Interior Sequencing Question

Z

ZeroDfx

Member
When I have cleaned the interior of my 97 BMW 540i, I have cleaned the inside of the windshield with Stoner's IG,only to get a smudge on the clean window when I wipe down the dash with Poorboy's trim solution: the rag hits the window when I'm cleaning the dash vent area.



When I have done the dashboard first, I end up having to wipe it again after Stoner's spray for the windshield settles on it.



Please tell me what sequence you use and why it works for you, or how you make it work for you.



TIA, Nick
 
"Spray the products on your towels/applicators instead of on the glass/dashboard." Or just lay a clean microfiber cloth on the dash when you do the glass. "I always do glass last." Me too.
 
Yeah, the only real suggestion I could give you would be to spray the products on the towels themselves or on one or the other.
 
Windows should always be the last thing done on any detail job. Depending on the time frame allowed for the detail, I'll clean each door panel 1st, the center console and then the dash followed by the carpet. If time is limited, I'll do the carpet 1st.
 
I always vacume the interior first...carpet, seats, console, everything... After wiping down the interior (dash, console, etc...), and taking care of the leather seats, I brush the carpets and do a second vacume job. The last thing I do is to clean the interior glass.
 
agreed glass is ALWAYS last, and I normally drop the windows a 1/2 inch to get the very top part of the window that normally has that crud on it...



glass = last
 
I find the glass cleaner a tad more effective if sprayed directly on window. Hold the MF to the window as a blocker to your vinyl parts and spray at the window. One or Two sprays is enough.
 
I spray directly onto the dash. When I am all finished with the interior and it is time to do the windows, I have a piece of thick cardboard cut to the width of most dash boards. I then have six small blocks of wood cut (appx. 1"x1"x 1/4" thick). I place them so that all four corners of the cardboard sit on them as well as two in the middle as not to smudge the freshly treated dash. I then push this right to the window and spray away. Then I move to the passenger side and do the same. The cardboard is long enough it covers a little more than 1/2 the dash, so there is some overlap to ensure that the spray does not land on the dash. This seems to work very well for me.
 
You guys must be dressing your dash's if you're worried about glass cleaner getting on it? Otherwise, I couldn't imagine getting that worried.
 
I vacuum, clean all vinyl (door panels, dash, console, every hard surface), clean leather/seating surfaces, then clean the carpets. Windows are always the last thing I do on an interior.



I don't dress the interior, so I don't worry about a little glass cleaner getting on the vinyl.
 
David Fermani said:
You guys must be dressing your dash's if you're worried about glass cleaner getting on it? Otherwise, I couldn't imagine getting that worried.
Click to expand...



David - Did you not dress dashes? I know some feel that it causes additional glare on the windshield so they don't dress dashes. I dress everything in vehicles with Opt. Protectant Plus since it leaves a matte finish and don't seem to have any problems with glare.
 
Dash's don't come shiny from the factory, so I don't dress or alter their appearance. I rely on the UV protection built into glass to protect them. It's just me I guess.
 
David Fermani said:
Dash's don't come shiny from the factory, so I don't dress or alter their appearance. I rely on the UV protection built into glass to protect them. It's just me I guess.
Click to expand...



Hmm...I guess I forgot/didn't realize that the windshields have UV protection built in.



So do you dress any part of the front dash/console area?
 
Nope. Only if it's something that's worn where dressing will bring back the original look. Like an ashtray or change/cup holder. I like spray dressings like this:



CarBrite
 
Interesting. I don't know if I could skip dressing the interior. As I mentioned earlier, OPP leaves such a matte finish that I really like the look and feel of it. You obviously have years of experience so I don't doubt your processes or theories though.
 
Hey Mike - At the end of the day it's all about what YOU like. My ways stem from saving money and time from eliminating this step. Plus the dealers hated it. We spent more time scrubbing all the heavy silicone dressing off these part to add more on.
 
I give my clients the option of shiny or natural. Many of them choose shiny...personally, I like many others do not due to the aforementioned added glare in bright sunlight.
 
I agree that YMMV, and whatever works for you, and etc., but I hardly ever dress my interiors either. I started *not* doing it on the dog-haulers and then noticed that even with all the hard (ab)use they get compared to the "good cars", their interiors were holding up just as well :think:



On the sequencing question, I usually do the glass last, but sometimes, when I *am* dressing the interior, I do the glass and then dress the surrounding areas. Just a question of which step is easier to do without messing up the adjacent areas and IME it can vary from vehicle to vehicle. When applying the dressing, I mask/protect the glass with thin pieces of slick-finished cardboard, the stuff they package my wife's pantyhose with works great; just stick it between the glass and the surrounding area and wipe on the dressing (conversely you can use it to protect the dressed areas when wiping the glass).
 
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