How to clean inside door and jambs

[mwoywod]

No need for me to re-read as I got your point the 1st time around. Like I said I've never heard anyone use distilled water on door jambs. Seems like complete overkill, but if you think it makes a difference or prevents some phenomenon from occurring then by all means more power to you.

Using a power washer is essentially pretty harmless *for us* and is mandatory when there's any significant soiling present. It's virtually impossible to clean greasy hinges without a heavy force of water regardless of what APC is used. And I don't think any water splatter that could enter the interior compartment would hurt anything anyways as after we do our initial prep we immediately start our interiors which typically requires quite a bit more water to be used on the interior. We don't deep clean jambs on exterior details either. Only on interiors or completes. I feel if a jamb is clean enough to not use a power washer its probably light enough to just degrease and wipe, but this the exception rather than the norm for us.

The "phenomenon" that has you so mystified is known as mineral deposits aka hard water spots. We have extremely hard water here in KC, which is why I can easily justify spending 85 cents on a gallon of distilled water that is enough to rinse the door jambs of 4-5 vehicles.

David, I feel like you are getting defensive that someone would possibly have a different processes or method than you. Like the saying goes, there's more than one way to skin a goat. (or is it a cat? can't remember)

To reiterate my last post, my reason for using a garden sprayer isn't because I'm worried that the overspray from pressure washing will damage interior surfaces. It's to save time. 9 out of every 10 cars I detail my process is extremely effective, it's efficient, and it wastes far less water. If I had softer water or reverse osmosis I would use that.

I work in an automotive museum/gallery in Kansas City, so the norm for me I'm sure is completely different than the norm for you. I am in NO way a "high end" detailer but I do have a certain niche as most of the cars I detail are very well cared for and are primarily restored & unrestored classics. I've detailed over twenty restored red and black 57 chevy's this year alone. I also detail some modern cars, but I don't see many/any work trucks so based off what you're saying, it seems my method would be be completely insufficient on truly neglected vehicles.