Is Super Clean Degreaser the Holy Grail for DIY Auto Detailers?
If you have been in the detailing scene for any amount of time, you have probably heard the self-described experts talk about Super Clean Degreaser. That is unless the self-described expert is shilling their product or a sponsored product. Anyway, for several years I heard it discussed but never actually tried it myself. I mean, come on, you cannot expect me to use something you purchase at Wal-Mart that costs $12/gallon on a six-figure vehicle. At least, that is what I told myself. So, I continued using products that were not only safe on the vehicle but also worked. Some of these products are very expensive. To give you an example, the wax and wheel cleaner we use on premium cars is $120-$150 per bottle.
One spring day, we had a car get brought in for an interior and exterior detail. This thing had been run hard and put away wet. Chili (it was vomit) had been spilled in the back and not cleaned, there were enough fries in it to fill six orders from your favorite burger joint, and the carpet and floor mats were so soiled you could not see carpet fibers. To make matters worse, we felt for this person and agreed on a price they could afford and get them being proud of their vehicle again. Sometimes making money is not the most important thing, and I am sharing this because we put a ton of hours into it for low pay. Once the owner left, I took a step back and made the call to try out Super Clean.
We typically start with removing any large debris in the vehicle before vacuuming. Once the vacuuming stage is complete, we remove the floor mats. That is where I decided to start my journey into Super Clean. I pulled out the ol’ iPhone and watched a few YouTube gurus using Super Clean to get my confidence up. I pulled out what I am sure could look like floor mats again and took them outside. I followed the instructions on the back label and mixed up a 3:1 solution. Here we go, I thought to myself as I took the wand of the sprayer and soaked the freshly vacuumed floor mats. Within about a minute, I could see the foam of the Super Clean start to change colors that matched whatever it was in the floor mats. I took out my drill with our handy dandy drill brush attachment and started to agitate the floor mats. It was amazing to see how all the liquid started to turn a nasty brown color and witness some of the hardened goo turn to liquid again.
Still, in disbelief, I walked the mats back into the shop to our extracting area. We have a professional hot water extractor which I quickly put to work pulling as much of the nasty as possible out of those poor floor mats. I did one pass down the center of the driver’s side mat and was blown away. Fast forward a few minutes and, I had extracted all four of the floor mats. They were a dark blue again, stain-free, and you could see carpet fibers!! Holy crap! Super Clean worked. Not only did it work, but it also worked nearly as well as my expensive carpet shampoo I have used on hundreds of vehicles.
Next in the order of business was cleaning the carpet on the floor of the vehicle. It obviously had similar stains similar to the floor mats, but being a Michigan vehicle, it had salt stains also. I used a 3:1 solution again, coupled with some dwell time and agitation. I put the extractor to work and, when it was all said and done, the carpets looked great again also.
I was super impressed up to this point. The car was starting to come back to life and, I could envision the owner riding in style again with a sense of pride. We finished our Super Clean adventure for the day by doing the same process again with the seats but with an 8:1 solution. The results were the same as the mats and floors. Clean and looking closer to new than the current owner has probably ever seen. We finished the car that day and, when the owner picked it up, they were blown away at the transformation. That day I learned on the average car most people do not care what product you use as long as their car looks like what they envision a freshly detailed car should look like.
So, why am I writing this? Why am I sharing that I use a super cheap product from Walmart from time to time? Well, there are a couple of reasons. The first and foremost reason is we want you to be able to keep your car looking amazing. That means even if you clean it yourself, which means you are not doing business with us. We also understand the marketing gimmicks out there that are used to get you to purchase detailing products. There are literally thousands of products out there with different brand names and labels, but the secret they do not want you to know about is most of these products are made in the same ten factories. The last reason is it works.
In conclusion, if you are a weekend warrior looking to keep your car clean, give Super Clean Degreaser a try.
SUPER CLEAN DEGREASER USAGE RATIO
Full Strength – Auto Parts, Engines, Tires, Underbodies, and Shop Equipment
3:1 – Carpet and Floor Mats
8:1 – Vinyl Seats & Dashboards, Upholstery, Car Covers, and Truck Bed Liners
16:1 – Chrome and Stainless Steel
Do we still use Super Clean Degreaser? Yes. It all depends on what kind of vehicle it is and the condition of the vehicle.
Have your headlights seen better days? Check out our post on how to use the 3m Ultra Headlight Restoration Kit to get your headlights looking brand new again!
Disclaimer – As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Any income earned from these commissions allows us to continue to research and find the best products for you to use!
