touch, then put them back in the car.

Exterior Detailing Steps for Beginners

Clean the wheels and tires: Wash the wheels and tires first. Fill one of the two buckets with water for your brushes. Make sure the wheels are cool, then spray the wheel cleaner on the wheel wells, tires, and wheels. Scrub them with your brushes before the cleaner dries. Once done, rinse the wheels, tires, and wheel wells, and thoroughly rinse out that bucket so you can use it for the paint.
Set up your buckets: Fill one bucket with water and car shampoo. That’s your soap bucket. Fill the second with plain water. That’s your rinse bucket.
Rinse the car: Rinse the whole car from the top down, getting rid of all the debris.
Foam the car (optional): If you have a foam cannon, cover the entire car in foam after the rinse, and move on to the next step with the foam still on.
Wash the car: Wash from the top down, one section at a time, side to side, never in circles. Rinse your mitt in the rinse bucket after every section before going back in the soap bucket.
Rinse and dry: Rinse all the soap off, and dry the car right away with your drying towel.
Dress the tires: With your applicator, apply a light coat of tire dressing to the sidewalls, keeping it off the tread and the wheels.
Wax the paint: Apply the wax to the paint. If using paste wax, apply it with your paste wax applicator. Once dry, buff it off with a dry microfiber towel.
Clean the glass: Clean the exterior windows until streak-free.

Beginner Detailing Mistakes to Avoid

A lot of the cars that come to us need fixing because of mistakes made during a wash at home or at another shop.

Using harsh products: Using harsh products can discolor some of the vinyl and plastics.
Using too much product: Too much product leads to wicking, where all the dirt resurfaces as the fabric dries.
Putting a dropped mitt back on the paint: Once a wash mitt hits the ground, it picks up a lot of dirt that rinsing won’t fully get out, so it’s best to switch to a clean one.
Using a magic eraser: Using a magic eraser can scratch the paint and leave dull patches on plastics, as it’s abrasive.
Putting wet mats back in your vehicle: Putting wet mats back in your vehicle can cause smells in the interior.

How Long It Takes and How to Maintain Your Vehicle in Calgary

The first full detail can take anywhere from 6 to 10 hours, depending on the size and condition of your vehicle.

We recommend a full car detail every 2 to 4 months for your daily driver.

Between full details, keep up with touch-ups. Vacuum lightly and often, and wipe down any dust you see. Deal with stains and spills right away, and keep washing your vehicle consistently.

Keeping up with all of that is harder in Calgary’s winter. The City spreads salt on the road, and all winter it ends up in your carpets and on your paint. Washing your car might not be possible when it’s freezing out.

This is where a professional detailer comes in, keeping your vehicle clean through the winter so you don’t have to wait until spring or summer.

When to Hand It to a Professional

If it feels like too much for you, you don’t have the time or the required tools, or you want a professional result, you should look into hiring a professional detailer.

Some jobs should be left strictly to professional detailers:

Paint correction
Etched water spots
Ceramic coatings
Headlight restoration
Deep shampooing and extraction
Engine bay cleaning

FAQs

Can I wash my car in my driveway in Calgary?

Only with water, as the Stormwater Bylaw doesn’t allow soap of any kind. If you’re going to do it on your driveway, we recommend using the rinseless wash method.

Do I need a pressure washer to detail my car?

No, you can use a hose. A pressure washer can wait until later.

Can I use dish soap to wash my car?

No. Dish soap can strip your paint protection, so stick to a pH-neutral car shampoo.

How long does it take to detail a car for the first time?

Your first detail can take anywhere from 6 to 10 hours, depending on the size and condition of your vehicle.

Should I detail the inside or the outside first?

Clean the interior first, then the exterior. When the interior is done, all the doors are shut, and there’s no need to go back inside because it’s already clean.

Can I detail my car in the winter in Calgary?

You can, but washing your car in the winter might not be possible for a lot of people. A professional detailer can keep your vehicle clean through the winter, so you don’t have to wait until spring.

Do I need to clay bar my car as a beginner?

No, you don’t need to. Clay is something best left to the pros, especially if you’re detailing your vehicle for the first time.

Final Thoughts

As a beginner, you’re capable of detailing your own vehicle. It does take time, and there are a lot of steps, but if you stay patient and work through them one at a time, you’ll get your vehicle from dirty to looking like new.

If all of this feels intimidating, you’re worried you messed something up, or you’d rather not do it yourself, that’s where we come in. At Grandeur Autos, we offer a full range of detailing services to get your vehicle looking like new again. Give us a call or fill out our form.

A Beginner’s Guide to Car Detailing in Calgary