Smokers and pets are two of the biggest culprits behind dirty car interiors, especially when they take too many rides together. Because of those factors, The Detail Geek on YouTube has seen his fair share of filthy vehicles, but when one smoke- and pet-hair-riddled 2011 Ford Escape ended up in his bay, even he was slightly intimidated by the prospect.
The exterior isn’t the problem. In fact, the crossover is pretty clean outside, all things considered. As such, The Detail Geek doesn’t spend a ton of time gussying it up, but cleans it with enough vigor to make it look like a vehicle both on the exterior and under the hood.
Then, it’s time to tackle the horrible interior. He suspects it’s been over 10 years since it’s been detailed in any capacity, and it’s absolutely packed with dirt, cigarette butts, and pet hair galore. The cargo mat is absolutely filthy and takes multiple passes with the power washer to even begin to resemble its actual color. Once he’s done what he can there, he has to start on the worst part of this 2011 Ford Escape: the front row.
This involves taking out the front seats and console, revealing even more grime and refuse in the places nobody would think to look. After throwing out and vacuuming the worst of it, he admits that he’s not sure he can get it to a like-new state, but can at least clean it to a presentable condition so it can be sold. It’s time to tackle the carpets, which are absolutely disgusting. Just like the mats, the carpeting needs a lot of work before its true color is revealed.
There’s tons of tar, nicotine, and other chemicals from the smoker’s years of abuse on this 2011 Ford Escape. After some TLC, it looks as close to new as a smoker’s 2011 Ford Escape can look, and is ready to be sold to its new owner – someone who hopefully won’t smoke in it.
The Detail Geek has cleaned up his fair share of Blue Oval vehicles thus far, including a Ford Flex in desperate need of a deep clean and a pair of Ford Mustang models from different generations.
Comment
It’s interesting that the article refers to the 2011 Escape as a “crossover”, despite the only official designations I can see are “SUV” and even “truck”. Granted, the truck designation is to avoid some penalties due to fuel economy, but a lot of manufacturers do that.