My name is Brent Dicesare. I’m one half of WD Detailing. And today, we’re going to be cleaning an exceedingly nasty car that used to belong to a hoarder who’s now in treatment.
When we first got this car, we had to leave it outside of our shop for over a week just to let it air out, as it was one of the worst-smelling vehicles we’ve ever received, due to the fact that the carpets and seats were covered in grime and grease, and there was a ton of trash everywhere.
The first thing we did was use the ozone machine. The ozone machine eliminates air pollutants and odors while also killing bacteria and viruses in the car, making it a much safer place to work. After removing the seats, the first step is to remove any rubbish and thoroughly vacuum the vehicle. Thus, we can see exactly what we are working with.
When you see a car in this condition, it doesn’t always make sense to save it. However, a gentleman named Parker brought us this vehicle. He reached out to us and told us that he wanted to clean the automobile and give it away to someone who really needed it. That deeply moved us, so we were immediately interested.
As we were vacuuming, we discovered a pile of dead bugs sitting on the carpet right next to the back seat. It was mixed with hair and other items typically found when detailing disaster cars. When individuals leave food or anything of that like that starts breaking down, that’s when the maggots start arriving in their cars. As long as they do not spatter on the carpet, they are quite simple to vacuum up. But even then, you can just extract them.
This trash was so firmly adhered that we could not remove it with our hands. Even a pressure washer is insufficient to remove it. So we will occasionally use a flathead screwdriver. This allows us to remove items from the surface that we otherwise could not.
It was neither sticky nor oily. It possessed a Velcro-like roughness. Similar to that hard sensation. This was how terrible this carpet was.
If we didn’t remove the carpet from this automobile, there was no way we could get it entirely clean, especially considering all the stains. According to Parker, you would generally want to replace this carpet, but we were attempting to keep the expense as low as possible. That was what he desired.
So the original color of the carpets, floor mats, and seats of this automobile was gray. And when we received them, they were nearly black. I honestly have no idea where the stains on the carpet originated. We simply assumed that it was a mixture of grease, grime, and everything else.
This carpet contained what appeared to be dog fur, which we removed using a vacuum and a carpet brush. We utilized a degreaser rather than an extractor soap because degreaser is more powerful. Then, we proceeded to drill-brush it into the carpet to facilitate its absorption into the fibers. This carpet had to be power-cleaned and extracted four times.
As a detailer, you know it’s time to call it after you’ve spent 20 minutes or 30 minutes on the same stain and it’s no longer changing color or removing, and there’s not much more you can do. I would estimate that 85% of the stains and grime were removed from the carpet, while the other 15% were irreparable.
We hung it inside a closet equipped with a heater. Therefore, we needed to let it dry for two days.
Consequently, dying the carpet was a last-minute decision that I made myself. The first step is to spray carpet with dye. We use a brush to brush it into the carpet so that it doesn’t simply sit there, because if it does, the carpet will develop a hard, bristly texture. And then you will return and spray it once more. Then, you simply let it set and dry, and that’s all. Inhaling the gases is the sole precaution you need take, so we wore respirators. In addition, because we are in a parking garage, we had a massive exhaust fan going the entire time. And we don’t do this on regular carpets, or really ever, but when we saw that some of the stains weren’t coming out, we wanted to ensure that this will truly transform someone’s life, and that they’ll be thrilled to receive it.
The chairs are stained with grease. And there was so much of it that when we completed the full extraction the first time, we let it dry overnight, and when we returned the next day, it was once again entirely covered in grease. Thus, everything buried deeper in the seat rose to the surface. Therefore, we had to clean them again.
So, after spraying the extractor soap, we’ll let it sit for a minute or two before using the drill brush to stir the soap into the fibers. We’ll then use the extractor to remove the soap. A little nozzle on the extractor shoots hot water into the fibers of the seat. In addition, it features a vacuum head. So as it is spraying water into it, it is simultaneously sucking water out. This allows it to clean it. We have an excellent view of the situation, so we can see the soap and grime flowing out of the seat. The seat is clean when the water passing through it is fully transparent.
Now we are cleaning the car’s back seat, which was one of the filthiest areas of the vehicle. The first thing that we did was utilize the Tornador to spray away any dirt. This is merely an air-compressor device that emits air in a tornado configuration. And that will remove a significant amount of dirt from the seat’s deeper fibers. We will next proceed to the extraction phase.
The Tornador is ideal for removing microparticles from carpets and seats, as well as dust, grime, and other contaminants from the surface layer.
At this stage, we are disassembling the center console in order to remove it from the vehicle and pressure wash out all the filthy oil and mildew. There is no doubt that grime accumulates beneath the radio or any of the knobs on the center console, as this is where your hands frequently rest. By disassembling these objects and cleaning behind them, we can be certain that we are disinfecting and doing the finest job possible.
Occasionally, the Tornador is unable to remove objects that are extremely adhered to plastics if they are gooey or otherwise similar to a glue material. The air will not be effective enough, so you must scrape it off and power wash it.
We also desired a thorough exterior cleaning. It had a substantial amount of dust on its exterior. The engine compartment was filthy. The wheels were covered in brake dust.
Surprisingly, grime or dust really serves as a paint protector. Therefore, when a vehicle is covered in dust or dirt, it is protected from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation.
So, we begin by spraying our paint-safe degreaser all over the outside, which will begin to loosen any dirt on the surface. Then, we will use our pressure washer to remove the dirt.
So, after washing the vehicle, we apply the ceramic sealant to the entire surface while it is still wet. And this offers it a small amount of protection and gloss after we’ve washed it. Then, we will spritz it down once more before to drying it.
After we were finished with it, he had to take it back to his home shop and perform mechanical repairs to ensure that it is safe for the future owner.
We are quite pleased with the outcome of this vehicle, but what matters most to us is Parker’s reaction, as he recognized that this is something special. And the fact that we were able to participate was the reason we did it in the first place. We perform all of these services without charge. We undertook this endeavor because we desired to effect change and assist a deserving family.