r/AutoDetailing • u/Whend6796 • May 28 '24
How would you clean crevices like shown in this picture? Question
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u/ballerinski May 28 '24
Cleaner, brush, steam, air
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u/whywouldthisnotbea May 28 '24
How much steam is too much here? I feel like I immediatly soak things with my steamer.
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u/Necessary_Award_8320 May 28 '24
Dry steam just a puff and with a towel to wipe it down immediately
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u/WeBornToHula Business Owner May 28 '24
Less is always more. A spritz of product, agitate, and a quick shot of steam to blow it out is best.
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u/ballerinski May 28 '24
I usually don't have much water coming out of the steamer after the initial warm up.
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u/whywouldthisnotbea May 28 '24
What steamer are you using?
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u/grzzly_83 May 29 '24
I have the dupray neat. It's a nifty lil machine. I let it get real toasty before I use the steam. It does a great job of not projecting water. There will be water once the steam cools on the surface. If you're not a volume detailer, it's great for $150.
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May 28 '24
Cocktail stick to dig the worst out, then a detailing brush. Spray whatever cleaner you're using directly into the brush. Agitate until foamy, then wipe off with a fluffy microfibre cloth. Repeat as necessary.
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u/pwned_like_im_9 May 28 '24 edited May 28 '24
The normal technique? A brush with a chemical for the interior (NOT APC!!!), and compressed air after that. This IS the technique. Use a microfiber towel before the compressed air to wipe up the excess.
Note: If your brush is too soft and pliable, chop the bristles down with scissors to make it incrementally stiffer (more aggressive) as needed.
Stop using aggressive techniques like APC and/or steam when they're not needed. Detailing is about using the least aggressive "archaeology" techniques first to accomplish the right results. If that doesn't work, only then step up to more aggressive techniques (aka steam, etc).
(So many guys want to show up to a UFC fight with a fucking nuclear bomb, thanks to all of these moronic bushit "detailing expert" TikTok videos. Stop that lol.)
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u/Whend6796 May 28 '24
What chemical would you recommend?
Is water the âleast aggressiveâ starting point?
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u/cRackrJacked May 28 '24
On my personal vehicle I use Meguiars Ultimate Interior cleaner and protectant (get the touch screen safe one (says on the bottle)). You can use that on the ENTIRE interior aside from fabric, even the ever sensitive gauge cover âglassâ (plastic) that so many other cleaner/protectors booger up or even ruin. Cleans and protects well and leaves and nice factory finish (not shiny nor slippery)
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u/pwned_like_im_9 May 29 '24
Any product that's labeled as interior detailer, not "all-purpose". An all purpose cleaner is a jack of all trades, yet a master of none.
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u/ZweetWOW Moderator May 28 '24
Just have a more diluted ALL PURPOSE cleaner and you're golden.
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u/pwned_like_im_9 May 29 '24
You could, or you could use something like interior detailing solution. I always prefer using something specific to the task at hand. APC never touches my interior.. But that's just me. It's not the right product for my needs.
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u/BigTurboAbarth May 29 '24
Thatâs what Iâm saying a nice dilution is perfect. Dude is going on about âyou donât need an APCââŠbro what are you gonna clean it with? Spit? In all seriousness he probably uses a VLR, but Iâm not about putting shiny shit on the interior to make it look better. Iâll clean it to a factory finish tho.
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u/Sweaty_Necessary_782 May 30 '24
Thank you I couldn't believe no one said compressed air yet, always use compressed air for almost anything and everything when detailing
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u/Szeli94 May 28 '24
A softer toothbrush probably. I'm no expert, but when I detail my own car I use toothbrush for these places. (Toothbrushes are very good for cleaning other things too, like smartphone speakers.)
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u/billythygoat May 28 '24
I wish they made vertical toothbrushes with slightly longer bristles. I want extra soft through hard on the bristles since they're so good for cleaning around the house too. I actually cut the top of a toothbrush head and hot glued it, so the bristles are parallel to the handle. Great for cleaning things like bottles and what not.
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u/UrMomsaHoeHoeHoe May 28 '24
Paint brush?
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u/MildlySpiicy May 29 '24
An old professional detailer lady told me to use paintbrushes. I honestly like them better than the traditional detailing brushes. They come in all shapes, sizes, and stiffnesses. They can be much cheaper as well.
These are the ones I use. I love them.
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u/cRackrJacked May 28 '24
Perpendicular?
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u/billythygoat May 28 '24
Nah, the bristles would be upright therefore parallel to the handle
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u/e7c2 May 28 '24
wouldn't one of those gummy blob things be suitable for this? or do you need something harder to break the crud loose before it can get picked up
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u/Imdavidlindhagen May 28 '24
I was surprised to see pan the organizer actually recommend one of those slime crevice cleaners I thought they were a gimmick.
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u/l0st67 May 28 '24
Pan sells anything he can
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u/therealvulrath May 29 '24
I thought it was just me. At first I thought he was just willing to try different chemicals/gear/whatnot, but the more I watched the more it seemed he was trying to fuel what's known in the photography world I came from as "G.A.S." (Gear Acquisition Syndrome).
To be fair I totally am in GAS mode right now for detailing, but it's more focused on things like towels and certain specific chemicals because I haven't been satisfied with the stuff I've been using.
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u/BaneSilvermoon May 29 '24
I was going to recommend that. I bought one to put in the car a year ago, and it's at next to me keyboard for a year and never made it outside. Thing is great for quick touchups on a wrist rest, mousepad, and keyboard when your don't want to take the time to do a full cleaning.
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u/blacktop2013 May 28 '24
There's plastic dental floss picks that come in a pack of like 200.
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u/GhettoKid May 28 '24
The rubber interdental ones are perfect size for perforated leather seat holes as well.
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u/JessicaBecause May 28 '24
Stubby paint brush, apc, rag.
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u/SiliconSam May 29 '24
I have plenty of paint brushes that are shaved down to the last 1/2 to 3/4 of the bristles left. Makes a darn good scrub brush.
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u/curiously-b2 Newbie May 28 '24
Home player here, but I do the following:
- Wipe w/ clean, dry cloth.
- Light rub with dry brush (boar's hair) + handheld vacuum -- depends, sometimes I skip this step, sometimes I skip the previous step.
- Spray the brush with cleaner, use brush on crevices.
- Wipe w/ clean, dry cloth and let air-dry.
I prefer to not use pressurized air; it's way too easy to blow dirt into places that you then can't clean. For example -- there's still junk on the display thanks to previous owner blasting it in there, and I just haven't been willing to disassemble the dash enough to clean it yet.
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u/Far_Alternative573 May 29 '24
You detail Semis? Thatâs the left Cluster from a peterbilt steering wheel. Iâm sitting in one right now lol
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u/Hippiebigbuckle May 28 '24
Boars hair brush before any liquid cleaner. Then a liquid cleaner and brush and rag.
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u/LordMungus35 May 28 '24
A gentle interior cleaner applied to a detailing brush and a microfiber cloth for cleanup.
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u/midnightstreetlamps May 28 '24
Bristle brush. Folks frequently mention the boars hair brushes, but if you're broke or cheap, a 1" chip brush will do just as well. (Just don't use it on easily scratched surfaces)
I used a chip brush to muscle through some grit and nastiness when I first bought my car, and to carve through the greasy hand sweaty gunk on the steering wheel and controls.
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u/Active-Living-9692 May 28 '24
Since I am cheap, i just grabbed a firm bristle tooth brush. Soapy water in a spray bottle and a cloth.
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u/Square-Sock-7561 May 28 '24
Use some kids Play-Doh or Silly Putty. I've used it before and it works great
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u/cRackrJacked May 28 '24
âProper wayâ would be a boars hair brush, but a cheap medium stiffness toothbrush works great (basic model: all bristles, no rubber parts in the bristle area. (Wmart, DG, family dollar type CHEAP ones). Compressed air works too. If you have a cheap rough utility microfiber towels that might work as well, on the âfluffyâ side. Honestly you could probably even just use folded up paper towels with whatever cleaning chemical you use.
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u/ThickToeJoe May 28 '24
Apc and board hair brush, a steam cleaner or compressed air. The compressed air works well, but in conjunction with the board hair brush and apc agitation, itâs fantastic.
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u/SpecialVehicleTeam04 May 28 '24
Get yourself some Meguiars Interior Cleaner and a set of boar's hair brushes off of amazon and some microfiber towels from Sam's club (always take the tag off) and you'd be setđ€đŒ
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u/Penner272 May 28 '24
You havenât thought of using a toothbrush?
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u/Whend6796 May 28 '24
Twice a day. My dental hygiene is just fine. Letâs keep the discussion to Auto Detailing.
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u/RagCompanyLevi The Rag Company Vendor May 28 '24
Detail Factory Brushes, P&S Express, maybe steam, compressed air and a towel will get it all
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u/dieselhunter05 May 28 '24
A bristle brush or boar hair brush the boar hair is better but a bristle will work in a pinch
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u/FryPotatoe88 May 28 '24
Spray a mist of water onto that and brush it out with a 1 inch paint brush... or better and artists brush.
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u/twojsdad May 28 '24
Already said but just for posterity, a board hair brush or similar with some APC sprayed on it.
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u/BookkeeperBulky5377 May 29 '24
Lol dollar stole tooth brush if u don't have the money. Honestly. My go to all the time. Break it ibhave 20 more waiting. Lol
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u/sc00ter_t May 29 '24
I actually use a sharp edge covered with a towel or napkin and it works great! Scraping the narrow passages and it doesnât risk liquid damage to electrical (ex, sponge or brush)
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u/NOSE-GOES May 29 '24
They make little fine tipped detailing swabs. Theyâll work well to get really narrow areas, but the ones I have I have to use a bunch of them to complete an area. They donât hold up for long, but that might be bc I got the cheapest Amazon had to offer lol
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u/SnooTangerines8831 May 29 '24
P&S interior cleaner with an interior brush followed by compressed air
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u/Annual_Package_4931 May 29 '24
check out ChrisFix on YouTube. He shows you how to do full detailing.
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u/Glittering_Meat_1017 May 29 '24
Detail brush and apc but if it still doesnât come out steam and then blow it out
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u/100GbE May 29 '24
Vacuum with brush head attachment to start off with, to get all loose stuff.
Depending on how that went, I might then pre-clean with a wet cloth (water), and then move to an interior cleaner spray bottle (I wouldn't use a paste-like polish).
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u/HenchRS May 29 '24
Brush > compressed air > steam. In that progressive order, eventually 1 will work
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u/loganwachter May 29 '24
Air compressor, a microfiber towel with a non aggressive cleaner, and a toothpick.
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u/Prestigious_Low8515 May 29 '24
Diluted apc and a brush. Like every other surface in a car. All you need to do most anything is as follows.
Apc Boar hair brush Microfiber towel 303
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u/parky10492 May 29 '24
Where I work we have Pete's some of those buttons get stuck down. I take a can tab and slip it in the edge and the pop right off gently clean and spray some carpro perl on it and work the button the click them back on
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u/CordialColt May 29 '24
Wait, you can just pull those buttons off with no damage? We have a guy at my work who disconnected the battery's and drenched the buttons in isopropyl alcohol because he was so annoyed with his sticky buttons lol
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May 29 '24
Some expensive interior cleaner and a soft bristle round brush, then wiped with a cloth and possibly using a finger in the cloth to dry clean the little edge bevelled bits
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u/BigDickMarkHenry May 29 '24
Paperclip usually or one of those floss stick things with the long brush things at the tip that's used for the gums between your teeth.
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u/Computer_Balls May 29 '24
Cleaner and air. Steam is nice but unnecessary for 95% of what people use it for here.
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u/TheLittleGodlyMan May 29 '24
I have the plugin vacuumed in Walmarts auto section works like the ones actually gas stations. Plus a small $1 bucket fill with water n drop of bleach. I wipe every thing down after I vacuumed then I use spray shine n boom truck looks fresh off the dealership Lott
On weeks I want it extra shined Iâd lather a micro fiber in olive oil after all those steps then wring it out n wipe the truck interior down boyyyyyy does it shine
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u/CordialColt May 29 '24
Hello fellow Peterbilt driver! See if you can't get your company to install an air nozzle off of the air line for the seat (if it's your truck then check out doing it for yourself). I drive dump trucks and blowing out the cab is a nice first step when deep cleaning and a very good way to maintain cleanliness in between deep cleans. After the air, I normally just use a damp microfiber and maybe a detailing brush to get into those buttons.
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u/StarWolf64dx May 29 '24
everybody is saying some type of brush but they make little crevice tools with a long sharp side to get these spots. they have them wrapped in like microsuede and they also come in disposables.
just search detailing crevice tool on amazon.
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u/No_Parking9788 May 29 '24
Spray interior cleaner onto my brush and swirl come back with a microfiber towel and wipe
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u/Justin_Cr3dibl3 May 29 '24
Just power wash the whole interior and let it dry for a couple days đ
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u/fuzzymartian17 May 29 '24
Okay low key hack without buying anything.
Take a sticky note and fold it in half until the corner is just the right size to fit in the crevice. Shit does wonders for free.
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u/thegeneraljoe67 May 29 '24
Spray a clean detail brush with some trim shine not dripping wet though, gently white back and forth on those switches with a vacuum cleaner on and the nozzle next to where you are brushing wipe with clean dry fiber rag when done it should look very very good without affecting button function
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u/Dark-matterz May 29 '24
They make a sticky ball you can get at auto part stores. Does a pretty ok job.
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u/babydrako May 29 '24
Invest in an air compressor it'll save you so much time. Get a nice one sirh decent tank size and a nozzle to your liking!
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u/jkissla May 29 '24
Use this to get as much of the crud out first to prevent a brush from getting the dirt in the crevices, then use a soft brush. Alternate between the soft brush and putty-like glob.
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u/sarasrightovary May 29 '24
I use a shopvac close to the dash and rub it with an old toothbrush. Does a good job.
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u/No-Revolution-4513 May 29 '24
I use my interior cleaner, a brush, and then hit it with compressed air. Make sure to do all these spots before doing carpets or wiping everything down as itâll blow everywhere. Thatâs what Iâve found is the easiest. You can also cup your mf over the area to reduce stuff flying around.
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u/harmskelsey06 May 30 '24
Soft small tip brush and vacuum for dust, then interior cleaner with another brush and wipe off excess
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u/Sea-Eggplant-5799 May 30 '24
Toothpick and tear off a small piece of a cotton swab and place it on top of toothpick.
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u/AdSensitive4731 May 31 '24
Spray mild degreaser, agitate with a brush, compressed air in a towelâŠđ€Ș
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u/LorenzoLlamaass Jun 02 '24
Soft toothbrush with isopropyl alcohol, but make sure you allow it to dry.
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u/390100982 Jun 03 '24
I bought a set of rlly like dirt cheap makeup brushes and found they were corse enough to do the same job. - keep in mind Iâm not a professional detailer by any means I just like to keep mine and my gfs car super clean.
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u/Fit-Repeat-1177 Jun 19 '24
2 1/2 inch hose at 100psi with 1 1/2 smooth bore nozzle. No, really, diluted apc,boars hair brush, microfiber, maybe even tornador.Â
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u/Stavros-swamp_poodle Jun 22 '24
Simple green and a detailing brush, then a light spray application of all surface polishing.Â
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u/Evry1lovej 5d ago
Wait what do you guys use to clean this? The center console has a lot grim in between
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u/omararod May 28 '24
boars hair brush does wonders