Detailing your car before a show or as routine maintenance can be a daunting task. Well, maybe it doesn’t have to be so difficult if you knew some tricks of the trade. Russell Elia, Jr. has been learning family trade secrets since he was six years old and is here to offer some advice. “I was basically raised working on cars. My father Russell Elia Sr. had a detail and auto market business and I have helped him since I was six. My father sold the business, but I eventually picked it back up with a twist. I decided to make the business mobile where instead of you coming to us, we will come to you.”, says Elia.

Elia with Eric Hawk who received the Cleanest Car Award sponsored by Double R&S Mobile Detailing

Elia has these seven basic tricks of the trade to offer which he learned from his father throughout the years:

1) Wash your car from top to bottom in a shady location. Direct sunlight will dry the car prematurely and leave spots. Use car wash soap and not dish soap. Dish soap is hard on rubber components and it can remove your car’s wax coat.

2) Use a wash mitt made of sheepskin or microfiber cloth. Both materials are designed to pick up and hold dirt. Sponges work too, but a wash mitt makes the job easier and it is kinder to your car’s finish. Do not use towels because they merely push dirt around rather than pick it up.

3) When drying your car, use an absorbent waffle-weave drying towel or microfiber detail towels. Cloths such as Chamois (natural or synthetic) are the traditional choice, but they can scratch your car’s paint.

4) When cleaning your windows, wipe one direction on the inside and the opposite direction on the outside. This way you can tell where the streaks come from.

5) When washing headliners, use a white cloth and a bucket of hot water with a cap of lemon fresh ammonia. Wet the rag and lightly dab to remove spots. These areas are delicate so do not wipe.

6) When washing your microfiber towels after cleaning your car, do not dry them with fabric softener. This will cause them to streak the next time you use them for washing.

7) When washing your materials after cleaning your car, use a cup of vinegar to cut any wax that may have been picked up while cleaning.

Elia’s purpose is simple. “My goal is to be able to touch as many cars and affect as many peoples’ lives as possible in a positive way. We treat your automobile like it was our very own. I totally get the meaning behind peoples’ everyday driver and their show beauty. We just want to offer a worry free service which will keep you referring us to others”, says Elia. For more information or to inquire about basic car washing tricks of the trade, contact Elia on his Facebook page at Double R&S Mobile Detailing.

Eric Hawk and his clean Mustang GT