The short answer
Empty the car of personal belongings, take the child seats out if you can, and tell us about anything we should know: a stain with a story, a loose trim piece, a window that does not seal, a recall on the paint. That is the whole list. Do not wash it first.
Ten minutes of emptying converts directly into more time spent detailing rather than shuffling your things from seat to seat.
What to take out
- Everything in the door pockets, glovebox, and center console you would not want moved.
- Anything valuable: cash, sunglasses, garage remotes, documents, medication.
- Child seats, if removing and refitting them yourself is realistic. If not, leave them and say so.
- Trunk cargo, including the gym bag that lives back there.
- Aftermarket accessories that are not attached: dash cams on suction mounts, phone holders, seat covers you want kept as they are.
What to leave alone
Do not pre-wash the car. It changes nothing for us and can actively hurt: a dry wipe over a dusty panel puts scratches into the paint that then need correcting.
Do not vacuum first either. The vacuum pass is not the labor-intensive part, and seeing the interior in its real state tells the tech which treatment the carpets need.
Leave floor mats in place. They are removed, cleaned separately, and reinstalled as part of the service.
What to tell us
| Tell us about | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| A stain and what caused it | The right chemistry depends entirely on the source |
| Any odor and how long it has been there | Decides whether an enzyme, extraction, or ozone treatment is needed |
| Aftermarket paint or wrap | Changes what can be safely used on it |
| Loose trim, a chipped windshield, a failing seal | So water goes nowhere it should not |
| A leak or damp carpet | Mold work is different work, and the source has to be fixed first |
The five things worth mentioning up front
Book it, empty it, hand over the keys
You do not need to be home. Pick a date and arrival window online, leave the car accessible, and the card on file is charged only after the work. Interior resets from $149, Full Detail from $225.
Where to park it
A flat spot with room to open both doors fully. Shade is a bonus in summer but not required, since the van carries a canopy. If you have a garage and it is empty, that is ideal in July.
If nobody will be home, leave the car unlocked or leave the key where you told us, and pick a spot the tech can reach without moving another vehicle.
What happens to what you leave behind
Anything left in the car gets moved rather than thrown away, which is slower for us and worse for you. Coins, receipts, and cables end up in a bag on the passenger seat, and anything that looks deliberate stays exactly where it is.
The two things worth being explicit about are items you want kept and items you want gone. A note saying the box in the trunk stays and the bag in the footwell is trash removes any guessing, and it prevents the awkward outcome where something meaningful gets binned or something worthless gets carefully preserved.
If the car has a specific problem you want fixed
Point at it directly rather than assuming it will be noticed. A stain in a footwell under a mat, a smell that only appears when the air conditioning runs, or a mark on a headliner are all easy to miss in a walkaround.
Being specific also changes the service booked. Some of these need extraction or odor treatment rather than the package you selected, and knowing before the tech arrives means the right equipment and the right amount of time is scheduled.
This is an educational guide written to help DFW drivers budget and decide with confidence. It is not a binding quote. Your price is confirmed up front before any work begins, with no deposit.