Ok, here we go.... A little about myself first, I'm a part time detailer in the fact that I'm a full time stay at home dad and squeeze in a couple of full details every year, about 5-10 usually. With that being said you know I'm not speaking out of my rear end. Lets cover a few things here, products, procedure, and what not.
First off is products, There are 1000's of products on the market to care for your car. They are split into 3 different categories, Over the counter (OTC), Online only (boutique), and Professional only. I'm not going to talk much about the professional only as there are relatively a small number of those products and really only apply to the exterior of the car. OTC products are ones that you can find locally at most auto part stores and the likes of Walmart and what not. Some are good and some are really bad. The really bad ones are things like original ArmorAll, it's sticky, so it attracts dirt and it is shiny so it leads to Increased UV damage. Turtle wax products are also notoriously bad, there are a few good products from them but they are diamonds in the rough. Stick to quality brands from the likes of 303, Meguair's and Mothers in this category, They consistently have good products with very few "bombs". Griot's Garage is another one that is popping up OTC more often and they are also very good.
The Next category is Online boutique brands such as Chemical Guys, McKee's 37, CarPro, Gtechniq, Optimum etc. Good Sources to buy most of these is Autopia-carcare.com, Autogeek.com and Detailedimage.com. Those sites will also have many offerings from some of the better OTC brands as well and the higher end product lines form the likes of meguiar's and what not. These are my go to brands and products as they generally perform much better then the OTC products. Yes, they are more expensive up front but they often last longer or provide better results so in the long run the cost is about the same for me.
The professional only products are few and are mainly paint coatings that require special certification to be installed properly. These coatings will last 7-10 years and if installed incorrectly can only be remove with wetsanding.
So lets talk about interior cleaning and dressing. There are several great products out there OTC for this. 303 protectant, either the white or blue bottle is a staple in the industry. It leaves a nice finish that isn't too shiny and doesn't attract dirt and offers excellent UV protection. The problem is there is no cleaners in it at all. Meguiar's Natural shine protectant and Optimum Leather protectant plus are very similar but offer mild cleaning agents as well. I still like to clean with something else and protect with 303 myself. Mothers VLR is also very popular and has a bit heavier cleaning agents then the others, I have not used this. For cleaning anything on the inside I use an All Purpose Cleaner (APC), no these aren't like fantastic or other household cleaners. Automotive APC's are designed for cars and can be diluted to suit your needs. I use Meguiar's APC diluted 10:1 for most interior cleaning. It does a great job at lifting oils and dirt of the surfaces your touch most, steering wheel, shift lever, armrests, etc. It will remove dye transfer from light colored leather, clean the headliner, display screen, you name it. It can also be used at stronger concentrates for engine and tire and wheel cleaning.
My interior cleaning is this: Vacuum all carpets and seats, shampoo if needed, clean with Megs APC 10:1 using either a Microfiber cloth or hoarse hair brush, then spray 303 protectant onto a clean Microfiber and apply to all surfaces. For lighter cleanings I'll use optimum leather protectant plus just rubbing a bit harder to do the cleaning. For quick once overs I'll use meguiar's quick interior detailer.
Exterior is a whole other animal. I recommend using the 2 bucket wash method. 1 bucket for clean rinse water to wash out the wash mitt and the second bucket filler with your car shampoo and water. I also recommend using grit guards in the bottom of both buckets as they help trap the removed dirt from the vehicle and trap them in the bottom of the bucket so they don't get back into the wash mitt and cause swirls and scratches. Wash the car from the top down, rinsing the panel and wash mitt after each section. I do, roof and side window, hood fenders bumpers, drivers side top of doors them flip mitt and do the bottom half, passenger side top, flip and the bottom and then rear of the car last, rinsing the mitt in the rinse bucket between each section. Dry with clean microfiber drying towel, waffle weave or plush your choice.
Next, about once a year or so, clay the car with a clay bar. Meguiar's and Mothers both make great kits for this. The clay bar will lift bonded containments from the paint and make the surface nice and smooth. Be sure to use plenty of lubricant or just use soapy water from the wash bucket. Claying the car will remove any wax or sealant that has been applied so you have to follow up with something. There are a few choices for you.
Waxing the car: There are three option you have for protecting the paint, Wax, Sealant, and coatings. Wax has become a loose term in the automotive car care industry now. There are waxes that are actually sealants, sealants that are waxes and no real consistency to what they are call. Generally speaking a true wax is a natural product most commonly carnauba wax. They offer decent protection, often provide the best looks but don't last very long. Sealants are synthetic polymers that cross link across the paint to provide protection. Because of this cross linking they last longer, are easier to apply and remove and end up using less product, thin is in when applying a sealant. Sealants generally give a slightly harsher appearance to the vehicle then carnauba wax but it's hard to tell sometimes and the sealants have gotten so good I almost never use carnauba wax unless the customer specifically asks for it. Like I said earlier some sealants are called waxes and this is strictly marketing purposes. Meguiar's Ultimate liquid wax is actually a full synthetic polymer sealant that provides great protection and is extremely easy to use. It's even safe to apply to black trim with out staining it white, something carnauba waxes do quite easily. Because of this, it's one of my favorites. I also really like Collonite 845. For a winter wax, because I'm in Wisconsin I like Collonite 476 which is a bit more durable but slightly harder to work with then the Ultimate or the 845.
The third option is a coating. Coatings basically add a very thin layer of clear coat to your car in the form of SiO2 which is very hard, Hardness of 9H, a diamond is 10H on the scale. There are two types of coatings, Professional which I mentioned before and Prosumer which are more user friendly but have sorter life spans, usually 2-5 years instead of 7-10 for the pro coatings. These prosumer coatings are available the general public and if a mistake is made applying them they can be removed with a buffer. Speaking of buffers, before applying any coating the car must be polished as a coating has zero hiding ability, meaning any scratches or swirls will just be locked into the surface.
If you want more info on polishing and coating let me know, I'll go into more detail with those if you like.
In review, for interiors I like to use a APC diluted to the proper strength followed by a UV protectant such as 303. The exterior I 2 bucket wash, Clay and seal with either Ultimate liquid wax or Collonite 845. Currently I have a coating on my car so I don't wax or seal that much any more.