DIY Car Detailing
Washing, claying, polishing and protecting your own car. What to buy, what to skip, and the order to do it in.
Why this site exists
Most of what a professional detailer knows is learned on the job or passed around inside the trade. You pick it up by making mistakes on real paint, or by working next to someone who already made them.
This site puts that knowledge in writing, free to read, for anyone who wants to do the work properly: on their own car or on a customer's.
Who writes this
All Things Detailing is run by a working detailer. The guides come from time spent on customer cars, and from the mistakes that come with learning the trade.
There is a lot of detailing advice online written by people who have never held a polisher. This site does the opposite: it says what works, says what does not, and admits when the honest answer is "it depends on the car."
What you will find here
Running a Detailing Business
Starting out, setting prices, finding customers and getting paid. Written for people who want detailing to be their job.
How the guides get written
- Written from the job
- Guides are based on hands-on detailing work. If we have not done something ourselves, we say so or leave it out.
- No paid placements
- Nobody can pay to be included in a guide or to be ranked higher. If a cheaper product does the same job, we say that.
- AI helps with the typing, not the knowledge
- We use AI tools to help outline, draft and edit. Every guide is read, corrected and approved by a detailer before it goes up.
- Dated and corrected
- Each guide shows when it was last updated. If you find a mistake and you are right, we fix it.
How the site pays for itself
Some guides link to products, and some of those links earn the site a commission if you buy. The site may also show ads. Neither one changes what gets recommended.
Found a mistake, or have a question a guide did not answer?
Corrections are welcome.